N402UP – the First 757-200PF to Fly
A brief look back today, as we see N402UP (msn: 23724) arriving at Boeing field on a spring evening.
This aircraft was chronologically the second 757 freighter ever built, but by happenstance became the first to fly, on August 11th, 1987, and the first to be delivered, on Sept. 17, 1987.
A little over a two weeks later, Cargo Facts reported the following, in the October, 1987 issue:
Boeing delivered the first 757-200PF to UPS on September 17. An additional 38 hours of flight testing was accomplished by September 3 to supplement the 1380 hours of tests on the passenger version in 1982. Items tested for freighter certification included the thrust management system, electronic flight instrument system, auto pilot and other avionics and instrumentation. Smoke detection and containment testing was also included in the flight test program.
A very modern machine at the time, on the page facing the announcement of the delivery (complete with press photo) was an article about Aeronavali’s DC-8-70 conversion program, while the cover featured a Trans-Continental Airways DC-8-54. Other aircraft featured in the issue included 727-100s for FedEx, 727-200s for Purolator, and a Vickers Merchantman in service for Air Bridge Carriers in the U.K.
N402UP entered service on Sept. 28, 1987 and has been earning it’s keep ever since.
© Photographer: Alex Kwanten
