| N7001U | |
| Aircraft Type: | Boeing 727-22 |
| Manufacturers: | Boeing |
| Owners: | United Airlines |
| Civil Registration: | N7001U |
| Flights: | 48,060 |
| Total Hours: | 64,495 |
| Construction Date: | November 27, 1962 |
| First Flight: | February 9, 1963 |
| Last Flight: | March 2, 2016 |
| Preservation: | Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. |
| Fate: | On static display |
N7001U is the first production Boeing 727-22 to be built by Boeing in 1962. It was delivered to United Airlines in 1964, and spent its entire service career with the airline until its retirement in 1991.[1]
On November 27, 1962, N7001U was rolled out of the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington. It bore a lemon yellow and copper-brown paint scheme, reminiscent of the Boeing 367-80 prototype of 1954.[2] [3]
N7001U took to the skies for the first time on February 9, 1963. After completing the flight test and certification program, it was delivered to United Air Lines on October 6, 1964. United operated N7001U for 27 years, accumulating 64,495 flight hours and executing 48,060 takeoffs and landings during its time in service. In 1991, United Air Lines donated the aircraft to The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.[4] Over its years of service, N7001U carried approximately three million passengers.
On March 2, 2016, after extensive restoration, N7001U made its final flight from Paine Field near Everett, Washington to the museum's facility at Boeing Field.[5] The aircraft was a notable exception to Boeing's practice of retaining first production examples of its jet airliners for testing and development; not until the Boeing 777 of the 1990s would such an aircraft see regular airline service.[6]