Airworthy Vintage Boeing Jetliners |
Here's a collection of pictures of some of the oldest examples of Boeing jet airliners that still fly.
Allied Signal 720-051B TFE731-40 Engine Testbed N720GT at the Williams-Gateway Airport, Arizona on March 31, 1996. This 720 is the oldest Boeing jet airliner that still flies in the United States. It wears construction number 18384. It first flew on September 15, 1961. TWA leased it as N794TW beginning on August 27, 1961. Northwest leased it as N733US on October 26, 1962 and then bought it on July 1, 1968. Maersk Air registered it as OY-APZ in January 1973 and leased it to Nigeria Airways in December 1974. TEA leased it as OO-TYA on November 6, 1979 and returned it to Maersk on January 19, 1980. Conair acquired it on February 16, 1981. Allied Signal registered it as N720GT on November 24, 1987 and mounted an engine test pylon on the right side of the forward fuselage.
720-051B N720GT at the Williams-Gateway Airport on March 31, 1996.
720-051B N720GT at the Williams-Gateway Airport on March 31, 1996.
720-051B N720GT at the Williams-Gateway Airport on March 31, 1996.
720-051B N720GT at the Williams-Gateway Airport on March 31, 1996.
720-051B N720GT at the Williams-Gateway Airport on March 31, 1996.
The 720-051B Engine Testbed was registered as N720H in February 2000. Honeywell International acquired it and installed a Honeywell AS977 engine. Honeywell conducts frequent engine test flights with it.
Honeywell 720-051B N720H at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on April 11, 2006.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on April 11, 2006. Camelback Mountain looms in the distance.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on April 11, 2006.
The mobile work shelter has been rolled back from 720-051B N720H revealing that there is no engine on the test pylon.
Stereo pair of 720-051B N720H at Phoenix on April 11, 2006. Cross your eyes until the images line up to see the 720 in 3-D.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on April 11, 2006.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on April 12, 2006.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on April 12, 2006.
720-051B N720H made a six hour long flight from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Thursday December 27, 2007. It filed a flight plan from Williams-Gateway to Phoenix. It actually departed from Phoenix and activated its flightplan over Williams-Gateway. Four Peaks is faintly visible in the distance.
The Papago Buttes form a backdrop to 720-051B N720H.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on December 27, 2007.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on December 27, 2007.
720-051B N720H at Phoenix on December 27, 2007.
720-051B N720H scrubs smoke off its main landing gear as it lands on Runway 26.
Another small puff of smoke was produced as 720-051B N720H nose gear touched down.
720-051B N720H deploys its spoilers to reduce lift after touchdown.
720-051B N720H taxis back to its parking spot on the north side of the airport.
You can buy 8"x10" or 11"x14" prints of my photo of Honeywell Boeing 720 N720H at Phoenix on December 27, 2007 from the LockettBooks Store at Lulu.com.
The last four operational Stealth Fighters arriving at Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California for their retirement ceremony on April 21, 2008.
Customize your framed print of Honeywell Boeing 720 N720H, Phoenix, December 27, 2007 at the LockettBooks Store at Lulu.com.
707-138B N707JT at Los Angeles International Airport on March 2, 2006. It carries construction number 18740. It first flew on July 29, 1964. It was delivered to QANTAS on September 10, 1964. Braniff Airways registered it as N108BN on June 24, 1969. Tracey Investment bought it in September 1975 and sold it to TAG Aviation in October 1977. TAG rergistered it as N707XX in July 1990 and then sold it to Aviation Methods in 1995. Jet Clipper Johnny LLC acquired it on May 20, 1998 and gave it its current registration on December 12, 1998. It has been restored in vintage QANTAS livery. John Travolta flies it and it is based at his home in Florida. The 707-138 is ten feet shorter than the standard 707-120.
707-138B N707JT at Los Angeles on March 2, 2006.
707-138B N707JT at Los Angeles on March 2, 2006.
