1936 Stearman PT-13 Kaydet (Model 75), c/n 75-003, N68492

Kevin Maher (sometimes pilot of 1954 de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver Mk. I, c/n 713, C-GHPG, Metasoft Systems Inc.) invited me into his hangar to see his pride and joy, the third oldest of this model in existence: 1936 Stearman PT-13 Kaydet (Model 75), c/n 75-003, N68492 in a private hangar at Duncan Airport (DUQ/CAM3), Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada on Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 14:02 PDT.

1936 Stearman PT-13 Kaydet (Model 75), c/n 75-003, N68492 (CF-KTE reserved), Kevin Maher, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada, based at Duncan Airport (DUQ/CAM3), Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C.

• powered by one 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior supercharged nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engine with constant-speed two-blade Hamilton Standard propeller and propeller spinner
• tandem instructor and student, military biplane primary trainer for USAAC
• biplane, positive stagger wings; outboard aileron on each lower wing; no flaps
• open cockpits, windscreen for front cockpit, windscreen for rear cockpit, baggage compartment behind rear seat
• fixed conventional landing gear with steerable tailwheel

History:

• built by Stearman Aircraft Division, The Boeing Aircraft Company, Wichita, Kansas, USA at Stearman Plant, Wichita Municipal Airport, Wichita, Kansas (BW)
• Stearman Aircraft Company purchased by The Boeing Aircraft Company in September 1934
• Stearman Aircraft Division renamed as Wichita Division in 1939
• built as PT-13, powered by one 225-hp Lycoming R-680-B4B nine-cylinder, single-row, air-cooled radial piston engine with fixed-pitch two-blade Sensenich wood propeller
• third in Model 75’s initial production run of 26 (order no. 36-026: c/n 75-001 to c/n 75-026, s/n 36-2 to s/n 36-27) !
• the third oldest Model 75 in existence
• the oldest is c/n 75-001, s/n 36-2, N75001, William B. Field Trustee, Pleasanton, California, USA in a private collection at Bud Field Aviation, Hayward Executive Airport (HWD/KHWD), Hayward, California, USA (certificate of airworthiness issued on April 18, 1974 and expired on June 30, 2013)
• the second oldest is c/n 75-002, s/n 36-3, N4900V, Jack Ellis, El Centro, California, USA (cancelled on August 8, 2012)
• all initial Model 75 manufacturer plates had no mention of “Boeing” printed on them as well as some, if not all, of the PT-13As
• PT-13 had the vertical format plate riveted to the rear instrument panel base on the starboard side, PT-13 had unique instrument panels, the floating portions of the panels were different shaped from all the other aircraft and had different shock mount locations than the rest of the aircraft; they aren’t interchangeable
• delivered as s/n 36-4 to USAAC on October 26, 1936
• ferried by Deed Levy to Parks Air College, Parks College Airfield, Cahokia, Illinois, USA in late October 1936
• to Air Corps Training Center, USAAC
• based at Randolph Field, Bexar County, near San Antonio,Texas, USA
• markings in yellow on fuselage & in black on lower wings; coded 502 on forward fuselage and on rear fuselage; titled ARMY on lower surface on lower port wing and U.S. on lower surface on lower starboard wing; USAAC roundel (August 1919–May 1942) on upper surfaces on each upper wing and on lower surfaces on each lower wing; overall gloss light blue (23) finish with gloss yellow (4) on upper and lower surfaces on each wing, horizontal stabilizer, & vertical stabilizer, gloss light blue (23) wheel covers, wing struts, & landing gear legs, and dark blue vertical band at rudder hinge with thirteen alternating red & white horizontal tail stripes on rudder; in USAAC colour scheme (pre-1939)
• fixed conventional landing gear with steerable tailwheel
• assigned to 46th School Squadron, redesignated as 46th Basic Flying Training Squadron; 47th School Squadron, redesignated as 47th Basic Flying Training Squadron; 52nd School Squadron, redesignated as 52nd Basic Flying Training Squadron; or 53rd School Squadron, redesignated as 53rd Basic Flying Training Squadron; all redesignated on September 1, 1940
• Air Corps Training Center, USAAC redesignated as Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center, USAAC on August 22, 1940
• Gulf Coast Air Corps Training Center, USAAF redesignated as Gulf Coast Training Center, USAAF on March 15, 1942
• assigned to Air Corps Flying Training Command, USAAF on January 23, 1942
• assigned to Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, USAAF on March 15, 1942
• PT-13, PT-13A, and PT-13B redesignated as PT-13 Kaydet, PT-13A Kaydet, and PT-13B Kaydet in 1941
• USAAC (United States Army Air Corps) became the USAAF (United States Army Air Force) on June 20, 1941
• served there until accident in 1943 when flipped over on landing
• after a rebuild six months later, sent to Ontario AAF (Army Airfield), Ontario, California, USA
• USAAF surplus in 1946 with tt 3,000 airframe hours
• sold to Agair Inc. at Eagle Field, Dos Palos, California, USA
• converted to American Airmotive NA-75, agricultural sprayer, single-seat open cockpit with front seat replaced by chemical hopper, unequal-span positive staggered high-lift wings with outboard ailerons on upper and lower wings, spray bars on wing trailing edges, metal fuselage, and a 55 US-gallon fuel tank, either remanufactured by or converted via a conversion kit sold by National Aircraft Division, American Airmotive Corporation, Miami, Florida, USA sometime after 1956
• N68492, “10”, Agair Inc., Dos Palos, California, USA
• based at Eagle Field, Fresno County, near Dos Palos, California
• the 225-hp Lycoming R-680-B4B was replaced with a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior, then a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp SC, and finally back to a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B Wasp Junior
• its working days ended in 1987 with tt 8,500 hours, finally being replaced by an Air Tractor AT-301
• N68492, William L. Young, Temple City, California, USA on January 12, 1990 and cancelled on February 24, 1993
• purchased by Kevin Maher in 1994
• imported in 1994
• long, slow restoration process with many life-driven interruptions but Kevin Maher hopes to return the Stearman to the skies within a few years
• he says it has been a wonderful life-altering experience restoring it
• the predecessor to his employer Air Canada, Trans-Canada Air Lines (Trans-Canada Air Lines Ltd.), Montréal, Québec, Canada, operated one Stearman: 1930 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4010, CF-ASF, “20”, previously owned and operated by Canadian Airways
• Canadian Airways (Canadian Airways Limited), Montréal, Québec, Canada operated four Stearmans: 1930 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4016, CF-AMB; 1930 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4017, CF-AMC; 1932 Stearman 4-EM Senior Speedmail, c/n 4028, CF-ASE; and CF-ASF on its airmail routes in Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Québec in the early 1930s
• he was hoping to secure the registration marks from one of those aircraft, but, unable to do so, s/n 75-003 will fly again as CF-KTE (Kevin, wife Tracy, and son Evan; or KiTE for short)
• N68492 (CF-KTE reserved), Kevin Maher, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada in 1994
• based at Duncan Airport (DUQ/CAM3), Duncan, Vancouver Island, B.C.
• Kevin Maher pilots Boeing 777s for Air Canada
• currently undergoing long, thorough, detailed, complete restoration

