Something wonderful was happening in the
aviation world of 1965 - 1968. A new airplane was being designed
and built, an elegantly simple and clean looking machine that would
change the Company that built her, the airlines that operated her, the
people that flew her, and in her, and the communities she served.
She was the Boeing 737, a small twin-engine jetliner, that kept getting
better, longer, bigger, heavier, and longer- ranged, until today she
has become the
most popular airliner ever built. More than 14,000 have been built
or ordered, in more than a dozen different models, and with her new P-8 U.S. Navy patrol
version, appears set to be built for at least another 25 - 30 years,
maybe much longer! More than Sixty years in production for a single airplane is a
record in anyone's books! Clearly, she has "The Right Stuff."
My life, professionally, and personally, became intertwined with this airplane
from the beginning, and still is today. PA099 - a kind of
unglamorous designation - is the first of this long line of
flying machines. I, with many others, helped to design, build,
and test her in the early days, when we both were young, and now, in
our mutual retirements, I continue to look after her today. We
are joined by our heads, our hands, and our hearts - for
airplanes are living things, or didn't you know that?
She was built by Boeing. She's owned by NASA. She's on loan
to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. But she's all mine! And
I love her. So I built this web site to share my love and
affection. I dedicate it to the fine people, living and dead, who worked so hard to create this wonderful flying machine.
HOT !!! 50th Birthday Celebration - April 9, 2017 - Click here for Info
This journey is divided into many parts -
Enjoy the journey !
The Early Years - 1965 - 1973
Twenty-Five Years with NASA - 1973-1997
Six Years at Moses Lake -- in Preparation for Her Final Flight 1997-2003
YouTube Video of Preps from KING-5 TV
4-Part YouTube Video on Preps from New Zealand
The Story of Her Historic Final Flight - September 21, 2003
A Final Flight Celebration

The
40th Anniversary of the First Flight of the 737 ! - Click here
Her life at the Air Park of the Museum of Flight in Seattle - 2003-2016
Her Final Move to the Aviation Pavilion - 2016
Yikes!
10 years have passed in the blink of an eye - and now is the time for
her 50th - Her Golden Jubilee. A big party is planned for Sunday,
April 9, 2017 at the Museum of Flight. You're invited!
Click Here for your Invitation
Uh Oh! You say you missed it? Here's a recap!
A Prototype Photo Album
Some early Program Photos
Some Important Links
Airborne
Trailblazer - A
wonderful book describing all the NASA flight tests using this airplane
- available online
737
Production
Lists:
History of the Boeing
737 - a great potpouri
resource from the UK.
737 History Page at Boeing Website
Contact Me
Return to Website Home
Page
Copyright 2004-2017 by Robert A. Bogash. All Rights Reserved
Last
revised :
5 Jul 2004
28 May 2006
4 Feb 2007
9 Apr 2007
15 Jan 2009
15 Feb 2017
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6 Apr 2017
20 Apr 2017
25 Apr 2017