Lowa Limited 707-330B N88ZL at Santa Barbara on October 15, 1985. It first flew on December 7, 1965. It carries construction number 18928. It was delivered to Lufthansa as D-ABUF on December 28, 1965. It was leased to Condor for three years. Aerommer/Lowa registered it as N5381X on July 3, 1984. It received its current registration in March 1985. This is the last 707 that carries paying passengers in the United States.
Lowa Limited 707-330B N88ZL at Los Angeles International Airport on March 2, 2006. It had been charted by Bon Jovi for their United States concert tour.
707-330B N88ZL was charted by Bon Jovi for their United States concert tour. American Airlines Boeing 777-223ER flight AAL169 to Tokyo is taxiing to the runway in the background.
707-330B N88ZL departs from Los Angeles on a flight to Paris le Bourget Aerodrome on March 2, 2006.
707-330B N88ZL departs from Los Angeles on March 2, 2006.
707-330B N88ZL departs from Los Angeles on March 2, 2006.
707-330B N88ZL arriving at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport from Mojave, California on April 7, 2006.
707-330B N88ZL on approach to land at Phoenix on April 7, 2006.
707-330B N88ZL on approach to land at Phoenix on April 7, 2006. The new control tower was under construction.
Classic Designs of Tampa Bay 727-121 N727PX at the Santa Barbara Airport on October 4. It arrived from Honolulu early in the morning on October 3. It first flew on June 7, 1967. Its Boeing construction number is 19261. It was delivered to Pan Am as N359PA Clipper Unity on June 17, 1967. It subsequently carried the names Clipper Hamburg, Clipper Orpheus, Clipper Spreeathen, and Clipper Sausewind. International Executive Aircraft bought it on August 14, 1981 and registered it as N727DG in May 1982. Beneficial Finance Leasing Company acquired it in August 1984. R & F 727 Incorporated bought it in on October 1, 1984 and registered it as N727RF November 1984. Guess ? Incorporated acquired it on October 19, 1990. Guess ? Incorporated sold it to First Security Bank of Utah and leaased it back on April 1, 1991. Guess ? Incorporated registered it as N260GS in July 1991. It was leased to Agassi international on July 22, 1996. Classic Designs of Tampa Bay leased it on July 2, 1997. Paxon Communications Management bought it on December 18, 1997 and registered it as N727PX on January 11, 1998. Classic Designs of Tampa Bay registered it as N727AH on August 11, 2007.
727-121 N727PX at Santa Barbara on October 4. Construction material in the foreground was being used to build a new bridge across Las Vegas Creek into the airport.
727-121 N727PX at Santa Barbara on October 6.
727-121 N727PX at Santa Barbara on October 6.
727-21 N727PX and Dornier Do-24ATT turbo-prop, tri-motor amphibian RP-C2403 at Santa Barbara on October 6.
727-21 N727PX arriving at Santa Barbara on August 8, 2006.
727-21 N727PX at Santa Barbara on August 8, 2006.
Classic Designs of Tampa Bay re-registered 727-21 N727PX as N727AH.
Classic Designs of Tampa Bay 727-21 N727AH arriving at Santa Barbara on July 31, 2007.
727-21 N727AH at Santa Barbara on July 31, 2007.
Sky King 737-291, N977UA at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on April 11, 2006. It first flew on April 27, 1978. It was delivered to Frontier Airlines as N7391F on May 12, 1978. United Airlines acquired it as N977UA in October 1985 and retired it to Victorville on November 13, 2001. Sky King acquired it on October 16, 2003. Its construction number is 21508.
747-121 General Electric GE90 Engine Testbed N747GE over Kramer Junction, California on August 24, 1999. It is the oldest 747 that is still flown. It carries construction number 19651 and was the 25th 747 off the production line. It first flew on March 3, 1970. It was delivered to Pan Am as N744PA Clipper Star of the Union on March 21, 1970. It was later rechristened Clipper Ocean Spray. Pan Am retired it on December 4, 1991. General Electric leased it and registered it as N747GE on March 9, 1992. A variety of engines have been tested on its number-2 pylon, including the GE90-115 and the CF34. It was based at the Mojave Airport for several years before its operations were transferred to the Southern California Air Logistics Center at Victorville in 2002.