At 14:04 PDT.

At 14:13 PDT.

At 14:36 PDT.

[2010 Nikon D3100 14.2 megapixel DX-format DSLR Nikon F-mount camera, s/n 5119118; Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens, s/n 53867376, with 52mm UV(C) filter]

  

© Copyright photographs by Stephan Alexander Scharnberg, June 2013

1975 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51, c/n 47658/790, HB-ISO, “ISO”, Biel/Bienne, Swissair

1975 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51, c/n 47658/790, HB-ISO, “ISO”, Biel/Bienne, Swissair at Aéroport international de Genève (GVA/LSGG), Meyrin/Le Grand-Saconnex, Genève, Suisse on Wednesday, April 15, 1987.

1975 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51, c/n 47658/790, HB-ISO, “ISO”, Biel/Bienne, Swissair (Schweizerische Luftverkehr AG), Zürich, Schweiz, based at Flughafen Zürich (ZRH/LSZH), Kloten, Rümlang, und Oberglatt, Zürich

• titled swissair on upper forward fuselage; in Swissair colour scheme (1981)
• powered by two 16,000-lbs static thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17 low-bypass turbofan engines with angled thrust reversers
• crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), three flight attendants, seating configuration F8C71Y35, medium-range mid-size narrow-body jet airliner
• 24.5° at quarter-chord swept low-wing cantilever monoplane, swept horizontal tailplane, swept vertical stabilizer, nose strake on lower forward fuselage on each side; vortillon under, five leading-edge slats along full span, two spoilers forward of flap used as flight spoilers for roll control in the air and as ground spoilers for lift dumping on the ground, outboard aileron, and inboard double-slotted trailing-edge flap on each wing; rear fuselage-mounted engines, T-tail
• “double-bubble” fuselage (inverted “figure 8”), eyebrow window above pilot and co-pilot positions each, forward passenger door with integral retractable stairs on port side, forward service door on starboard side, two emergency exits over wing on each side, forward underfloor cargo hold with cargo door on starboard side, aft underfloor cargo hold with cargo door on starboard side, rear ventral passenger door with integral drop-down airstair, pressurized cabin
• retractable landing gear of steerable twin-wheel nose gear with spray deflector and two twin-wheel main gear with rock deflectors

