Joe Sutter, 'Father of the Boeing 747', dies

31 August 2016

Image courtesy of Boeing 

Joe Sutter, who became known as the father of the jumbo jet after he led the design team that developed the Boeing 747 in the 1960s, has died at the age of 95.

Sutter, who also served on the commission of inquiry into the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, was hailed as "one of the giants of aerospace" by Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner.

"His team, along with thousands of other Boeing employees involved in the project, became known as the Incredibles for producing what was then the world's largest airplane in record time -- 29 months from conception to rollout," said Conner. "It remains a staggering achievement."

Sutter was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up near to Boeing's plant. In 1940, he took a summer job at Boeing Plant 2 while studying aeronautical engineering at the University of Washington. During World War II he served in the US Navy as a junior officer aboard the destroyer escort USS Edward H. Allen .

He was awarded the United States Medal of Technology in 1985.

Rest in peace.

Related News

National Manufacturing Day ignites spark for future engineers
03/10/2023
‘Unforgettable’ is what students and teachers said about their National M …
Additive manufacturing gives high-tech audio company good vibrations
07/08/2018
Engineers from the AMRC have turned up the volume on additive manufacturing to collab …
South Korean business delegation tour the AMRC as part of trade and investment initiative
19/05/2015
Members of a South Korean business delegation have toured the AMRC as part of an in …
HVM Catapult: Leading the green manufacturing revolution
08/07/2020
The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult has published its annual review capturing …