747 historical events 1969-1971 - Boeing 747 | information center

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747 historical events 1969-1971

747 History > Milestones

I collected all the important milestones of the mighty  BOEING 747  in the past 50+ years. I tried to do my best to recall every important moment of more than fifty-year. I hope my efforts serve your reading enjoyment.

Corrections andadditions are warmly welcome at postmaster@boeing747.net
Dates are in yyyy.mm.dd. format.

747 milestones | 1969-1971



  • January 1969 Company press release came out about names of the first flight crew of maiden flight (Jesse Wallick, Jack Waddell, Brian Wygle - the three W's)



  • 1969.02.15 Second flight of the 747, lasted 138 minutes.


  • 1969.02.17 23 minutes test flight of RA001 for 25 degrees flap setting and main landing gear check.


  • 1969.02.18 RA001 performed 3h 6m flight time by 2 test flights.


  • 1969.02.24 RA001 flap testing.


  • 1969.02.25 124 minutes of static pressure and airspeed survey flight on RA001. The first flight over the heavily populated area while en-route from PAE to SEA.


  • 1969.03.03 First solo 747-200F order (Except PAA including 2 Freighter serie on original order) placed by Lufthansa German Airlines



  • May1969 JT9D engine received its FAA certification


  • 1969.05.08 roll out of the first TWA 747: MSN 19667 N93101


  • 1969.06.03 N731PA debuted at the 28th International Aeronautical and Space show at Paris Le Bourget. The crew of this historic flight were: P.J. De Roberts, Don Knutson PIC,  S.L. Wallick. The flight took 9h 18m.


  • 1969.06.07 N731PA flew back Paris LBG-Washington-Seattle route flying 11.495 miles.


  • 1969.07.16. roll out of the first Lufthansa 747 MSN: 19746 D-ABYA


  • 1969.11.04 According to a Boeing press release the five test planes flown 628 flights and logged 1010 flight hours.


  • 1969.12.12 N733PA First 747 delivery to Pan Am. N733PA delivered PAE-NAS-JFK, took off from PAE at 12:37 PM and landed at JFK 9:30 PM at JFK, PIC: Robert M.Weeks. December 12, 1969: The first to be received in an illustrious line of Pan Am 747s that would change travel forever! Boeing wide-body jet Young America (N733PA) was delivered to Pan Am.After arriving at JFK, the jet was unveiled for the first time to thousands of delighted visitors as reported in the “Pan Am Clipper” (12/22/1969 from University of Miami Special Collections). There were also several hour-long demonstration flights scheduled for the press and others. This plane bore several other names, including Constitution, Washington, Air Express Moscow Express and Pride of the Sea. “JFK - Despite warnings of snowstorms, on Dec.14 more than 5,000 Pan Am employees and their families came to view Pan Am’s first 747. They came on short notice, too. No one knew until the late afternoon of Dec. 12 exactly when the plane would be accepted and delivered. At 8 a.m. on Dec. 15, 160 employees went for a hour-long flight in the aircraft. Because of the short time schedule, those who went on the flight were chosen in the quickest possible manner. A specific number of invitations was allotted each department according to its total size. The lucky ones were chosen at random by department heads. The 747, bearing provisional license NP733PA, is number six off the Boeing production line. It is the first of two 747s Pan Am will use to train pilots and flight engineers at Roswell, New Mexico.It arrived at JFK on Dec. 13, after a flight from Seattle to Nassau, where Robert Blake, Pan Am resident representative to Boeing, formally accepted it.”


  • 1969.12.30 The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certifies the 747-100 for commercial service. The five test planes have flown 1449 flight hours by 1013 flights including 539 hours of FAA demonstration.

  • 1970.01.11 N735PA First Atlantic crossing with commercial airline crew and final proving demonstration for FAA personnel on route JFK-LHR.