History:

• built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Douglas Aircraft Company Division, Long Beach Airport (LGB/KLGB), Long Beach, California, USA at Long Beach Airport (LGB/KLGB) for final assembly
• completed on August 15, 1975
• delivered as HB-ISO, “ISO”, Biel/Bienne to Swissair (Schweizerische Luftverkehr AG), Zürich, Schweiz on September 29, 1975
• based at Flughafen Zürich (ZRH/LSZH), Kloten, Rümlang, und Oberglatt, Zürich
• titled SWISSAIR on upper forward fuselage; in Swissair colour scheme (1956)
• seating configuration F12Y108
• titled swissair on upper forward fuselage; in Swissair colour scheme (1981)
• seating configuration F8C71Y35
• sold to Salenia AB, Stockholm, Sweden on August 30, 1985 
• leased back to Swissair on same day
• returned to Salenia AB on February 29, 1988
• SE-DFO, “DFO”, Stavar Viking to SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System), Frösundavik, Solna Municipality, near Stockholm, Sweden on February 29, 1988
• based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN/ESSA), Sigtuna Municipality, Sweden
• titled SCANDINAVIAN on upper forward fuselage; in SAS colour scheme (1983)
• seating configuration ?
• leased as OY-CTD, “CTD”, Stavar Viking to SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System), Frösundavik, Solna Municipality, near Stockholm, Sweden on March 30, 1988
• based at Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (CPH/EKCH), Kastrup, Tårnby, Denmark
• titled SCANDINAVIAN on upper forward fuselage; in SAS colour scheme (1983)
• sold to IAHC (Investors Asset Holding Corporation) on April 11, 1988 
• leased back to SAS on same day
• sold to Aircraft Income Partners Ltd., Boston, Massachusetts, USA on November 28, 1988 
• leased back to SAS on same day
• returned to Aircraft Income Partners Ltd. on October 18, 1990
• leased as N601AP, “59”, Hana to Hawaiian Airlines (Hawaiian Airlines Inc./Subsidiary of Airline Investor Partnership), Honolulu International Airport (HNL/PHNL), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA on December 14, 1990
• based at Honolulu International Airport (HNL/PHNL)
• titled HAWAIIAN on upper forward fuselage; in Hawaiian Airlines “Pualani” colour scheme (1975)
• seating configuration F8Y125
• seating configuration Y139
• sold to Hawaiian Airlines in January 1997
• N959HA reserved but not taken up
• withdrawn from use on August 19, 2001
• stored at Mojave Airport (MHV/KMHV), Mojave, California, USA on September 4, 2001
• major desert storage site (“Boneyard”) for commercial and military aircraft, aircraft heavy maintenance, flight testing, and space industry development
• sold to AeroTurbine Inc., Miami, Florida, USA on November 29, 2002
• scrapped at Mojave Airport (MHV/KMHV) in 2004

1975 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51, c/n 47658/790, HB-ISO, “ISO”, Biel/Bienne, Swissair and unidentified Crossair Saab-Fairchild SF340A Cityliner/Saab 340A Cityliner.

[1984 Nikon FE2 SLR 35mm roll film camera, s/n 2336591; Nikkor AI 50mm f/1.8 lens, s/n 1816483, with 52mm Hoya PL-CIR polarizing filter; Kodak Gold Super 200 (Kodak GB 200 5096) 36-exposure colour negative film]

© Copyright words and photographs by Stephan Alexander Scharnberg, April 1987

1967 Boeing 737-130, c/n 19437/1/PA099, N515NA, “515”, Fat Albert I, NASA Langley Research Center

Behind 1978 Aérospatiale/British Aircraft Corporation Concorde 102, c/n 100-014, manufacturing number 214, G-BOAG, The Museum of Flight Foundation port wing is 1967 Boeing 737-130, c/n 19437/1/PA099, N515NA, “515”, Fat Albert I, NASA Langley Research Center on outdoor static display in the Airpark, The Museum of Flight, Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI/KBFI), Seattle, Washington, USA on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 11:42 PST.

