Dates

• Existence: 1923 - 1999

Jack Waddell

Jack E. Waddell (1923-1999) was a test pilot for the Boeing Company who flew the first Boeing 727 in 1969.

Jack Eugene Waddell was born on February 23, 1923 to Max and Mabel (Madsen) Waddell in Forsyth, Montana. He was raised in Joliet, Montana where he attended high school. After high school Waddell earned a Bachelor's degree in engineering physics from Montana State University. In 1952 he attained a Master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Cornell University.

During World War II Waddell was a United States Naval Aviator stationed in the Pacific Theater. Post-war, Waddell worked for North American Aviation as a test pilot for a time before joining the Boeing Company in 1957 as an experimental test pilot. He flight-tested many aircraft, but is most well-known as the chief project pilot for the Boeing 747 as well as being the first to fly the prototype on February 9, 1969. He also worked on the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the KC-135. Waddell eventually became Boeing's Chief Test Pilot and Director of flight training.

Waddell was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. After his retirement from Boeing he returned to Montana where he was an avid thoroughbred horse owner and trainer. He married Audrey Ovalan Crooks on July 22, 1946 in Montana. They had two children. Jack E. Waddell died on October 2, 1999 in Yellowstone, Montana.

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