Legendary Boeing engineer Joe Sutter dies; he pioneered Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet

 

Sutter, the legendary Boeing engineer who led development of the 747 jumbo jet, was known for his bold technical designs, for tough but inspirational leadership, and for a roguish sense of humor that made him a vibrant personality to the end of his days.

Mr. Sutter died Tuesday at age 95. His son, Jonathan Sutter, said his father had developed pneumonia but was recovering and was expected to leave the hospital when he died suddenly.

As recently as the first week of August, Mr. Sutter had been working on Boeing’s behalf: At the family’s summer compound on Hood Canal, he hosted a Boeing party for executives of Cathay Pacific who had just taken delivery of a new 747 — the sort ofevent he’d thrown several times over the years for various airlines.

In a message to employees Tuesday, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Ray Conner described him as “one of the giants of aerospace and a beloved member of the Boeing family.”