747 historical events 1966-1968 - 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 andadditions are warmly welcome at postmaster@boeing747.net
Dates are in yyyy.mm.dd. format.

747 milestones | 1966-1968

• 1966.01.04 First 747 interior mockup was shown to Pan American Airlines.
  

• January 1966 Design proposal of the 747  has been taken to airlines of interest.
  

• March 1966 Boeing Board of Directors decides to proceed with the 747 Program.
  

• 1966.04.13   announces $525 million order for 25 Boeing 747s, effective launch of the 747 program.
  

• June 1966 Boeing purchases 780 acres, adjacent to Paine Field, Everett, Washington, to build the 747 production plant.
  

• 1966.07.25 Formal go ahead of 747 program.
  

• July 1966 Jack Waddell senior experimental test pilot appointed for the commander of the first flight.
  

• September 1966 Orders for the 747 reached $1.8 billion.
  

• 1966.12.01 Pratt and Whitney JT9D engine run for the first time on a test pad at the East Hartford factory.
  

• 1966.12.31 Boeing booked 88 orders by 11 airlines for the giant 747.
  

• 1967.01.03 First production workers arrive at the Everett plant marking actual production start.
  

• 1967.03.06  First 747-200B order placed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
  

• 1967.05.01 Everett assembly building - the world's largest in volume - is opened, four months after the first workers had arrived to start construction of the 747. The largest building in the world by volume at 13,385,378 m3 (472,370,319 cu ft), 398,000 m2 (4,280,000 sq ft) and covers 98.7 acres (39.9 ha).
  

• August 1967 First 747 sub-assemblies arrived Everett from Boeing Auburn facility.
  

• 1967.09.12 First stringers were loaded into wing panel jigs marking the actual start of assembly of the first 747 (RA001) later registered N7470.
  

• October 1967 Truck Mounted Boeing 747 Cockpit Simulator for Taxi Tests, they called as Waddell truck.
  

• 1967.11.21 First 747 nose section arrives at the Everett Final Assembly Line from the Boeing plant in Wichita, Kansas.
  

• January 1968 Completion of a detailed full-scaled 747 wooden mock-up. Used for testing of non-structural items.
  

• April 1968 First wing removed from Everett assembly fixture.
  

• 1968.05.02 Wings and fuselage stub were joined together of the first plane.
  

• end of May 1968 2 forward and 2 aft body sections were united.
  

• June 1968 the JT9D engine first flight mounted on a Boeing B-52E which served as an engine testbed.
  

• mid-June 1968 Wings and body were joined.
  

• 1968.09.04 During the assembly of the Boeing 747 prototype, N7470 the first of the four P&W JT9D-3A engines is fixed to the wing.
  

• 1968.09.30 N7470 First 747 rolls out of the factory at 11:10AM LT, MSN 20235
  

• 1968.12.17 Planned first flight of the 747,- commemorating of 65th anniversary of the Wright bros Kitty Hawk flight. Postponed.