Tag Archives: Renton Field
July 15, 2019 AviationAlvin M. Johnston, Boeing, Boeing 367-80, Boeing 707 Stratoliner, Dash 80, Dix Loesch, First Flight, Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C, Prototype, Renton Field, Richard L. Loesch, Test Pilot, Tex JohnstonBryan Swopes
Boeing test pilot Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston in the cockpit of of the 367–80. (LIFE Magazine via Jet Pilot Overseas)
15 July 1954: At 2:14 p.m., Boeing test pilots Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston and Richard L. "Dix" Loesch lifted off from Renton Field, south of Seattle, Washington, on the first flight of the Boeing 367–80, FAA registration N70700, a prototype military air tanker and commercial airliner. For the next 2 hours, 24 minutes they performed high- and low-speed handling tests before landing at Boeing Field, Seattle. When Johnston was asked how the "Dash 80" flew, he replied, "She flew like a bird, only faster."
The prototype Boeing 367-80, N70700, takes off from Renton Field, Seattle, Washington, 15 July 1954. (Boeing)
Boeing had risked $16,000,000 in a private venture to build the Dash 80 in order to demonstrate its capabilities to potential civilian and military customers, while rivals Douglas and Lockheed were marketing their own un-built jet airliners. Put into production as the U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling tanker and C-135 Stratolifter transport, a civil variant was also produced as the Boeing 707 Stratoliner, the first successful jet airliner. Though they look very similar, the 707 is structurally different than the KC-135 and has a wider fuselage.
The Boeing 707-320B Stratoliner airframe was used for the military E-3A Sentry AWACS command-and-control aircraft, the E-6 Mercury airborne command post, and other versions for reconnaissance, weather, and communications.
820 of the C-135 series and 1,010 Model 707 aircraft were built from 1957–1979.
Boeing 367-80 N70700, the "Dash 80". (San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive)
The prototype Boeing Model 367-80 was operated by a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer. The airplane's wing was mounted low on the fuselage and the engine nacelles were mounted on pylons under the wing, as they were on Boeing's B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. The wings and tail surfaces were swept to 35°. The Dash 80 was 127 feet 10 inches (38.964 meters) long with a wingspan of 129 feet, 8 inches (39.522 meters) and overall height of 38 feet (11.582 meters). Its empty weight was 92,100 pounds (41,775.9 kilograms) and loaded weight was 190,000 pounds (86,182.6 kilograms).
Boeing 367-80 N70700, photographed during its first flight, 15 July 1954. (The Boeing Company)
In tanker configuration, the Boeing 367-80 refuels a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The chase plane is a Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star. (U.S. Air Force)
N70700 was powered by four Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C engines. This engine is a civil variant of the military J57 series. It is a two-spool, axial-flow turbojet engine with a 16-stage compressor and 2-stage turbine. The JT3C-6 (used in the first production 707s) was rated at 11,200 pounds of thrust (49.82 kilonewtons), and 13,500 pounds (60.05 kilonewtons) with water/methanol injection). The JT3C is 11 feet, 6.6 inches (3.520 meters) long, 3 feet, 2.9 inches (0.988 meters) in diameter, and weighs 4,235 pounds (1,921 kilograms).
These gave the 367-80 a cruise speed of 550 miles per hour (885 kilometers per hour) and a maximum speed of 0.84 Mach (582 miles per hour, 937 kilometers per hour) at 25,000 feet (7,620 meters). The service ceiling was 43,000 feet (13,106 meters). Its range was 3,530 miles (5,681 kilometers).
American Airlines' Boeing 707-123 Astrojet N7501A, Flagship Michigan. (American Airlines)
Boeing continued to use the 367–80 for testing, finally retiring it 22 January 1970. At that time, its logbook showed 2,346 hours, 46 minutes of flight time (TTAF). It was flown to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, and placed in storage. In 1990, Boeing returned it to flyable condition and flew it back it to Renton where a total restoration was completed. Many of those who had worked on the Dash 80, Including Tex Johnston, were aboard.
The Dash 80 sat in the Arizona desert for twenty years. (Goleta Air and Space Museum)
The pioneering airplane was presented to the Smithsonian Institution and is on display at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven V. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Boeing 367-80 was designated an International Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
The Boeing Model 367-80 is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia. (Photo by Dane Penland, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution)
Boeing 367–80 N70700 in flight. (Boeing)
May 14, 2019 AviationBoeing 367-80, Boeing Airplane Company, Boeing C-135 Stratolifter, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Boeing Model 707, Boeing Model 720, Dash 80, N70700, Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C, Prototype, Renton Field, Roll OutBryan Swopes
Boeing 367-80 N70700 is rolled out of the final assembly building at Boeing's facility at Renton Field, 14 May 1954. (Boeing)
14 May 1954: The Boeing Model 367-80 prototype, N70700, was rolled out at the Boeing plant at Renton Field, south of Seattle, Washington. Boeing's founder, William Edward Boeing (1881–1956) was present. The prototype made its first flight 15 July 1954 with Boeing test pilots Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston and Richard L. "Dix" Loesch. It is painted yellow and brown.