1967 Boeing 737-130, c/n 19437/1/PA099, N515NA, “515”, Fat Albert I, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, USA

• NASA insignia below flight deck windows; titled small Langley Research Center on upper forward fuselage and marked two-tiered NASA / 515 on vertical stabilizer; in NASA colour scheme (? late 1980s) 
• powered by two 14,000-lbs static thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7A low-bypass turbofan engines with target-type thrust reversers
• crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), up to 30 researchers and observers, experimental short-range mid-size narrow-body jet airliner
• 25.02° at quarter-chord swept low-wing cantilever monoplane, swept horizontal tailplane, swept vertical stabilizer; three outboard leading-edge slats, two inboard leading-edge Krueger flaps, three spoilers forward of outboard flap and one spoiler forward of inboard flap with outboard ground spoiler used as speed brake only during landing and for lift dumping on the ground, two outboard flight spoilers used for roll control in conjunction with aileron and as speed brakes in the air, also used for lift dumping on the ground, inboard ground spoiler used as speed brake only during landing and for lift dumping on the ground, outboard aileron, outboard triple-slotted trailing-edge flap, and inboard triple-slotted trailing-edge flap on each wing
• two eyebrow windows above pilot and co-pilot positions each, forward passenger door and integral retractable stairs on port side, forward service door on starboard side, emergency exit over wing on each side, aft downward-swinging passenger door with retractable stairs on port side, aft service door on starboard side, forward underfloor cargo hold with cargo door on starboard side, aft underfloor cargo hold with cargo door on starboard side, pressurized cabin
• equipped with systems interface, operational research flight deck, displays, navigation, flight controls, flight control interface, video recorders, experiment control, data acquisition, experimental systems, and transponder data system on main deck
• retractable landing gear of steerable twin-wheel nose gear and two twin-wheel main gear with no doors

History:

