RA001- The first 747 is being restored

[AmuDarya]

The first 747 is being restored at Boeing Field. Pictures.

barneyb (http://barneybrittonphoto.tumblr.com/tagged/ra001)

[vctenderness]

Fantastic news. The 747 is iconic and definitely a milestone in the history of aviation.

Well done Boeing:ok:

[SpringHeeledJack]

Is this restored as in 'spruced up' or restored, as in flying etc ? Whichever, it's great to see, so many iconic airliners of yesteryear have ended up in a dreadful state due to neglect. A certain pointy airliner in NYC being a prime example :*


SHJ

[DaveReidUK]

Is this restored as in 'spruced up' or restored, as in flying etc ?

For static display only.

[TCU]

Went to the Museum of Flight at end of August and was expecting to see the sad, tired 747 that had been well reported on may forums and was absolutely delighted to see the wonderful exterior paint job that has at least restored her (him?) externally to some form of former glory. The face of my 9 year old son when he realised he was in front of 747 nr.1 was a picture to remember.

One can't but help get a bit romantic about the 747, but it is THE plane that changed aviation for most of us by creating affordable long haul travel, although in truth it was probably the -400 version that was the real ground breaker....LHR-HKG non stop with full pax and cargo....now that really changed the world

In terms of modern industrial history, the 747 must be viewed as an invention in its own right as its economics laid down a new benchmark which led to pretty much every subsequent wide bodied long hauler.

[Booglebox]

I saw this thing about 10 years ago (!). Looked a bit knackered then, glad to see it's being looked after.
Was with someone who knows a thing or two about Jumbos, and he managed to open the avionics area hatch in the nosewheel bay. It was a typically rainy day and some water came out. We could have gone inside, but we didn't... :E
Those American museums with no ropes / fences and few people watching are great for getting up close with aircraft :cool:

[TowerDog]

How many hours on that plane?
Was it used for anything but flight testing and demo..?

Cockpit looks familiar, spent 15 years flying the -100/-200. :cool:

[DaveReidUK]

How many hours on that plane?Just under 6000.

Was it used for anything but flight testing and demo..?No.

[tdracer]

Restoring the 747 | The Museum of Flight (http://www.museumofflight.org/747)


The long term plan is to enclose the "airpark" to protect the aircraft from the elements - in addition to RA001, there also a Concorde, the first 707 based Air Force One, the very first 737, and a Constellation. You can take a 'walking' tour of the interior of Concorde and Air Force One, and soon (or perhaps already) RA001.


Since RA001 was always a flight test aircraft, it never had a proper interior installed - it's mainly water barrels and instrumentation racks. But it's still an interesting look around (I'd been on-board during it's flight test days, but never flew on it).
RA001 was used as a flight test bed for several new engine programs, including the PW4000/112" and Trent 800 engines for the 777. Although it is relatively young in flight hours, those flight hours were highly abusive, and I understand the airframe is permanently 'bent' from some very high G maneuvers - enough so that several of the doors won't seal properly and it was a struggle to maintain cabin pressure during the 777 engine flight testing :uhoh:


http://www.museumofflight.org/files/Airpark1_Hi_4x5_Crop_P1.jpg

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I love Concorde. It's the aeroplane of all time for me. No-one else could do it. Aviation magic (born of a phenomenal amount of dedicated expertise the like of which we're unlikely to see again). The best aeroplane ever!

But I have to admit that the first commercial flight of the 747 (1969?), the same year as the first prototype Concorde flight, sealed the commercial coffin of the beautiful white bird.

The 747 made the airlines realise that there was a massive low-cost market they had hitherto ignored that the 747 enabled them to address.

The metamorphosis of this failed freighter (the Galaxy won the USAF contract Boeing were pitching for) into a wide-body airliner changed the mindset of the airline industry from speed to reduced seat cost.

And it's been the same ever since. Boring, except for accountants (boring people who lack vision!!!) but that's life today.

Excellent that this historic airframe is getting the attention it deserves.

[ZOOKER]

I hope they paint it in the original colour-scheme with all the customer logos on the forward fuselage.

[tdracer]

I hope they paint it in the original colour-scheme with all the customer logos on the forward fuselage.

