| N747GE | |
|---|---|
 N747GE with a GE90 jet engine at theMojave Airport in during flight test of theGeneral Electric GE90 | |
| General information | |
| Other names |
|
| Type | Boeing 747-121[a] |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Owners | Pan Am (1970–1991) GE Aerospace (1992–2017) |
| Registration |
|
| Flights | 19,251 |
| Total hours | 90,000 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1969 |
| First flight | March 3, 1970 |
| Last flight | January 25, 2017 |
| Preserved at | Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona |
| Fate | Preserved |
N747GE is aBoeing 747 aircraft that was used byGeneral Electric Aircraft Engines as a testbed for several of the company's jet engines between 1992 and 2017, including theGeneral Electric GE90 for theBoeing 777, at the time, the world's largest jet engine.
Before being purchased by General Electric, the aircraft was owned byPan Am and registeredN744PA. At Pan Am, the aircraft was namedClipper Star of the Union between 1970 and 1982 andClipper Ocean Spray between 1982 and 1992.
The Boeing 747-121[a] rolled off of Boeing's assembly line in 1969 as the 25thBoeing 747 constructed.[citation needed] Originally registered as N744PA, the aircraft was delivered toPan Am. N744PA remained under the ownership of Pan Am until 1991, when the airline entered bankruptcy.[1][2]
The aircraft was first namedClipper Star of the Union when delivered to Pan Am in 1970 and operated with that name until 1982 when it was renamed toClipper Ocean Spray.[1]
General Electric Aircraft Engines (GE) purchased the aircraft after Pan Am's bankruptcy to serve as an airborne laboratory, specifically for testing jet engines from GE and its joint venture partners.[1] The aircraft received several modifications, including removing seats, strengthening the left wing and tail for flight testing and installing data systems.[3] Although intended for testing GE-developed engines, the aircraft was not fitted withGeneral Electric CF6 engines and instead retained its originalPratt & Whitney JT9D engines. According to the company, no economically viable GE-powered 747s were available for purchase at the time.[1]
Using a four-engine aircraft allowed GE to swap out the engine on the #2 pylon for an engine under test. The company could then measure fuel burn and engine performance while also subjecting the test engine to difficult conditions such as a high angle of attack during aircraft stalls, zero-G operations, large sideslips and sustained flight in icing conditions. The aircraft first began flight testing out ofMojave Airport in California. In 2003, GE's flight test operations moved into a new hangar at the nearbyVictorville Airport.[1]
They used a total of 11 engine models and 39 different kinds of engine builds, beginning with the massiveGeneral Electric GE90 for theBoeing 777. Other notable tests include theCFM International CFM56 and its successor theCFM International LEAP for narrow-bodies, theEngine Alliance GP7000 for theAirbus A380, theGeneral Electric GEnx for theBoeing 787 and747-8, theGeneral Electric CF34 for regional jets and theGeneral Electric Passport for business jets.[1]
GE acquired another testbed aircraft in 2010, a newerBoeing 747-400. Facing growing maintenance costs, difficulty obtaining parts and a lack of modern navigation systems, GE made the decision to retire the aircraft. The aircraft made its last test flight with a GEnx engine under evaluation on January 25, 2017.[1][4]
The final flight of the aircraft occurred on November 15, 2018, when the aircraft departed from GE's test center Victorville and landed atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base, to be donated to thePima Air & Space Museum, where it has been placed on display.[1][5]
Throughout its life, the aircraft flew approximately 90,000 hours and 19,251 cycles, including 3,916 hours testing various engines.[3][1]
Media related toN747GE (aircraft) at Wikimedia Commons