The oldest jumbo jet still in service has retired. Chain seal on October 17, 1969, the Boeing registered N747GE has been used to test new General Electric reactors but has also flown for PanAm.
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| The Boeing N747GE (source :flickr/wilco737) |
A great career
The assembled 25th 747-100 started a commercial career in March 1970, under the colors of PanAm, with registration N744PA. Removed from service by the company in March 1992, it was later acquired by General Electric to become a flying test bench. Until 2017, the aircraft has participated in the development of many reactors engine.
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| The GEnx, 747-8 and 787 engine(source:flickriver) |
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| The Leap, A320neo,A321 neo, and 737-7,-8,-9MAX(source:ainonline) |
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| The ge90,777 engine (source:commons.wikipedia) |
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| The gp7200, A380 engine (source:pinterest) |
After these years of good and loyal service, he was stored at Victorville, in an aerodrome where other planes ended their career. To replace it, in 2010, General Electric acquired a Boeing 747-400 from Japan Airlines, now registered N747GF. On November 14, 2018, the aircraft, piloted by Gary Possert and his crew, completed their last flight after a challenging career: 90,000 flying hours and 19,251 cycles.
The aircraft in a collection
The aircraft, which was still the oldest Boeing 747 in service on its last flight, is now visible at the Prima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. It will be alongside another aircraft with incredible longevity, the first Boeing 777, the Cathay Pacific B-HNL. To conclude, this is part of the history of modern aviation that is retiring, with a device that has participated in the testing of new reactors, always more powerful and more efficient.
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