N7470 · Boeing 747-121
RA001: The First Boeing 747
PreservedThe first 747 built, preserved in flight-test configuration.
- Operators
- Boeing flight test
- Recorded venue
- The Museum of Flight, Seattle
- Country
- United States
Record checked
Individual Boeing 747 aircraft histories
Fifteen individual 747 life stories, from the first prototype and NASA aircraft to museum classics, the final production freighter and notable incident airframes.
Explore 15 individual Boeing 747 histories, with photographs, former registrations, operator changes and sourced milestones. Follow the first prototype, NASA's research and shuttle carriers, museum classics, the final production freighter and two aircraft known for major incidents.
Search by a registration, including a former one such as N744PA or JA8117, or by an operator, place or event. Select an aircraft to read its full timeline and sources.
15 of 15 airframes listed
Search includes former registrations and history milestones. Status and recorded venue come from dated aircraft and collection records. Open a profile for its full timeline and sources.
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N661US · Boeing 747-451
N661US: The First 747-400
PreservedThe first production 747-400; now the Delta Flight Museum's outdoor 747 Experience.
- Operators
- Boeing and Pratt & Whitney test aircraft; Northwest from 1989; Delta following the 2008 merger until 2015
- Former registrations
- N401PW
- Recorded venue
- Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta
- Country
- United States
Record checked
N747GE · Boeing 747-121
N747GE: From Pan Am to Engine Testbed
PreservedAn early Pan Am 747 later used as General Electric’s flying engine testbed.
- Operators
- Pan Am 1970–1991; General Electric flying testbed from 1992
- Former registrations
- N744PA
- Recorded venue
- Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson
- Country
- United States
Record checked
N747NA · Boeing 747SP-21
N747NA: SOFIA and Clipper Lindbergh
PreservedThe Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, flown by NASA and DLR.
- Operators
- Pan Am 1977–1986; United Airlines 1986–1995; USRA acquisition 1997; NASA and DLR SOFIA science programme
- Former registrations
- N536PA, N145UA
- Recorded venue
- Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson
- Country
- United States
Record checked
N905NA · Boeing 747-123
N905NA: NASA’s Original Shuttle Carrier
PreservedShuttle Carrier Aircraft displayed with the shuttle replica Independence.
- Operators
- American Airlines 1970–1974; NASA 1974–2012
- Former registrations
- N9668
- Recorded venue
- Space Center Houston
- Country
- United States
Record checked
N911NA · Boeing 747SR-46
N911NA: NASA’s Second Shuttle Carrier
PreservedNASA's second Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.
- Operators
- Japan Air Lines 1973–1988; Boeing conversion for NASA 1988–1990; NASA shuttle carrier 1990–2012
- Former registrations
- JA8117, N747BL
- Recorded venue
- Joe Davies Heritage Airpark, Palmdale
- Country
- United States
Record checked
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PH-BUK · Boeing 747-206B
PH-BUK: KLM’s Louis Blériot
PreservedFormer KLM 747-200, named Louis Blériot, displayed as part of the museum collection.
- Operators
- KLM from 1978; airline flying ended in November 2003
- Recorded venue
- Aviodrome, Lelystad, Netherlands
- Country
- Netherlands
Record checked
D-ABYM · Boeing 747-230
D-ABYM: Schleswig-Holstein at Speyer
PreservedFormer Lufthansa classic 747 mounted above the museum site.
- Operators
- Lufthansa 1978–2002
- Recorded venue
- Technik Museum Speyer, Germany
- Country
- Germany
Record checked
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VH-OJA · Boeing 747-438
VH-OJA: City of Canberra
PreservedQantas's first 747-400 and a former London-Sydney record holder.
- Operators
- Qantas 1989–2015
- Recorded venue
- HARS Aviation Museum, Illawarra, Australia
- Country
- Australia
Record checked
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ZS-SAN · Boeing 747-244B
ZS-SAN: Lebombo
PreservedPreserved South African Airways 747-200, named Lebombo.
- Operators
- South African Airways; last airline service 24 November 2003
- Recorded venue
- South African Airways Museum Society, Germiston
- Country
- South Africa
Record checked
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ZS-SPC · Boeing 747SP-44
ZS-SPC: Maluti
PreservedOne of the comparatively rare shortened 747SPs, named Maluti.
- Operators
- South African Airways; Air Mauritius lease 1984–1994 as 3B-NAG; later Avia service; Air Namibia lease March–October 1999; returned to SAA
- Former registrations
- N8297V, 3B-NAG
- Recorded venue
- South African Airways Museum Society, Germiston
- Country
- South Africa
Record checked
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PH-BFB · Boeing 747-406
PH-BFB: City of Bangkok
PreservedFormer KLM 747-400 preserved at Corendon’s Amsterdam hotel grounds.
- Operators
- KLM from June 1989; hotel-ground display from 2019
- Recorded venue
- Corendon Village Hotel Amsterdam, Badhoevedorp
- Country
- Netherlands
Record checked
N863GT · Boeing 747-8F
N863GT: The Final Boeing 747
Fleet recordThe final Boeing 747 built, delivered to Atlas Air for Apex Logistics.
