747 historical events 1986-1989 - Boeing 747 | information center

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 and additions are warmly welcome at   postmaster@boeing747.net
Dates are in yyyy.mm.dd. format

747 milestones | 1986-1989

• 1986.02.12. JA8170 roll out of the first 747-100SUD Stretched Upper Deck.
  

• 1986.02.26. JA8170 first flight of the 100SUD
  

• 1986.03.24. JA8170 FAA certification and first delivery of the 747-100SUD
  

• 1986.04.09 Boeing announces a 747-400 Combi (passenger/cargo) version. First 400 Combi ordered by KLM the same day
  

• 1986.06.05 U.S. Air Force orders two specially equipped 747-200s to transport the president of the United States designated VC-25 (Air Force 1)
  

• 1986.09.09  last 747-100SR JA8176 delivered to JAL
  

• 1986.12.22 last 747-200B order by All Nippon Airways
  

• 1987.03.13 A6-ZSN the last 747SP rolled out for Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight
  

• 1987.05.16 The first VC-25A  made its maiden flight.
  

• 1987.10.30 The last 747-300 ordered by Cathay Pacific Airways
  

• 1987.12.10 JA8183 the first 747-300SR remodificated to long haul operation instead of the present domestic SR version deliverd to JAL
  

• January 1988 Clay Lacy sets a 36 hour 54-minute around-the-world speed record in 747SP-21 N147UA (c/n 21548) christened "Friendship One". The flight (routing through Seattle-Athens-Taipei-Seattle) raises more than $500.000 for children's charities of the world.
  

• 1988.01.26 Dual ceremonies celebrate the simultaneous rollout of the first Boeing 737-400 and first 747-400 jetliners.
  

• 1988.02.19 JA8187 the last 747-300SR delivery to JAL
  

• 1988.03.11 The last 747-200 Combiordered by Air France
  

• 1988.04.05 EC-EEK the last 747-200 Combi delivered to spanish Iberia Airlines
  

• 1988.04.29 Boeing test pilots James C. Loesch and Kenneth Higgins take the new Boeing 747-400, serial number 23719, registration N401PW, for its first flight from Paine Field, landing at Boeing Field 2 hours 29 minutes later.
  

• 1988.06.27 During flight testing of the first Boeing 747-400 airliner, N401PW, serial number 23719, test pilots James C. Loesch and Howard B. Greene took off from Moses Lake, Washington and climbed to an altitude of 2,000 meters (6,562 feet). The total weight of the airplane was 405,659 kilograms (894,325 pounds). This set a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Greatest Mass Carried to a Height of 2,000 Meters.
  

• 1988.06.30 first 747-400D Domestic ordered by  JAL
  

• 1988.08.28 First flight of a Rolls-Royce-powered 747-400, for Cathay Pacific.
  

• 1988.09.26 PH-MCF the last 747-200C Convertible (the 13th) delivered to dutch Martinair Holland
  

• 1988.10.18 JA8189 the last 747-300 (81th) delivered to Japan Asia Airways
  

• 1989.01.09 PW4056-powered 747-400 certificated by the FAA.
  

• 1989.01.11 Last 747-300M Combi ordered by belgian SABENA
  

• 1989.01.26 N663US PW4056-powered 747-400 delivered to Northwest Airlines, entering service on the Phoenix-Minneapolis route on 9 February.
  

• 1989.03.23 PH-BFC   First 747-400 Combi rolls out of the factory.
  

• 1989.04.15 PH-BFA   First flight of a General Electric powered 747-400, for KLM
  

• 1989.05.26 747-400 completes the longest engineering flight in Boeing Commercial Aircraft history, lasting more than fourteen (14) hours as cruise performance is evaluated.
  

• 1989.06.01. First international service of the new 747-400 on flight NW17 between JFK-NRT.
  

• 1989.06.08 B-HOP Cathay Pacific received first Rolls-Royce-powered 747-400.
  

• 1989.06.30 PH-BFC   First flight of the first 747-400 Combi.
  

• 1989.08.16-17 On its delivery flight, Qantas’ first Boeing 747-438 Longreach airliner, VH-OJA, City of Canberra, was flown by Captain David Massey-Green from London Heathrow Airport, England (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL) to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, Australia (IATA: SYD, ICAO: YSSY), non-stop. Three other senior Qantas captains, Ray Heiniger, George Lindeman and Rob Greenop completed the flight deck crew. Boeing Training Captain Chet Chester was also aboard.
  

• The distance flown by the new 747 was 17,039.00 kilometers (10,587.54 miles) at an average speed of 845.58 kilometers per hour (525.42 miles per hour). The flight’s duration was 20 hours, 9 minutes, 5 seconds. This set a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Distance ¹ and World Record for Speed Over a Recognized Course.²
  

• 1989.09.01 PH-BFC first 747-400 Combi delivered to Royal Dutch Airlines
  

• 1989.09.12 PH-BFC 747-400 Combi enters commercial service with The Netherlands' KLM -- Royal Dutch Airlines
  

• 1989.09.13 747-400F programme launched.
  

• 1989.11.09 first 747-400F ordered by Cathay Pacific Airways
  

• 1989.12.09 A6-ZSN the last (45th) 747SP delivery to Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight.