Addendum
Industry legend, Joe Sutter, dies aged 95
September 1st 2016
Legendary Boeing 747 designer, Joe Sutter, the aeronautical engineer who led the design of the world’s first wide body passenger and cargo aircraft, the double decker B747, passed away on August 30. Read More »
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Sutter, the son of a Slovenian immigrant, had a lifelong passion for aviation that started with part-time work on the Boeing assembly line, a job that funded part of his aeronautical engineering degree at the University of Washington in Seattle.
After post World War 2 studies at the engineering school of the U.S. Navy, Sutter joined Boeing as an engineer. He worked on the design of Boeing’s first short haul jet, the B727 and with another brilliant Boeing designer, Jack Steiner, on the development of the B737. It was the first airliner to have its engines positioned beneath the wing – a Sutter innovation.
Named by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as the “Father of the 747”, Sutter lead the design of the B747 from 1965 and saw the Jumbo Jet soar in popularity after it took to the skies in commercial operations in 1970. He rose in the ranks at Boeing to executive vice president for engineering and product development where he was closely involved in the concepts and manufacturing of the B757 and B767. He retired from Boeing in 1986 but continued to work as a consultant at the Seattle headquartered manufacturer until this year. He remained a sought after adviser to airlines and governments until the closing months of his amazing life.
