JUMBO: This weekend we made it a point to get to the Museum of Flight for the opportunity to tour a truly one-of-a-kind plane, the world's first jumbo jet.
The very first 747 ever made is in the Museum of Flight's collection, and while we've seen it sitting in their airpark many a time, this summer they opened it up for tours during certain hours. We were happy to climb on board!
This plane is serial number 001.
Its maiden voyage was on Feb. 9, 1969, over western Washington.
As we ascended the stairs, we could make out the names of the test pilots.
We could also see, up close, some of the components' logos, including the Pratt & Whitney engines and Rolls Royce's Trent 890
The 747 was a radical departure from previous commercial airliners. So much so, in fact, that Boeing couldn't find any backers, and had to go it alone financially on the project. Clearly, their pioneering paid off. They're still making 747s today. (In fact, the 747-8 that they make now is 80 feet longer than this bad boy!)
What an amazing aircraft the prototype is. The first 'jumbo jet,' it's taller than a six-story building. Without all the innards (seats, bulkheads, lavatories, galley, etc.), you could see stem to stern, and it really gave us an appreciation for just how big the plane is.
It has enough space inside to carry 13 city buses worth of people, and it's heavier than 10 loaded 18-wheel trucks.
Because it was a test vehicle, RA001 never had the 'plush' interior finishes of subsequent 747s. However, they did install the groovy spiral staircase and a semi-complete VIP lounge, perhaps to entice potential buyers, I'm imagining.
Upstairs in the VIP lounge were a few vintage seats, including this lovely.
I quipped to Christian that CJ and Annabelle would probably open that ashtray on the arm, looking for a USB port. ;)
Also in the VIP lounge, there was this lovely foiled mirror panel mostly blocking off the plane's attic. It was fun peering in where a panel was missing, seeing the construct.
The VIP lounge also had a couple of fancy potties, sanitized for your protection.
Back downstairs, we poked around the cockpit, of course. Oh my, the instrumentation!!!
I wanted so badly to flip switches and turn knobs!
The photo below was just a fraction of the thingees that would have been to the co-pilot's right.
Note the large, read FUEL JETTISON panel. Hopefully they never had to use that.
Also, I couldn't help but zero in on these, in the right rear of the cockpit.
Though there were ashtrays all over the plane, somehow, I'm thinking these goggles weren't for protection from, say, Winstons.
This little not black box was of interest, as well.
Its wingspan is 195 feet, 8 inches (58.7 meters), it's 231.3 feet long
(69.4 m) and weighs 735,000 lbs fully loaded (330,750 kg). I took this photo of the kids under its tail to give a little perspective of just how big it is.
The plane has four Pratt & Whitney engines ...
with 43,500 pounds of thrust apiece.
They are B-I-G.
The 747-1's cruising speed was 640 MPH (1,024 km/h). On subsequent flights, it served as a testbed for 747 systems.
The Museum of Flight is planning to restore RA001 to its original appearance and configuration in the future. We look forward to watching the progress.
I had a feeling if I went to YouTube, I'd find video of that first flight. Sure, enough, there were several. There's a one-minute clip from a person who was there that day and filmed the flight himself. He doesn't allow embedding, so if you want to check it out, you'll have to click on this link: http://youtu.be/TTaGMN6dz8Q
I also found a video that has video from inside the cockpit of the first flight!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHUYwB7BPg. I really do think it might be Keith Jackson narrating it. It's quite a documentary, so interesting.
STEMMY: Inside the Museum of Flight, there was a back to school event with a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) focus. There, the kids scored free backpacks and swag from a Honeywell sponsored booth (nice!). We visited with a nice librarian at the Seattle Public Libraries booth. We chatted with a mentor at the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) booth. TARC is for kids in grades 7-12, and is about launching rockets with payloads in competitions. The top teams win a trip to the Farnborough Air Show in France!
We also chatted with some super enthusiastic young men at the Washington FIRST Robotics booth (they had a cool Frisbee-launching robot there!), as well as a dude from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics association.
We spent the most time at the Big-Brained Superheroes Club booth. Per their mission statement, the organization is "On a mission to tap into the hidden strengths that all young people have through the interdisciplinary exploration of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics." Sweet!
The kids delighted in playing with "squishy circuits."
Annabelle was thrilled to light up this LED.
CJ was more delighted by using the circuit to power a couple of really annoying alarms sounds, as well as a small, rotating engine.
REAL ESTATE MOGULS: After the Museum of Flight, we headed north to fill up a couple of growlers at one of our favorite spots, Chuck's. There, we played Seattle-opoly, which was clearly modeled after the classic Monopoly game. We didn't stay there the requisite 3-4 hours to finish the game, so we called it a draw.
I must say, it was fun buying up places like Pike Place Market, Discovery Park, Safeco Field and the University of Washington.
with 43,500 pounds of thrust apiece.
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