The Jumbo Jet's First Flight
Next: February 9, 2027
The plane that shrank the world.
The story
Where it comes from
This Story marks the anniversary of 9 February 1969, when the first Boeing 747, christened City of Everett, took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on its maiden flight. Chief test pilot Jack Waddell, co-pilot Brien Wygle and flight engineer Jess Wallick were the only people on board, and crowds watched the largest passenger plane in the world lift off and return safely after more than an hour in the air. Pan Am's founder, Juan Trippe, had pushed Boeing to build it, and the first 'jumbo jet' opened the age of the wide-bodied airliner.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance, but the anniversary is a fine day for aviation fans to visit an air museum, look up the first flight on film, or simply remember a first long-haul trip. Boeing's own short film of the day, New Dimension, shows the factory, the rollout and the take-off.
Did you know
- To build the 747, Boeing put up a new factory at Everett, considered the largest building by volume in the world.
- Testing ran through 1969 on five aircraft and more than 1,400 flight hours, and the plane was certified on 30 December 1969.
- The 747 entered service with Pan Am on 22 January 1970, on the route from New York to London.
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