35 years ago today on Jan 21st 1970, the worlds first commercial 747 service left JFK bound for LHR.
A 747-121, Pan Am Clipper Victor, N736PA took of from New York John F Kennedy.
The Flight actually left the ground in the very early hours of Jan 22nd.
Clipper Young America , N733PA was the original aircraft intended for the service, and left the gate on Jan 21st but its PW engines overheated (A common problem with the early PW engines) while taxiing to the runway. Clipper Victor replaced it and the flight eventually took off.
Sadly, Clipper Victor was totally destroyed in Tenerife 7 years later.
Later that year on September 10, 1970, the first 747-200 rolled out of the Boeing factory.
The 747-200 first entered commercial service in June 1971, with KLM.
On May 19, 1975 the first 747-SP (Special Performance) rolls out of the factory, entering service with Pan Am on April 25, 1976 after having reached a top speed of Mach.92 during a test flight on July 4, 1975.
On September 21, 1982, the first 747-300 rolls out of the factory, entering service with Swissair on March 23, 1983.
On January 26, 1988, the first 747-400 rolls out of the Boeing factory. Incidentally, the first 737-400 rolled out that day too. The first 400 to enter commercial service is N663US of Northwest Airlines, the first commercial flight was on February 9, 1989
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January 21, 2005 at 12:56 pm