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9 February 1963
October 2024
February 9, 2024 Aviation 18293, Boeing 727, Boeing Model 727-22, Dix Loesch, First
Flight, Lew Wallick, Marvin Keith Shulenberger, N7001U, Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1, Prototype, Renton M T W T F S S
Municipal Airport, Richards Llewellyn Loesch Jr., Samuel Lewis Wallick Jr., Shuly Shulenberger, United 1 2 3 4 5 6
Air Lines
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28 29 30 31

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The prototype Boeing 727, N7001U, takes o! from Renton Municipal Airport on its first
flight, 9 February 1963. (The Museum of Flight)
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9 February 1963: Boeing’s Chief Test Pilot, Samuel Lewis (“Lew”)
Wallick, Jr., made the first flight of the prototype Boeing Model 727 A Fleeting Peace
jet airliner, N7001U (c/n 18293), from Renton Municipal Airport, Renton, Washington. Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields
Richards Llewellyn (“Dix”) Loesch, Jr., was the airliner’s co-pilot, and Marvin Keith (“Shu-
Aircra! Engine Historical Society
ly”) Shulenberger was the flight engineer.
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Lew Wallick, Dix Loesch and Shuly Shulenberger in the cockpit of the prototype Boe- Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum
ing 727. (Boeing via Rebecca Wallick’s “Growing Up Boeing”)
World War II Aircra! Performance

The 727 remained airborne for 2 hours, 1 minute, and landed at Paine Field, Everett, Wash-
ington.

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N7001U had been rolled out at Renton on 27 November 1962. It was painted lemon yellow
and copper-brown, similar to the paint scheme of the Model 367-80 prototype, eight years Ace Aerial Combat
earlier. Aircra! Accident Airliner
Amelia Earhart Apollo Program
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The first Boeing 727 is rolled out, 27 November 1962. (Boeing/Aviation Week) Medal of Honor NASA
National Aeronautic Association
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
A!er completing the flight test and certification program, N7001U was delivered to United
North American Aviation Inc.
Air Lines, 6 October 1964. United operated N7001U for 27 years before retiring a!er 64,495
flight hours, and 48,060 takeo"s and landings. NR16020 Prototype
Sikorsky Aircra! Corporation Space Shuttle Program

In 1991, United Air Lines donated the 727 to The Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington.
N7001U has been restored and is currently on display. According to the Museum, United
Test Pilot Transcontinental Flight
Transoceanic Flight Vietnam War
purchased the 727 for $4,400,000, and during its service life, it generated more that
$300,000,000 in revenue. World War II

MALING

Prototype Boeing 727 airliner, N7001U, during its first flight. (Airline Reporter/Boeing)

N7001U is a Model 727-22, now considered to be a 727-100 series aircra!. The Boeing 727 is
a swept-wing, three-engine, medium-range jet airliner intended for operations at smaller
airports than could be serviced by the 707. It was operated by a flight crew of three and
could carry up to 131 passengers. The airliner was 133 feet, 2 inches (40.589 meters) long
with a wingspan of 108 feet (32.918 meters) and overall height of 34 feet, 3 inches (10.439
meters). Empty weight was 87,696 pounds (39.8000 kilograms) and maximum ramp weight
was 170,000 pounds (77,200 kilograms).

Three-view illustration of the Boeing 727. (Boeing Images)

Boeing 727 N7001U 9 February 1963 (Airline Reporter/Boeing)

Power was supplied by three Pratt & Whitney JT8D-series

turbofan engines rated from 14,000 to 14,500 pounds of
thrust (62.275–64.499 kilonewtons), depending on the spe-
cific version. The JT8D was a two-spool engine with a 2-stage fan section, 13-stage com-
pressor (6 low- and 7 high-pressure stages), nine combustion chambers and a 4-stage tur-
bine (1 high- and 3 low-pressure stages). The JT8D-1 was 3 feet, 6.5 inches (1.080 meters) in
diameter, 10 feet, 3.5 inches (3.137 meters) long, and weighed 3,096 pounds (1,404 kilo-
grams). Two of the engines were in nacelles at either side of the a! fuselage, and the third
was mounted in the tail. Its intake was above the rear fuselage at the base of the vertical
fin.

The prototype Boeing 727 airliner during its first flight. (Airline Reporter/Boeing)

The Boeing 727s were very fast airliners with a maximum speed in level flight of 549 knots
(632 miles per hour/1,017 kilometers per hour). The Design Cruise Speed (VC) was 530
knots (610 miles per hour/981 kilometers per hour) at 25,000 feet (0.88 Mach). The airplane
was certified with a Maximum Mach Number (MMO) of 0.92 Mach (this was later reduced to
0.90 Mach). (During flight testing, a Boeing 727 achieved 0.965 Mach in level flight.) The air-
liner’s service ceiling was 37,400 feet (11,400 meters) and the range was 2,600 nautical
miles (2,992 statute miles/4,815 kilometers).

Boeing had expected to sell approximately 250 727s. (200 were needed for the manufactur-
er to cover its costs.) In production from 1962 to 1984, Boeing built 1,832 Model 727s, mak-
ing it one of the most successful airliners in history.

Prototype Boeing 727 lands at Paine Field, 9 February 1963. (Airline Reporter/Boeing)

The flight crew receives congratulations from Henry F. McCullough, Boeing preflight
control supervisor, following the first flight of the Boeing 727. (Airline Reporter/Boe-
ing)

Restoration of the prototype Boeing 727 nears completion at Paine Field, Everett,
Washington. (The Museum of Flight)

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