747-121 N747GE over Kramer Junction on August 24, 1999.
747-121 N747GE over Kramer Junction on August 24, 1999.
747
N747GE over the Saline Valley in March 2003 while it was testing a 115,000-pound thrust GE90-115B engine. Note the large contrail issuing from the number 2 engine and the very small contrail from the number 4 engine.
General Electric's press release about the first flight of the 747 with the GE90-115B.
747-121 N747GE prepares to depart from Victorville to Fairbanks, Alaska on August 5, 2007. From Fairbanks, it continued to Hong Kong International Airport. It returned to Victorville on October 16.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis departed from Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base on 747 Carrier Aircraft NASA Nine Zero Five at 6:04 A.M. PDT Sunday, July 1, 2007. It was returning to the Kennedy Space Center. The 747 Carrier Aircraft flies under the call sign NASA Nine Zero Five. It is 37 years old. Its Boeing construction number is 20107, and it made its first flight on October 15, 1970. It was delivered to American Airlines as 747-123 N9668 on October 29, 1970. NASA acquired it on July 18, 1974.
Evergreen International 747-273C Supertanker N470EV flew from Boise, Idaho to the San Bernardino Airport with a load of 20,000 gallons of water that it dropped in a demonstration of its potential as a firefighter on Wednesday May 31, 2006. This was the final demonstration in a tour that took the Supertanker to Sacramento California, the Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland, Scott Air Force Base Illinois, Tallahassee Florida, and Boise.
747-273C Supertanker N470EV carries Boeing construction number 20653. It first flew on May 2, 1974 and was delivered to World Airways as M749WA on June 10, 1974. World Airways leased c/n 20653 to Korean Airlines, Braniff Airways, Viasa, Lufthansa, American Airlines, and Flying Tigers. It received its current registration on December 31, 1989. Evergreen International leased it to Southern Air Transport in 1994.
The Supertanker dropped its load of water across the airport along taxiway Bravo.
The radio call sign of the Supertanker is Tanker Nine Four Seven.
The drop lasted about 20 seconds at 1,000 gallons of water per second.
Link to the Evergreen International web page about the 747-273C Supertanker, N470EV
You can buy 8"x10" or 11"x14" prints of my photo of Evergreen International 747-273C Supertanker, N470EV at San Bernardino Airport on May 31, 2006.
Customize your framed print of Evergreen International 747-273C Supertanker at the LockettBooks Store at Lulu.com.
NASA 747SP-21 N747NA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) arriving at Edwards Air Force Base from Waco, Texas on May 31, 2007. It has been modified to carry a 2.5 meter diameter infra-red telescope. It will conduct infra-red astronomical observations above most of the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere.
747SP-21 N747NA SOFIA carries Boeing construction number 21441. It made its first flight on April 25, 1977. It was delivered to Pan Am as N536PA on May 6, 1977. Pan Am named it Clipper Lindbergh. United Airlines bought it on February 13, 1986. United changed its registration to N145UA on November 1, 1986. It made its last revenue flight, and the last scheduled revenue flight of a 747SP in the United States, on October 17, 1994. It was withdrawn from use and parked at Oakland on October 18, 1994. It was ferried to Las Vegas on or before November 1, 1995. NASA bought it on January 1, 1997. It was ferried to San Francisco on February 17, 1997 and repainted with new titles identifying it as SOFIA on February 20. It entered a hangar at Waco, Texas for paint stripping and maintenance on May 1, 1999. The registration N747NA was reserved for it on December 17, 2004. It made its first flight after modification on April 26, 2007. After a series of local flights in the vicinity of Waco, it was ferried to its new home at the Dryden Flight Research Center.
747SP-21 N747NA SOFIA was escorted on the approach to Edwards by NASA McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18B Hornet N846NA.
