The Boeing 747 Makes Its First Flight
Pan Am asks for a plane two and a half times the size of the 707, and Boeing bets the company on it
Quick facts
- First flight
- February 9, 1969
- Chief engineer
- Joe Sutter
- Entered service
- January 22, 1970, Pan Am
- Production ended
- 2023
What happened
The Boeing 747 completed its first test flight on February 9, 1969, with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls and Jess Wallick as flight engineer, confirming the aircraft handled well despite a minor flap problem. The design, led by chief engineer Joe Sutter, had been developed in response to a Pan Am request for a jet two and a half times the size of the 707, built at a purpose-constructed factory in Everett, Washington, the largest building by volume in the world when it was completed. The 747 entered commercial service with Pan Am on January 22, 1970.
Why it matters
The 747 was the first aircraft to earn the label jumbo jet and the first wide-body airliner, and its increased capacity lowered per-seat costs enough to help make international air travel accessible to middle-class travelers rather than a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Developing it was such a financial gamble for Boeing that company leadership was reported to have bet the company on its success, and the aircraft went on to stay in production for more than 50 years before the final 747 was delivered in 2023.
How we know
The 747's development, first flight crew, and Everett factory construction are documented by Northwestern University's aviation history archive and by the Museum of Flight in Seattle, which holds the first 747 ever built, RA001, in its collection.
Sources
- Northwestern University. The 747 Takes Off · Reputable sourcesites.northwestern.edu · The domain "sites.northwestern.edu" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- The Museum of Flight. Boeing 747-121 · General sourcemuseumofflight.org · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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