- Operators
- Atlas Air, operating for Apex Logistics under the 2023 delivery agreement
- Recorded venue
- No fixed public exhibit; operator fleet record
- Country
- United States
Record checked
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G-BDXH · Boeing 747-236B
G-BDXH: City of Edinburgh
Cockpit retainedThe British Airways Flight 9 volcanic-ash survivor; its cockpit was retained after dismantling.
- Operators
- British Airways 1979–2002; European Aviation Air Charter from 2002; aircraft withdrawn in 2004
- Recorded venue
- Cockpit restoration documented at South Wales Aviation Museum
- Country
- United Kingdom
Record checked
JA8119 · Boeing 747SR-46
JA8119: Japan Air Lines’ Short-Range Jumbo
LostThe JAL 747SR involved in Flight 123, documented in Japan’s accident investigation.
- Operators
- Japan Air Lines domestic service; destroyed 12 August 1985
- Recorded venue
- Aircraft destroyed; no complete surviving airframe
- Country
- Japan
Record checked
No airframes match those filters. Try widening the search.
Three histories to start with
- N863GT: the final Boeing 747, delivered to Atlas Air in January 2023 for Apex Logistics.
- G-BDXH: British Airways' volcanic-ash survivor, which returned to airline work after Flight 9 and later left a cockpit for restoration.
- JA8119: the airframe behind Japan Air Lines Flight 123, whose earlier tail-strike repair is part of the accident's history.
Reading an aircraft record
This is a curated collection of life histories. Each timeline links its dated events to supporting sources. Status records were checked on 3 October 2026; a fleet listing gives evidence of an operator, while a museum record identifies a preserved exhibit. Check individual venues for current opening times and access.
Registrations can be reused. The preserved classic D-ABYM at Speyer is a different aircraft from the later Lufthansa 747-8 with that registration. Serial numbers help distinguish individual airframes when the same registration appears in different eras.
For more places to see a surviving jumbo, use the preserved 747 directory. For aircraft currently reporting positions, use the live 747 map.
Download the registry
- CSV: aircraft identities, former registrations, operators and source links
- JSON: full aircraft records, photographs and sourced timeline milestones
The compiled dataset is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Attribute Boeing-747.com and link to this page. Each photograph retains its separately displayed licence and creator credit.
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In this section
D-ABYM: Schleswig-Holstein at Speyer
Follow the preserved Lufthansa classic D-ABYM from its 1978 construction to the 2002 Rhine transport and elevated display at Technik Museum Speyer.
G-BDXH: City of Edinburgh
G-BDXH survived British Airways Flight 9's volcanic-ash encounter in 1982, returned to airline service and later left a cockpit for museum restoration.
JA8119: Japan Air Lines' Short-Range Jumbo
JA8119 was a high-capacity JAL 747SR whose 1978 tail-strike repair and 1985 loss led to major lessons about structural repairs and common-mode failures.
N661US: The First 747-400
The life of N661US: first 747-400 flight testing as N401PW, Northwest and Delta service, retirement in 2015 and the Atlanta 747 Experience.
N747GE: From Pan Am to Engine Testbed
N747GE flew for Pan Am as N744PA before becoming General Electric's flying engine laboratory and joining the Pima museum collection in 2018.
N747NA: SOFIA and Clipper Lindbergh
Trace SOFIA's 747SP from Pan Am and United passenger service to NASA's infrared observatory, its final 2022 flights and preservation at Pima.
N863GT: The Final Boeing 747
N863GT closed Boeing's 747 production run in January 2023, joining Atlas Air for Apex Logistics with a livery tribute to chief engineer Joe Sutter.
N905NA: NASA's Original Shuttle Carrier
NASA 905 began with American Airlines, carried Enterprise during the 1977 landing tests and now forms part of Independence Plaza in Houston.
N911NA: NASA's Second Shuttle Carrier
NASA 911's history runs from Japan Air Lines' JA8117 through Boeing's shuttle-carrier conversion, a 2012 final flight and preservation at Palmdale.
PH-BFB: City of Bangkok
PH-BFB served KLM from 1989 before a spectacular 2019 move to Corendon's Amsterdam hotel grounds; its history now includes a 2025 artwork project.
PH-BUK: KLM's Louis Blériot
PH-BUK, KLM's preserved 747-200 Combi, finished flying in 2003 and was dismantled for a journey by water and road to Aviodrome in Lelystad.
RA001: The First Boeing 747
Follow N7470 from the first 747 flight in 1969 through Boeing engine testing, its 1995 museum donation and restoration in Seattle.
VH-OJA: City of Canberra
Qantas's first 747-400, VH-OJA, made a London - Sydney nonstop delivery flight in 1989 and landed at HARS for preservation on 8 March 2015.
ZS-SAN: Lebombo
Lebombo, ZS-SAN, launched SAA's 747 service in 1971, appeared at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final and landed at Rand Airport for preservation in 2004.
ZS-SPC: Maluti
Maluti, ZS-SPC, flew as a South African Airways 747SP and Air Mauritius 3B-NAG before its final journey to the SAA Museum at Rand Airport in 2006.