Did you know the Boeing 737 prototype ended up flying for…

Did you know the Boeing 737 prototype ended up flying for NASA for thirty years?

Short answer

The first 737, registered N73700, was delivered to NASA on July 26, 1973, and flew as N515NA until its retirement 30 years later, on September 27, 2003. Its last research flight departed from Langley Research Center on June 27, 1997, after about 23 years of service. It is on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Did you know the Boeing 737 prototype ended up flying for NASA for thirty years?

Gear Actuation Boeing 737-800 EL AL approaching VIE DSC 3259wPeter Haas (CC BY SA), vía commons

The Boeing prototype

The aircraft was painted in December 1966 in an olive green, dark green and yellow scheme, and was unveiled that same month at a ceremony at the Thompson site. The registration assigned was N73700. Boeing used it as a prototype under that registration. Its first flight took place on April 9, 1967, from Boeing Field to Paine Field, with Brien Wygle as captain and Lew Wallick as co-pilot.

Three decades with NASA

NASA ordered it and received it on July 26, 1973, and began operating it under the registration N515NA. In the FAA registry, PA099 became N515NA. After about 23 years of service with the agency, the aircraft made its last research flight on June 27, 1997, from its base at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. It was retired 30 years after delivery, on September 27, 2003.

From storage to display

The aircraft was assigned to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, and in September 1997 it flew to Moses Lake, Washington, for temporary storage while a permanent site was built at Boeing Field. On September 21, 2003, it flew without incident to Boeing Field, and on November 22 it was moved to the west side of East Marginal Way, to its static display location. It remains there on static display, as the last surviving example of its type.