On the morning of 30 August 2016, world aviation lost one of the most important people in the industry. Joe Sutter, father of the Boeing 747 aircraft, died at the age of 95.
Interview with Joe Sutter (at 88 years old)
In 1965, Joe Sutter was tasked with developing a new airliner, which would be called the Boeing 747. Joe Sutter initiated a design study with Pan Am, but other airline operators interested in the new aircraft also contributed.
At that time it was believed that subsonic commercial aircraft would be replaced by new supersonic aircraft, at that time Concorde developing. Boeing 747 it was also designed and designed for cargo, thus having a higher chance of remaining in production, even though the passenger version would suffer.
Joe Sutter led the engineering team and developed the iconic Boeing 747 aircraft. It held the record for the largest commercial aircraft in the world for 35 years (1970-2005).
May God rest in peace!