• built by The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington, USA, Boeing Commercial Airplane Company, Renton, Washington at Plant 2, adjacent to Boeing Field (BFI/KBFI), Seattle, Washington
• first eight airframes (737-130 prototype, c/n 19437/1, N73700, The Boeing Company; 737-130, c/n 19013/2, N2282C/D-ABEA, “EA”, City Jet 737 Coburg, Lufthansa; third airframe, no serial number, static test airframe tested to destruction in Flight Center hangar; 737-130, c/n 19014/3, N2286C/D-ABEB, “EB”, City Jet 737 Regensburg, Lufthansa; 737-130, c/n 19015/4, N2289C/D-ABEC, “EC”, City Jet 737 Osnabrück, Lufthansa; 737-130, c/n 19016/5, D-ABED, “ED”, City Jet 737 Flensburg, Lufthansa; 737-222, c/n 19039/6, N9001U, “9101”, Lehigh Valley, United Air Lines; and 737-130, c/n 19017/7, D-ABEF, “EF”, City Jet 737 Kempten, Lufthansa) assembled at Plant 2, adjacent to Boeing Field but finished at neighbouring Thompson Site; next 268 airframes (mixed construction numbers/line number 9 to line number 271) at Thompson Site for final assembly; and starting with line number 272, all 737 production moved to Boeing Renton Factory, adjacent to Renton Municipal Airport (RNT/KRNT), Renton, Washington for final assembly, in late 1970 
• six airframes involved in the flight testing and certification program (737-130 prototype, c/n 19437/1, N73700, Boeing; 737-130, c/n 19013/2, N2282C/D-ABEA, “EA”, City Jet 737 Coburg, Lufthansa; 737-130, c/n 19014/3, N2286C/D-ABEB, “EB”, City Jet 737 Regensburg, Lufthansa; 737-130, c/n 19015/4, N2289C/D-ABEC, “EC”, City Jet 737 Osnabrück, Lufthansa; 737-222, c/n 19039/6, N9001U, “9101”, Lehigh Valley, United Air Lines; and 737-222, c/n 19040/8, N9002U, “9102”, City of Akron, United Air Lines) 
• starting with line number 136, hydraulically-powered target-type thrust reversers installed in place of pneumatically-powered clamshell door/deflector door thrust reversers
• 737s affectionately known as the “Baby Boeing”
• built as 737-130 (“Dash 100”), powered by two 12,600-lbs static thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 low-bypass turbofan engines with clamshell-type thrust reversers, in summer 1966
• crew of two (pilot and co-pilot), designed for three flight attendants & seating configuration Y115, prototype short-range mid-size narrow-body jet airliner with short-field capability
• used in the Boeing Certification Program
• Boeing internal manufacturing paperwork, known as PA099, assigned last number of a 99-airplane block (PA001 to PA099)
• rolled out in September 1966, both engines and vertical stabilizer installed on ramp (normally an employee parking lot) as it was too tall to be installed inside factory building
• towed across East Marginal Way, down Boeing Field, back across highway, into factory building specially built for 737 production (Thompson Site), positioned in slot No. 1 of the sixteen positions in the building
• flight controls and many systems installed in December 1966, ready for painting for her official roll out, declared “Shop Complete” at midnight on a December night, towed back across highway to purpose-built two-stall Paint Hangar at north end of Boeing Field
• titled BOEING 737 on upper forward fuselage, titled small EXPERIMENTAL on forward fuselage and on rear fuselage, and marked 737 on vertical stabilizer; logos of the seventeen “kick off” customer airlines on lower forward fuselage; in Boeing “yellow, dark green, olive drab, & natural metal” colour scheme (1966)
• officially rolled out on January 17, 1967
• stewardesses (now known as flight attendants) of each of the seventeen airlines christened N73700 by cracking champagne bottles across both her wings and on her nose radome
• towed back across highway to the Boeing flight line at northwest end of Boeing Field
• final installations made, systems tested, and fuelled
• engines started for first time on Easter Sunday, culminating in four engine runs that day
• high-speed taxi tests performed on Boeing Field’s 10,000-foot runway on April 8, 1967
• first flight on April 9, 1967 at 13:15 PST (Pacific Standard Time), test registration N73700, with Boeing test pilots, pilot Brien S. Wygle and co-pilot S.L. “Lew” Wallick Jr.
• first take-off run down Runway 13R to the southeast, after last-minute change of a troublesome hydraulic pump, sprightly, accelerated quickly, and climbed out smartly on a flight of 2 hours 30 minutes, landed at Paine Field (PAE/KPAE), Snohomish County, Washington
• after the landing, asked by a reporter what he thought of the new airplane, Boeing’s president Bill Allen replied, “I think they’ll be building this airplane when Bill Allen is in an old man’s home.”
• William McPherson “Bill” Allen (September 1, 1900 to October 28, 1985), president of Boeing from September 1, 1945 to April 29, 1968, made the famous decision in 1952 to “bet the company”, authorizing construction of the *Boeing 367-80 and launch of development of the Boeing 707, and also involved in launch of the Boeing 727, the Boeing 737, and the Boeing 747 (asked Malcolm T. Stamper to spearhead production of the new 747 jet airliner on which the company’s future was riding, a massive engineering and management undertaking and challenge that included construction of the world’s biggest factory to house the manufacture of the 747, the largest building by volume, the Boeing Everett Factory at Paine Field
• *1954 Boeing Model 367-80 (“Dash 80”), c/n 17158, N70700, prototype and basic design military and civilian
• Paine Field (PAE/KPAE) as test base until 10 hours flying time accumulated, then returned to Boeing Field
• named Lil Toot shortly after first flight
• named Crew ‘O Two after Boeing embroiled in a dispute with FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and ALPA (Air Line Pilots Association) over ALPA’s demand that 737s carry crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer) (but 737 certified for crew of two), disagreement existed for several years with most US airlines flying crew of three and foreign airlines flying crew of two, and after a special study commission issue resolved with US airlines dropping flight engineer position
• after eight months of flying, FAA certification (Type Certificate A16WE) of the 737 received on December 15, 1967 in a ceremony in the Flight Center hangar
