Seattle, WA — Restoration and painting of the exterior of the Boeing 747 prototype at The Museum of Flight is under way.
Technicians arrived this month to begin returning the jumbo jet to the gleaming livery worn on its maiden flight in 1969. The museum began renewing the interior of the plane in 2013. Decades of outdoor service and display have left their marks on the Boeing jet, but the museum plans on those being history by summer’s end.
The aircraft will remain on exhibit in the Museum Airpark during the painting process.
The 45-year-old aircraft was a milestone in aircraft design and helped revolutionize commercial air travel in the 1970s. It was the first 747 ever built – serial number 001. Its maiden flight was on Feb. 9, 1969. over Western Washington. Later, this aircraft served as a testbed for 747 systems improvements and new engine developments for other Boeing commercial jets, including the state-of-the-art Boeing 777 engine program.
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