Originally planned as a turbojet-powered development of the Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, the Model 367, the 367-80 was the 80th major design revision. It is called the "Dash 80."
Boeing had risked $16,000,000 in a private venture to build the Dash 80 in order to demonstrate its capabilities to potential civilian and military customers, while rivals Douglas and Lockheed were marketing their own un-built jet airliners. Put into production as the U.S. Air Force KC-135A Stratotanker air refueling tanker and C-135 Stratolifter transport, a civil variant was also produced as the Boeing 707 Stratoliner, the first successful jet airliner. Though they look very similar, the 707 is structurally different than the KC-135 and has a wider fuselage.
Cutaway scale model of the Boeing 367-80 showing interior arrangement. (Boeing)
The prototype Boeing Model 367-80 was operated by a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer. The airplane's wing was mounted low on the fuselage and the engine nacelles were mounted on pylons under the wing, as they were on Boeing's B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. The wings and tail surfaces were swept to 35° at 25% chord, and had 7° dihedral. The Dash 80 was 127 feet 10 inches (38.964 meters) long with a wingspan of 129 feet, 8 inches (39.522 meters) and overall height of 38 feet (11.582 meters). The tail span is 39 feet, 8 inches (12.090 meters). The empty weight of the 367-80 was 75,630 pounds (34,505 kilograms) and the gross weight, 190,000 pounds (86,183 kilograms).
Boeing 367-80 N70700. (San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives)
Boeing 367-80, N70700, in storage. (San Diego Air & Space Museum)
The Boeing Model 367-80 is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center, Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum. (Photo by Dane Penland, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution)
Highly recommended: Tex Johnston, Jet-Age Test Pilot, by A.M. "Tex" Johnston with Charles Barton, Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C., 1991
December 20, 2018 AviationAlvin Melvin Johnston, Boeing 707-121, Boeing Field, Boeing Model 707, c/n 17586, Clipper Constitution, First Flight, James R. Gannet, N708PA, Pan American World Airways, Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C-6, Renton Field, Renton Municipal Airport, Test Pilot, Tex Johnston, Tom LayneBryan Swopes
Boeing 707-121 N708PA, photographed during its second flight on the afternoon of 20 December 1957. (Boeing)
Boeing 707-121 N708PA makes its first takeoff at 12:30 p.m. on a rainy afternoon, 20 December 1957. (Boeing)
20 December 1957: The first production Boeing 707 jet-powered commercial airliner, N708PA, made its first flight at Renton, Washington. Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston, Boeing's Chief of Flight Test, was in command, with co-pilot James R. Gannet and flight engineer Tom Layne. Takeoff was at 12:30 p.m., PST. Poor weather limited the first flight to just 7 minutes. The new airliner landed at Boeing Field. Later that day, a second flight was made, this time with a duration of 1 hour, 11 minutes.
N708PA (Serial Number 17586, Line Number 1) was a Model 707-121. The new airliner had been sold to Pan American World Airways, the launch customer, as part of an order for twenty 707s in October 1955.
Boeing's Chief of Flight Test, Alvin M. "Tex" Johnston, in the cockpit of of the 367–80, "Dash Eighty," 1954. (LIFE Magazine via Jet Pilot Overseas)
The Boeing Model 707 was developed from the earlier Model 367–80, the "Dash Eighty," prototype for an air-refueling tanker which would become the KC-135A Stratotanker. The 707 was a four-engine jet transport with swept wings and tail surfaces. The leading edge of the wings were swept at a 35° angle.
N708PA was initially used for flight testing by Boeing. Once this was completed, it was prepared for commercial service and delivered to Pan American at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 30 November 1958. Pan Am named the new airliner Clipper Constitution.
Boeing 707-121 N708PA under maintenance at Renton, Washington. (Boeing)
In February 1965, the airliner was upgraded to 707-121B standards, which replaced the original turbojet engines with quieter, more efficient Pratt & Whitney JT3D-1 turbofan engines which produced 17,000 pounds of thrust. The wing inboard leading edges were modified to the design of the Model 720 and there was a longer horizontal tail plane.
Clipper Constitution flew for Pan Am for nearly seven years, until 17 September 1965 when it crashed into Chances Peak, a 3,002 foot (915 meters) volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The point impact was 242 feet (74 meters) below the summit. All aboard, a crew of 9 and 21 passengers, were killed.
