Legendary Boeing engineer Joe Sutter dies; he pioneered Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet
![Joe Sutter stands in front of the number one 747 in 1969. Sutter was chief engineer for the development of the Boeing 747. (Boeing Company)](https://static.seattletimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/c43e63d8-6f0a-11e6-a845-38d55c9fbce5-780x794.jpg)
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.”
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