• certified for operations from unprepared grass and gravel runways on February 20, 1969
• after several years of Boeing flight test work, into storage for several more years
• N715NA not taken up by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
• N515NA, “515”, Fat Albert I, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, USA on July 26, 1973
• based at Building 1244 hangar, Langley AFB (Air Force Base) (LFI/KLFI), adjacent to NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
• NASA insignia below flight deck windows and FAA insignia on forward fuselage; marked NASA and coded 515 on vertical stabilizer; in NASA colour scheme (1973) 
• named Fat Albert because of its short and stubby appearance
• at Boeing Field for ten months undergoing role conversion in preparation for delivery to NASA
• powered by two 14,000-lbs static thrust Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7A low-bypass turbofan engines with target-type thrust reversers
• tt 979 hours after ferry flight from Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI/KBFI) to Langley AFB (LFI/KLFI) on May 17, 1974
• NASA insignia below flight deck windows; titled small Langley Research Center on upper forward fuselage and marked two-tiered NASA / 515 on vertical stabilizer; in NASA colour scheme (? late 1980s)
• tt 2,968 hours as of May 1994
• NASA’s Transport Systems Research Vehicle
• maintained and flown by Langley Research Center as part of the TAP (Terminal Area Productivity) program
• major modifications: forward flight deck provided operational support and safety backup, operational research flight deck in what was the first-class cabin section, and rows of computer consoles & data collection stations where researchers monitored real-time flight results, all on main deck
• equipped with systems interface, operational research flight deck, displays, navigation, flight controls, flight control interface, video recorders, experiment control, data acquisition, experimental systems, and transponder data system on main deck
• flown by pilot Lee H. Person and co-pilot Kenneth R. “Dick” Yenni for research in cockpit design, engine controls, & high-lift devices and to test technological innovations such as a virtual cockpit, electronic flight displays, and airborne wind shear detection systems in over twenty aerial research projects for NASA from 1974 to 1997
• participated in flight research in US states, Canada, and South America
• test bed for research into a multitude of issues affecting aircraft safety, efficiency, and capacity, going beyond a typical research facility in demonstrating new concepts in real-world situations, called an “airborne trailblazer”, this flying laboratory with its supporting facilities was responsible for the rapid adoption of new aviation technology by US industry
• advanced technologies transferred to US industry after initial flight test on N515NA include Electronic Flight Displays (1974–1975), MLS (Microwave Landing Systems) (1977–1978), Precision Flare Control (1978–1980), Profile Descent Program (1979–1980), Wing Surface Coating (1980–1981), DATAC (Digital Autonomous Terminal Access Communications) (1983–1988), Runway Friction Program (1984–1985), Precision Guidance “Airport ’85” (1985), TECS (Total Energy Control System) (1985–1992), TOPMS (Take-off Performance Monitoring System) (1985–1991), Helmet-Mounted Display (1989), Airborne Information Transfer System (1989–1990), GPS Performance Evaluation (1989–1990), Engine Monitoring and Control System (1991), Airborne Windshear Sensors (1990–1993), Advanced High-Lift Technologies (1991–present), and Optical Propulsion Management Interface System (1991–present)
• last research flight, at Langley AFB (LFI/KLFI), on June 27, 1997
• withdrawn from use on September 20, 1997 and donated to The Museum of Flight (on loan from NASA Langley Research Center) on same day
• tt 3,297 hours at retirement
• ferried from Langley AFB (LFI/KLFI) to Grant County International Airport (MWH/KMWH), Moses Lake, Washington for interim storage in a benign climate (semi-arid desert of central Washington) until a slot for permanent display ready at The Museum of Flight
• kept airworthy as stipulated by NASA as they held title to N515NA and still do
• The Museum of Flight decided on a permament location for N515NA in an area on west side of East Marginal Way, donated by Boeing for displaying large aircraft, now known as the Airpark
• with authorization from NASA, made her final flight, 33 minutes from Moses Lake to Boeing Field, with flight crew of pilot Dale Ranz, co-pilot Mark Ranz, crew chief Bob Bogash, and safety observer & pilot of first flight Brien S. Wygle
• last flight, arrived on Runway 31L from the southeast at Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI/KBFI), Seattle, Washington on September 21, 2003 at 15:11 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)
• on the Boeing flight line, one last time, where she waited for her first flight those many years ago
• the next day Robert “Bob” Bogash, who as a liaison engineer (23 years old in December 1966) and later as a field service engineer, worked on the design, assembly, and flight testing of this prototype, together again in retirement, removed all fuel and decommissioned her many systems, then N515NA towed to an area adjacent to main museum building
• towed across East Marginal Way to join 1959 Boeing VC-137B-BN Stratoliner (Model 707-153), c/n 17925/33, s/n 58-6970, USAF (the first Air Force One); 1978 Boeing 727-223 Advanced, c/n 21386/1333, N874AA, “874”, American Airlines; 1969 Boeing 747-121 prototype, c/n 20235/1/RA001, N7470, City of Everett, The Boeing Company; and 1978 Aérospatiale/British Aircraft Corporation Concorde 102, c/n 100-014, G-BOAG, aircraft number 214, British Airways in the Airpark on morning of November 22, 2003
• outdoor static display in the Airpark, The Museum of Flight, Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI/KBFI)

At 11:55 PST.

[Casio Exilim EX-Z20 point-and-shoot 8.1 MP digital camera, 38-114mm f/3.1-5.9 lens, s/n 31002061A]

© Copyright words and photographs by Stephan Alexander Scharnberg, December 2010