Were times simpler in the sixties, or was there something unique about
Joseph Sutter that allowed him to do what airplane makers can’t
seem to accomplish now? We can speculate but Sutter, one of
the creative engineering minds behind the Boeing 747 gets the credit for taking
what was then the world’s largest passenger jet from concept to flight in just 29 months.
“When we designed the 707," Sutter recalled, of the days before his 747 assignment, Boeing wrote the certification rules for the jet. "The CAA, the FAA wasn’t around yet, they didn’t know how to certify an airplane. We taught them how to do it,” before going on to create the domed wide-body 747 that still symbolizes modern aviation.
During a dinner in New York, I asked him why, in the 21st Century, Boeing’s Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 have
encountered so many delays and the 92 year old engineer explained the regulatory
atmosphere is different now.
Interviewing Sutter Photo by Patricia Thomas/Lufthansa |
A lifelong resident of Washington State, Sutter was brought to New York by Lufthansa to receive the airline's first Lifetime Achievement in Excellence Award.
I’m
guessing, the large framed certificate and lunch plate-sized plaque will wind
up in a room already cluttered with similar gifts, or what Ty
Swensen of the West Seattle Herald described as the room in Sutter's home that “doubles
as an ever-expanding museum of his life.”
Woelfle, Buchholz, Sutter & VP Juergen Siebenrock Photo by Patricia Thomas/Lufthansa |
"On my recent trip I was treated like any other human being, which is almost inhuman," he said. And as the aviation geeks among us fed photos and tweets to our followers, Sutter paraphrased and expanded on the thoughts of American Airlines' former boss Bob Crandall.
Aviation is a tough business.If you want to make money, go into Twitter."
Aviation is a tough business.If you want to make money, go into Twitter."
Sutter with Buchholz and Kirby. Photo by Patricia Thomas/Lufthansa |
And just when the evening could have devolved into a lot of handshakes and stuffy speeches, the airline's director of corporate communications, Niles Haupt announced to the Father of the 747 that the music was about to begin. At which point, German Korean cellist Isang Enders took to the stage and without a blue print or a wind tunnel in sight, took a night to honor an aviation legend and raised it to a whole new level.
6 comments:
It's sad that production of the 747 may be ceasing soon. Sales of the 747-8 have been underwhelming at best.
It's * especially * depressing when you consider the aesthetic ghastliness of the plane that has become its de facto replacement, the Airbus A380. If the A380 isn't the ugliest commercial jetliner ever built.... I can't finish that sentence because * it is * the ugliest jetliner ever built.
The 747 is the Empire State building of jetliners. It's not the largest anymore, or the flashiest, but it's still the classiest and most elegant. And like the Concorde, even after decades of service it never managed to look * old. *
On the contrary, the 747-8 is a sexy-looking plane, even as it stays true to the original 747 blueprint.
Or how about a nautical analogy? The 747 is the Q.E.2, the Rotterdam or the Queen Mary. The A380 is one of those bulky, top-heavy cruise ships that are everywhere nowadays, with ridiculous names like "Oasis of the Seas."
Etc.
A "plague"?
Patrick,
get over your prejudices.
Operators buy planes because they have capabilities which provide a return. Beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder and yours seems to have a decided set.
If I wanted an aesthetic airplane, I'd pick a sailplane. The others are there to make money (& I think the 380 looks fine, even though I've spent nearly 30 years with Boeings).
Still remember my first 747 flight, upper deck lounge. I'd "arrived." thanks joe sutter!
I remember my first flight in the 747 - climbing into the sun, Randolph Aviators on, kick back and enjoy the ride.
Great airplane many of which still flying today!
Nice post. Mr. Sutter is a hero of sorts. While the 747-8 may be the last of the line and not many will be built, many examples will remain flying for decades to come. Each edition has broken new ground and much technology developed for the 747 has migrated to other brands and models. And yes, the freighters remain the state-of-of the art. IT is nice to see Mr. Sutter so honored, even if he does not like flying!
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