Washington's Museum of Flight has been restoring the very first Boeing 727 for years, a tri-jet airliner that hasn't flown in a quarter century. The aircraft, tail number N7001U, is making its very last flight today — a "ferry" flight, where the plane was made just airworthy enough to fly one last time for 15 minutes in good weather and only minimal crew aboard.
N7001U was completed in 1963 and used for testing before being delivered to United Airlines way back in October of 1964. It was used in revenue service for 27 years before reaching its final — well, seemingly final — resting place at Paine Field in 1991. In the intervening years, the plane has harvested usable parts from other retired 727s until it was finally ready to make one last flight to Boeing Field, 15 minutes away, where the engines will be powered down for the last time and it will be put on display at the Museum of Flight.
No major airline still uses 727s, so this is one of the last chances you'll have to see one of them fly in actual airline livery. It's scheduled to leave Paine Field (assuming the weather holds) at 10:30AM Pacific, 1:30PM Eastern. Check it out.
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