Museum PR Announcements News and Information

Museum of Flights Boeing 727 Prototype Ready to Fly

SEATTLE – The Museum of Flight’s recently-restored Boeing 727 prototype will make its first flight in 25 years on March 1-weather permitting-at about 10:30 a.m.; the flight will also be the airplane’s last flight ever.

The Museum of Flight Boeing 727 prototype. Feb. 24, 2016. Ted Huetter/The Musuem of Flight, Seattle
The Museum of Flight Boeing 727 prototype. Feb. 24, 2016. Ted Huetter/The Musuem of Flight, Seattle
There will be a pre-takeoff ceremony for the event at the Future of Flight at Paine Field, Everett, Wash. and a welcoming ceremony after its arrival at the Museum.

The final flight from Paine Field to Boeing Field should last less than 15 minutes. Upon landing it will taxi directly into the Museum’s parking area, where the engines will be shut down for the last time. After the ceremonies, the plane will be open to the public for the remainder of the day-free with admission to the Museum. The 727 will also be open to the public the weekend following its arrival, also free with admission (tours inside of the plane will only be available if it is not raining that day).

The 727’s brief trip from Everett to Seattle will be flown under a special flight permit, with only essential flight crew onboard during the flight: pilot Tim Powell, co-pilot Mike Scott, flight engineer Ralph Pascale, and safety officer Bob Bogash. Powell, Scott and Pascale fly 727s on a regular basis; airline and corporate pilot Powell has over 10,000 hours at the controls of various 727s. Bogash is the Museum’s 727 project manager.

The weekend following the arrival, March 5-6, the plane will be open for public tours, free with admission to the Museum. Interior tours available only if it does not rain on that day.

The 727 will be on temporary display in the Museum’s Airpark through the summer. It will be moved for permanent display in the Aviation Pavilion in the fall.

This unique jet has not been airborne since it was donated to the Museum by United Air Lines in 1991, and has been under restoration ever since by volunteer crews at the Museum’s Restoration Center and Reserve Collection at Paine Field, Everett, Wash.

The Museum’s three-engine, Boeing 727-100, N7001U, first flew on February 9, 1963. Until the 777 in the 1990s, it was the only type of Boeing commercial jet with no dedicated prototype-the first airplane was not kept as a flight test airplane, but was delivered to the “kickoff customer” airline and went into regular service. It was the first of 1832 Boeing 727 Trijets built at Boeing’s Renton plant. The airplane was delivered to United Air Lines on Oct. 6, 1964, and remained with the company for its entire service life. During its 27-year career the Trijet accumulated 64,495 hours, made 48,060 landings, and flew an estimated three million passengers. United paid $4.4 million for the airplane, which in-turn generated revenues of more than $300 million.

For general Museum information, please call 206-764-5720 or visit www.museumofflight.org