N7001U is the first production Boeing 727-22[a] to be built by Boeing in 1962. It was delivered to United Airlines in 1964, and spent its entire service career with the airline until its retirement in 1991.[1]
| N7001U | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Boeing 727-22 |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Owners | United Airlines |
| Registration | N7001U |
| Flights | 48,060 |
| Total hours | 64,495 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | November 27, 1962 |
| First flight | February 9, 1963 |
| Last flight | March 2, 2016 |
| Preserved at | Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. |
| Fate | On static display |
History
editConstruction and rollout
editOn November 27, 1962, N7001U was rolled out of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington. It bore a lemon yellow and copper-brown paint scheme, reminiscent of the Boeing 367-80 prototype of 1954.[2][3]
Maiden flight and service
editN7001U took to the skies for the first time on February 9, 1963. After completing the flight test and certification program, it was delivered to United Air Lines on October 6, 1964. United operated N7001U for 27 years, accumulating 64,495 flight hours and executing 48,060 takeoffs and landings during its time in service. In 1991, United Air Lines donated the aircraft to The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.[3][4] Over its years of service, N7001U carried approximately three million passengers.[3]
Final flight and legacy
editOn March 2, 2016, after extensive restoration, N7001U made its final flight from Paine Field near Everett, Washington to the museum's facility at Boeing Field.[5] The aircraft was a notable exception to Boeing's practice of retaining first production examples of its jet airliners for testing and development; not until the Boeing 777 of the 1990s would such an aircraft see regular airline service.[b][2][3][6]
Notes
edit- ^ The aircraft is a Boeing 727-100 model; until 2016, Boeing assigned a unique code for each company that bought one of its aircraft, which was applied as a suffix to the model number at the time the aircraft was built, hence "727-22" designates a 727-100 built to United Airlines' specifications (customer code 22).
- ^ N7771, the first Boeing 777 to be built, was delivered to Cathay Pacific in 2000.
References
edit- ^ Dwyer-Lindgren, Jeremy. "World's first 727 makes final flight after 25-year restoration". USA TODAY.
- ^ a b Swopes, Bryan (2024-02-09). "N7001U | This Day in Aviation". Retrieved 2024-02-29.
- ^ a b c d "Boeing 727-022". The Museum of Flight. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ Farris, Brandon (March 3, 2016). "The First Boeing 727 Prepares For a Last Flight". Airways News. Airways International, Inc. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ^ "Iconic first Boeing 727 makes final flight". CNN. 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
- ^ "The First Boeing 727's Final Flight is Scheduled for Today : AirlineReporter". www.airlinereporter.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.