Date |
Reg |
Airline |
Livery |
Name |
Event |
Airport |
Notes |
 |
| 4/25/1977 |
N536PA |
Pan Am |
|
|
First Flight |
|
|
| 5/6/1977 |
N536PA |
Pan Am |
|
|
Delivered |
|
|
| 4/1/1981 |
N536PA |
Pan Am |
Old small titles |
Clipper Lindbergh |
Seen |
|
|
| 1/11/1985 |
N536PA |
Pan Am |
|
|
Incident |
Fairbanks, AK |
Crew diverted to Fairbanks due to aft cargo compartment fire warning light. No fire occurred, false indication. More info. |
| 2/13/1986 |
N536PA |
United |
|
|
Bought |
|
|
| 2/13/1986 |
N536PA |
United |
Pan Am cheatline |
|
Seen |
MEL |
|
| 11/1/1986 |
N145UA |
United |
|
|
Reg Changed |
|
|
| 1/15/1989 |
N145UA |
United |
Old, small titles |
|
Seen |
|
|
| 7/1/1990 |
N145UA |
United |
Old, small titles |
|
Seen |
SFO |
|
| 8/1/1990 |
N145UA |
United |
Old, large titles |
|
Seen |
|
|
| 7/1/1993 |
N145UA |
United |
New United blue/grey livery |
|
Seen |
|
This would turn out to be the only United SP to be painted in this livery. |
| 10/17/1994 |
N145UA |
United Air Lines |
New c/s |
|
Flight |
IAD-SFO |
Last revenue flight for United, and the last scheduled revenue flight of an SP in the United States. The following day the plane was ferried to OAK and parked. |
| 10/19/1994 |
N145UA |
UAL |
Malevolent Skies |
|
Seen |
IAD-SFO |
Flew UA 59 IAD-SFO (I was on the flight) after having flown SFO-ORD-IAD earlier in the day, substituting for an out-of-service 747-100. It was supposed to be retired after this flight but flew the same routing one last time the next day (10/20/1994). The entry claiming 10/17/1994 was the last service is incorrect though that may have been what was planned. |
| 11/1/1995 |
N145UA |
|
|
|
Retired |
LAS |
|
| 11/12/1995 |
N145UA |
|
No titles, no logos |
|
Seen |
LAS |
WFU, stored |
| 12/1/1995 |
N145UA |
|
No titles, no logos |
|
Seen |
LAS |
WFU, stored |
| 2/17/1997 |
N145UA |
NASA |
New United blue/grey livery, no titles/logos |
|
Ferried |
|
LAS-SFO |
| 2/20/1997 |
N145UA |
NASA |
New United blue/grey livery, no titles/logos |
|
Other |
SFO |
Maintenance |
| 2/20/1997 |
N145UA |
NASA |
SOFIA |
|
Other |
SFO |
New titles... Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy |
| 4/30/1997 |
N145UA |
|
|
|
Sold |
|
Sold to Universities Space Research Association (USRA) |
| 10/27/1997 |
N145UA |
|
|
|
Sold |
|
Formally sold to NASA. |
| 11/19/1997 |
N145UA |
NASA |
|
|
Status |
|
New airworthiness certificate is issued by the FAA. Aircraft is classified as EXPERIMENTAL. |
| 5/1/1999 |
N145UA |
NASA |
|
|
Other |
Waco |
Plane enters hangar in Waco for paint strip and maintenance. |
| 6/1/2003 |
N145UA |
NASA |
|
|
Other |
Waco |
Telescope fitted into aircraft.
 see video |
| 4/25/2004 |
N145UA |
NASA |
|
|
Other |
Waco |
Aircraft passes "Cabin Proof Pressure Test" in which cabin is pressurized to 12.5 PSI. |
| 12/2/2004 |
N145UA |
NASA |
|
|
Other |
Waco |
Engine installation completed in preparation for first flight. |
| 12/17/2004 |
N747NA |
NASA |
|
|
Other |
|
New N number reserved, pending return to service. |
| 2/10/2005 |
N747NA |
|
|
|
Other |
|
Aircraft jacked off of floor in hangar, and landing gear retracted as part of hydraulic test. |
| 4/1/2005 |
|
NASA |
|
|
Roll Out |
Waco |
Rolled out of hangar with new tail logo applied. |
| 8/19/2006 |
N747NA |
NASA |
|
|
Other |
Waco |
Full power engine runs.
see video
|
| 9/25/2006 |
N747NA |
SOFIA |
SOFIA/NASA Livery |
|
Roll Out |
Waco |
Rolled out with new paint in small ceremony |
| 4/26/2007 |
N747NA |
SOFIA |
White w/ Blue cheatline |
|
Flight |
Waco |
SOFIA First Flight after heavy modifications and almost 10 years on ground
see video
|
| 5/21/2007 |
N747NA |
SOFIA |
|
Clipper Lindbergh |
Other |
EDW |
Aircraft named in a ceremony |
| 5/31/2007 |
N747NA |
SOFIA |
|
Clipper Lindbergh |
Ferried |
Waco-EDW |
Ferried Waco-EDW
see video
Arrived at NASA Dryden
see video
It will undergo installation of systems and flight testing for the next three years. |
| 1/14/2008 |
N747NA |
NASA |
|
|
Seen |
NUQ |
Seen landing at Moffet Field in Mountain View, CA at 1222 escorted by an F18. Both planes flew in from EDW. |
| 4/9/2009 |
N747NA |
NASA SOFIA |
white |
Clipper Lindbergh |
Seen |
KPMD |
SOFIA was on display at the dedication ceremony of the Dryden Aircraft Operation Facility, which is the hangar that is its new home at the Palmdale Airport. |
| 12/17/2009 |
N747NA |
NASA |
SOFIA/NASA Livery |
SOFIA |
Seen |
KPMD |
Seen landing, accompanied by chase plane. |
| 12/18/2009 |
N747NA |
NASA |
|
SOFIA |
Seen |
KPMD |
Landed at KPMD, accompanied by chase plane. |
| 3/16/2010 |
N747NA |
NASA |
|
SOFIA Observatory |
Seen |
KPMD |
Landed at Palmdale airport, accompanied by chase plane |
| 7/8/2010 |
N747NA |
NASA |
White |
SOFIA |
Seen |
KEDW |
Working NASA Flight Control room for latest envelope expansion flight #35. |
|
 Productionlist |
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Photos of Airframe 21441
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Click preview for fullsize view. |
N747NA
NASA
Date: 1/17/2008 at PMD
Photo: Heinz Hammes
Views: 6746
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SOFIA at it's new home in Palmdale, CA
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Click preview for fullsize view. |
N747NA
NASA
Date: 12/8/2007 at PMD
Photo: Heinz Hammes
Views: 7498
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Telescope and Flight Test Instrumentation within SOFIA
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Click preview for fullsize view. |
Date: 9/25/2006 at CNW, TSTC airport
Photo: Timothy Bronswinkel
Views: 6538
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Sofia has fresh paint.. looks good.. sorry for the quallity
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Click preview for fullsize view. |
N747NA
NASA
Date: 7/26/2006 at CNW
Photo: Timothy Bronswinkel
Views: 7331
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Sofia, it was only outside for a couple of days while the president was around. Now it's back in the main hanger
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Click preview for fullsize view. |
N747NA
Date: 2/3/2006 at ACT
Photo: SOFIA/NASA
Views: 7449
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