Boeing 707-121 N708PA, with both Boeing and Pan American corporate markings. (Unattributed)
The Boeing Model 707-121 was a four-engine jet transport with swept wings and tail surfaces. The leading edge of the wings were swept at a 35° angle. The airliner had a flight crew of four: pilot, co-pilot, navigator and flight engineer.
The 707-121 was 145 feet, 1 inch (44.221 meters) long with a wing span of 130 feet, 10 inches (39.878 meters). The top of the vertical fin stood 42 feet, 5 inches (12.929 meters) high. The 707 pre-dated the "wide-body" airliners, having a fuselage width of 12 feet, 4 inches (3.759 meters). The airliner's empty weight is 122,533 pounds (55,580 kilograms). Maximum take off weight is 257,000 pounds (116,573 kilograms).
The first versions were powered by four Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C-6 turbojet engines, producing 11,200 pounds of thrust (49,820 kilonewtons), and 13,500 pounds (60.051 kilonewtons) with water injection. This engine was a civil variant of the military J57 series. It was a two-spool axial-flow turbojet engine with a 16-stage compressor and 2 stage turbine. The JT3C-6 was 11 feet, 6.6 inches (3.520 meters) long, 3 feet, 2.9 inches (0.988 meters) in diameter, and weighed 4,235 pounds (1,921 kilograms).
At MTOW, the 707 required 11,000 feet (3,352.8 meters) of runway to take off.
The 707-121 had a maximum speed of 540 knots (1,000 kilometers per hour). It's range was 2,800 nautical miles (5,186 kilometers).
The Boeing 707 was in production from 1958 to 1979. 1,010 were built. Production of 707 airframes continued at Renton until the final one was completed in April 1991. As of 2011, 43 707s were still in service.
Boeing 707-121 N708PA landing at Seattle Tacoma Airport. (Unattributed)
October 28, 2018 AviationAirliner, Boeing 707, Boeing 707-121, Boeing 707-121B, c/n 17586, Chances Peak, Clipper Constitution, Flight 292, N708PA, Pan Am, Pan American World Airways, Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C-6, Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3D-1, Renton Field, Renton Municipal Airport, Roll OutBryan Swopes
The first production Boeing 707 after being rolled out of the final assembly plant at Renton, Washington, 28 October 1957. (Boeing)
28 October 1957: The first production Boeing 707 jet-powered commercial airliner, serial number 17586 (Line Number 1), was rolled out at the Boeing aircraft assembly plant at Renton, Washington. The Model 707 was developed from the earlier Model 367–80, the "Dash Eighty," prototype for an air-refueling tanker which would become the KC-135 Stratotanker.
17586 was a Model 707-121. The new airliner had been sold to Pan American World Airways, the launch customer, as part of an order for twenty 707s in October 1955. The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) assigned N708PA as its registration mark.
The first production Boeing 707 after roll out, 28 October 1957. (Boeing)
N708PA made its first flight 20 December 1957 with Boeing's Chief of Flight Test, Alvin M. ("Tex") Johnston. The airplane was initially used for flight and certification testing. Once this was completed, the new jet airliner was prepared for commercial service and delivered to Pan American at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 30 November 1958. It was named Clipper Constitution.
Boeing 707-121 N708PA, photographed during its second flight, 20 Decmber 1957. (Boeing)
In February 1965, the airliner was upgraded to 707-121B standards, which replaced the original turbojet engines with quieter, more efficient Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3D-1 turbofan engines which produced 17,000 pounds of thrust. The wing inboard leading edges were modified to the design of the Model 720 and there was a longer horizontal tail plane.
Clipper Constitution flew for Pan Am for nearly 8 years, until 17 September 1965, when it crashed into Chances Peak, a 3,002 foot (915 meters) active stratovolcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. The point impact was 242 feet (74 meters) below the summit. All aboard, a crew of 9 and 21 passengers, were killed.
Boeing 707-121 N708PA retracts its landing gear after taking off at Seattle Tacoma Airport. (Unattributed)
The 707-121 was 145 feet, 1 inch (44.221 meters) long with a wing span of 130 feet, 10 inches (39.878 meters). The top of the vertical fin stood 42 feet, 5 inches (12.929 meters) high. The 707 pre-dated the "wide-body" airliners, having a fuselage width of 12 feet, 4 inches (3.759 meters).
The airliner's empty weight is 122,533 pounds (55,580 kilograms). Maximum take off weight is 257,000 pounds (116,573 kilograms). At MTOW, the 707 required 11,000 feet (3,353 meters) of runway to take off.
The 707-121 had a maximum speed is 540 knots (1,000 kilometers per hour). Its range was 2,800 nautical miles (5,186 kilometers).
The Boeing 707 was in production from 1958 to 1979. 1,010 were built. Production of military variants continued until 1994.