  • 1970.01.15. First Lady Pat Nixonchristened the first commercial 747.First Lady Pat Nixon christens the first Boeing 747, Clipper Young America, Reg# N736PA, at Dulles Airport, January 1970. This aircraft would later be destroyed in the Tenerife Airport disaster.


  • 1970.01.28. 6 das after the first ever 747 scheduled flight from JFK to LHR N737PA diverted to (JFK-LHR)-FRA due to thick fog in London. Making the first ever debut of a 747 in FRA, and Germany. More to read about this : here


  • 1970.01.22 747 enters commercial service with Pan American World Airways on a New York-London flight. N735PA was allocated for this milestone flight but PAA002 delayed due to technical problem. The captain of the flight was Bob Weeks. N735PA left its gate at 7:25 PM 21/0170 but taxied back to gate after overheat detected on #4 engine. Passengers disembarked, the plane changed to N736PA. Finally, PAA002 took off with 332 passengers and 17 crew members on board at 01:52 AM 22/0170 and landed at LHR after 6h 16m flight time at 08:05 AM (13:05LT). The spacious age began. Ticket prices: 375$ for one-way first-class, 210$ for one-way economy class. 22 January 1970: Captain Robert M. Weeks, Captain John Noland and Flight Engineer August (“Mac”) McKinney flew the Pan American World Airways Boeing 747-121, N736PA, Clipper Young America, from New York to London on a 6 hour, 14 minute inaugural passenger-carrying flight of the new wide-body jet.



  • March 1970 Peak production rate of seven 747 a month is reached.



  • 1970.07.16 Millionth passenger carried on 747s.

  • 1970.08.27 Roll out of the first 747-200B. MSN: 20356 N611US


  • 1970.09.06 The first hijack and hull loss of a 747. N752PA Pan Am's Clipper Fortune is blown up by terrorists in Cairo; nobody is injured. Pan Am Flight 93 was carrying 152 passengers and 17 crew,of which 85 were US citizens.The flight was from Brussels, Belgium, to New York, with a stop in Amsterdam. The two hijackers bumped from the El Al flight boarded and hijacked this flight as a target of opportunity. The plane first landed in Beirut, where it refueled and picked up several associates of the hijackers, along with enough explosives to destroy the entire plane. It then landed in Cairo after uncertainty whether the Dawson's Field airport (where additional 3 planes hijacked) could handle the size of the new Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Flight director John Ferruggio, who led the plane's evacuation, is credited with saving the plane's passengers and crew.The plane was blown up at Cairo seconds after it had been evacuated. This was the first hull loss of a Boeing 747.


  • 1970.10.11 N611US First flight of the first 747-200B.


  • 1970.10.19. Roll out of the 100th B-747 MSN. 20207 N601BN for Braniff


  • 1970.11.12 N611US 747-200B sets world heavyweight record, taking off from Edwards AFB, CA, at 820.700 lb (372.269 kg) gross weight, 500.700 lb (227.117 kg being fuel, flight-test equipment and payload).


  • 1970.12.23 747-200B certified by FAA


  • January 1971 The 747 worldwide fleet accumulates 72 million miles in the first year of operation, carried 6 million passengers on 15,5 billion pax miles. Arrivals and departures averaged 2900 / week.



  • 1971.02.11 N601BN  Boeing delivers 100th 747 to U.S.-based Braniff Airlines.


  • 1971.02.12 Boeing 747 equipped with fail-operative triple-autopilot system certificated for operation in Category IIIA conditions, with runway visual range only 700ft (213m).


  • 1971.02.14 PH-BUA 747-200 enters commercial service with The Netherlands' KLM -- Royal Dutch Airlines AMS-JFK route


  • September 1971 End of fatigue tests on #2 mockup.


  • 1971.10.14 N1794B First 747-200F Freighter roll out , MSN: 20373 later D-ABYE for Lufthansa


  • 1971.11.30 The first 747-200F Freighter makes its maiden flight.



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