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| 707 Family |
| America entered the age of the jet transport on July 15, 1954, when the Boeing 707 prototype, the model 367-80, made its maiden flight from Renton Field, south of Seattle. Forerunner of the more than 8,000 Boeing jetliners built since, the prototype, nicknamed the "Dash 80," served 18 years as a flying test laboratory before it was turned over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in May 1972. In May 1990, under an arrangement with the Smithsonian, Boeing returned the airplane to Seattle for full restoration after it spent 18 years in the Arizona desert. The refurbished Dash 80 made a special fly-over of the five Boeing facilities in the Puget Sound area on July 15, 1991, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of The Boeing Company and the 37th anniversary of its own first flight. The airplane is now on view at Boeing Field. 367-80 Prototype (1954) Wingspan 130 feet (39.6 m) Length 128 feet (39 m) Wing Area 2,402 square feet (223 m2) Gross Weight 160,000 pounds (86,184 kg) Cruising Speed 550 mph (885 km/h) Range 3,530 miles with reserves (5,681 km) Service Ceiling 43,000 feet (13,106 m) Power Four Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojets of 10,000 pounds thrust each |
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