747SP-21 N747NA SOFIA at Edwards Air Force Base on May 31, 2007.
747SP-21 N747NA SOFIA at Edwards Air Force Base on May 31, 2007.
Eighteen years earlier: The same 747SP flying for United Airlines as N145UA at Los Angeles on January 20, 1989.
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center released the following statement:
The heavily modified 747SP was ferried to Dryden May 31 from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA will undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.
747SP-21 N747NA SOFIA at Edwards Air Force Base on September 26, 2007.
747SP-21 N747NA SOFIA at Edwards Air Force Base on September 26, 2007.
Boeing Company 757-200 F-22 Avionics Testbed N757A Catfish on approach to land on Runway 25 at Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on February 13, 2006. It carries construction number 22212 and was the prototype 757. It first flew on February 18, 1982. It was retired and put on display at the Seattle Museum of Flight. It was returned to service to serve as the testbed of F-22 radar and avionics. It first flew after modification on March 11, 1999. It has the nose of an F-22 mounted on its forward fuselage. A sensor wing is mounted above the cockpit. F-22 electronic warfare (EW) and communication, navigation and identification (CNI) sensors are mounted on the sensor wing. A simulated F-22 cockpit is installed in the cabin.
757-200 N757A Catfish at Palmdale on February 13, 2006.
757-200 N757A Catfish at Palmdale on February 13, 2006.
757-200 N757A Catfish at Palmdale on February 13, 2006.
757-200 N757A Catfish at Palmdale on February 13, 2006.
757-200 N757A Catfish at Palmdale on February 13, 2006.
757-200 N757A Catfish at Palmdale on February 13, 2006.
The F-22 Avionics testbed made flights in the R-2508 complex on February 14 and 15 and flew back to Boeing field on the evening of February 15.
View the flight path of 757/F-22 Avionics testbed, N757A from Boeing Field, Washington to Air Force Plant 42 on February 13 on Google Earth.
View the flight path of Boeing's Canadair Sabre Mk. 5 (T-33), N416X from Boeing Field, Washington to Air Force Plant 42 on February 13 on Google Earth.
View the flight path for 757-200/F-22 Avionics Testbed, N757A from L05 to Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California that took place on February 14 from 10:39 AM PDT to 5:06 PM PDT on Google Earth. This track covers the period from 4:08 PM to 5:06 PM.
You can buy 8"x10" or 11"x14" prints of my photo of Boeing 757 F-22 Avionics Testbed N757A at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California on February 13, 2006.
Customize your framed print of Boeing 757 F-22 Avionics Testbed N757A at the LockettBooks Store at Lulu.com.
You can buy a 2008 calendar featuring my photographs of Boeing Jetliner Prototypes and Testbeds.
A dozen photos of Boeing Jetliner Prototypes and Testbeds. Aircraft pictured include:
367-80 Stratoliner Prototype, N70700, MASDC, November 12, 1973
EC-137D Airborne Warning and Control System Prototype, 71-1408, Boeing Field, Seattle, June 18, 1973
727-63 General Electric Unducted Fan Testbed, N32720, Mojave Airport, November 9, 1986
747-121 General Electric Engine Testbed, N747GE, Kramer Junction, California, August 24, 1999
737-900 Prototype, N737X, Edwards Air Force Base, November 2, 2000
NT-43A Radar Test Bed, 73-1155, Death Valley, January 24, 2003
767-200 Airborne Surveillance Testbed, N767BA, Southern California Air Logistics Center, Victorville, June 17, 2005
757-200 F-22 Avionics Testbed, N757A, Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, February 13, 2006
737-8EH Short Field Prototype, N6067U, Santa Barbara Airport, March 15, 2006
747-273C Evergreen International Supertanker, N470EV, San Bernardino, May 31, 2006
747SP-21 NASA Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), N747NA, Boron, May 31, 2007
720-051B Honeywell engine testbed N720H, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, December 27, 2007
Put a copy of the Boeing Jetliner Prototypes and Testbeds: 2008 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $16.95.
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