That's the plan :ok:

[Donkey497]

Now there is a good, practical and positive long term project for the Boeing apprentices to do.


Let's hope it is restored as the flying test bed, complete with all the original prospective client logos and not tarted up into a mock passenger configuration with a make believe paint job. There are plenty museums with run of the mill airliners you can see, but precious few showing the hard work, grind and the hidden practicalities of qualifying a new design as fit for commercial passenger service, especially one as revolutionary in its day as the 747.

[DaveReidUK]

Let's hope it is restored as the flying test bed, complete with all the original prospective client logosThat's the plan :ok:

[ZOOKER]

tdracer,
that is great news. The first copy of 'Flight International' i ever bought was about the 747's roll-out. I still have it somewhere..Feb 1969..With a Skyvan on the front cover? That airframe is an American icon, look after it.

[donWelker]

SUrely they will paint it all orignal.. lets hope anyway

[JB007]

Excellent photos - I love the fact the Stab, Speed Brake, Gear Lever and Flap Lever haven't changed in over 40 years!

[Albert Driver]

To be historically accurate it should really be displayed without engines...

[tdracer]

Albert Driver - that's not really fair, RA001 usually had engines installed, they just needed to be replaced frequently :). It was the early production 747s that often had 'cement block' engines installed :E.


BTW, the last time I was on RA001 was when it was being used as the FTB for the 777 PW4000/112". We were going to do some engine running system checks but since we were not going to run above idle they didn't bother to position the aircraft into the wind We had a ~10 mph breeze up the tailpipe. The PW4000 was on position #2, and it started right up. But the JT9D engines on the other positions were so tired that 2 of the 3 wouldn't start with that mild tailwind - they kept hanging. We ended up having to shutdown and have the aircraft repositioned into the wind before we could get all four engines started :O

[billhexham]

Enjoyed my third MoF visit the other day. RA001 all repainted with customer logos and walk through now possible. Lovely well presented and maintained collection but not quite up to Duxford standard for us oldies.

[tdracer]

billhexham, I'm a bit spoiled since the MoF is in my backyard - I've visited it countless times (I'm a member, and I've contributed to a few of its exhibits). Heck, we have four different aviation museums at Paine Field - just a few miles from my house (one of which I haven't even bothered to visit). I'd rank MoF fourth among aviation museums in the USA.
First on the list would be the "National Museum of the US Air Force" at Wright-Patterson AFB (Dayton, Ohio). Second and third on the list would be the Smithsonian museums - it being close to a toss-up between the original "Air and Space" museum in Washington DC, and the Udvar-Hazy annex near Dulles airport.
About five years ago, circumstances combined to allow me visit Wright-Patterson and both the Smithsonian museums - in three different trips - over a ~3 month period. The presentation aspect at the Smithsonian is definitely better (at Wright-Patt, you need to sign up for bus ride to a remote hanger to see some of their best aircraft - including one of my all time favorites, the only surviving XB-70). But IMHO, Wright-Patterson has the absolute best collection of vintage aircraft, anywhere.

So, you're telling me Duxford is pretty special and deserving of a dedicated visit next time I'm in the UK :cool:... Anything in particular I should know before I get there :ok:

[Herod]

Anything in particular I should know before I get there

The coffee is English and expensive! Seriously, the American Hall is well worth a visit. It's too small (aren't they always) and dominated by the B52, but a good selection of aeroplanes (sorry, airplanes). On the walk up to it there is a wall with silhouettes of American aircraft lost in Europe during WWII. The sheer numbers are staggering, and thought-provoking. Others you might find interesting are the RAF Museums in Hendon (London) and at Cosford in Shropshire.

[tdracer]

Nice write-up, with photos:


The world's first Boeing 747 gets a much-needed makeover (http://www.usatoday.com/story/todayinthesky/2014/10/24/the-worlds-first-boeing-747-gets-a-much-needed-makeover/17696495/)



But the skies finally cleared in the summer of 2012, when the museum's board green-lighted the restoration for takeoff.
The two-year project -- now nearly complete -- would become one of the largest aircraft restoration jobs ever attempted under the elements and not in the relative comfort of an indoor hangar.
Workers completed the restoration in late September, opening the jet to the public on Oct. 1.