By Brad Acker

On February 9, 1969 — 46 years ago today — Boeing flight-tested for the first time the then newly designed Boeing 747, the world’s first jumbo jet (wide-body airplane). Interviewed after the flight, test pilot Jack Waddell described the jumbo jet as “ridiculously easy to fly — a pilot’s dream.” Boeing continued to test all aspects the Boeing 747 throughout the year, logging more than 1,400 hours of flight on five 747s in 1,013 flights. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certified the Boeing 747 on December 30, 1969.

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