There isn’t an AvGeek worthy of the name who doesn’t have his or her favorite aircraft. For me, it’s always been the #Boeing 747, affectionally known as the “Queen of the Skies.” Aside from its massive size, its telltale hump and the spaciousness of its passenger cabins, I’ve invariably enjoyed flying aboard this big and beautiful bird. Starting with the takeoff roll, I love how it lumbers down the runway - seemingly way too slow and way too heavy to ever take flight. But fly it does and as it soars into the sky, you can't help but appreciate what a genuine engineering marvel this airplane was for its time and reflect on how it changed the aviation industry following its debut over 50 years ago. So, in this week’s post let’s take a look at the interesting story behind this iconic aircraft and learn more about the pivotal role it played in bringing so many people together.
In 1963 the US Government put out a bid to aircraft manufacturers to design and build a large military transport. One of their chief requirements was for a nose loading cargo door with clear access to the main deck. That’s why the Boeing design featured the cockpit in a ”bubble” atop the fuselage forward of the wings’ leading edge. While the contract went to #LockheedMartin and #generalelectric to build what was to become the C-5 Galaxy, Boeing had already completed a good deal of engineering work on its own design. Lucky for them, that would come in handy just a few short years later.
In those days, commercial aviation was growing at a rapid pace. Just 5 years earlier in 1958, #FlyPanAm took delivery of the nation's first commercial jet airliner, a Boeing 707-120. The storied carrier made history on October 26 of that year with the first daily transatlantic 707 jet service from New York to Paris. By 1963, the “Jet Age” was in full swing. It wasn't long before Juan Trippe, Pan Am's founder and then CEO, approached Boeing's President Bill Allen. He requested Boeing build an aircraft more than twice the size of their 707. Trippe wanted to reduce seat cost by 30% and, in so doing, democratize air travel. He argued a larger aircraft would also be a solution to the congestion at airports, reducing the number of smaller airplanes required to move the same numbers of people. Allen agreed and the deal was sealed with a handshake during a shared weekend aboard a luxury yacht.
Boeing organized a design team in 1965 to work on the new airliner which was already given the 747 designation. It was headed by Joe Sutter who had worked on many commercial airplane projects for the company, including the 367-80 (Dash 80), 707, 727 and 737. The proposal that Boeing had put together for the US military transport was used as a starting point. When the plane was designed, everyone believed that Supersonic Transport (SST) would be the future of aviation so the 747 had to meet Pan Am’s demand to carry large numbers of passengers while also having the ability to function as a reliable freighter in the future. With a team of 4,500 engineers, Sutter took just 29 months to design and build the first 747 jetliner, all without the aid of today’s computers! Since the aircraft was so big, Boeing also had to construct a new facility in Everett, Washington. Measuring an astounding 472 million cubic feet of space with a floor area of 4.3 million square feet, it was (and still is) the largest building by volume in the world.
One of the main reasons such a large aircraft was made possible was the advent of high-bypass turbofan engines. General Electric had initially applied this principle to the C-5 Galaxy project. That turbofan delivered twice the power of the turbojets in use at the time while using one third less fuel. Pratt and Whitney were also working on this concept and in 1966 the company joined forces with Pan Am and Boeing to develop the JT9D as the powerhouse for the new 747 aircraft. The turbofans were just the start. Nothing like this aircraft had ever been seen before. Redundancy was designed into systems like hydraulics, where a back up was available should the main system fail. There were dual control surfaces to enable the continued control of the aircraft should any of the surfaces fail. There were 4 main landing gear enclosures on the airplane's undercarriage, each with 4 wheels. This was done, not only to spread the weight of the aircraft more evenly, but to enable the 747 to land on only 2 opposing wheel sets, if necessary. Everything about the plane was done on a grand scale. Forty-seven thousand pounds of high-strength aluminum were used in its construction, along with 171 miles of wiring, 5 miles of tubing and 6 million parts - half of which were fasteners. It stood over 5 stories high, nearly 185 feet long with a wingspan of 195 feet. The first 747 had a range of about 4,620 nautical miles with a maximum takeoff weight of 735,000 pounds.
Not surprisingly, Pan Am became the launch customer for the airplane when it ordered 25 in April 1966 in what was then the largest commercial aircraft order in history. They operated their first revenue flight with the new aircraft in January of 1970 and the rest is history. With the improved economics and increased passenger loads, the 747 became a status symbol for the world’s airlines and orders poured into Boeing from carriers around the globe. It soon became known to the general public as the “jumbo jet” and Trippe’s dream of democratizing air travel became a reality as greater numbers of people took to the skies.
Boeing introduced the 747-200 in 1971 with more powerful engines for a heavier maximum takeoff weight of 833,000 pounds and a longer range of 6,560 nautical miles. The 747SP (Special Performance) was brought to market in 1976 as Boeing needed a smaller aircraft to compete with the DC-10 and the L-1011. Once again, Pan Am was the launch customer for this type. The 747-300 followed in 1983 with a stretched upper deck allowing for up to 400 seats in 3 classes of service. (The First Class cocktail lounges on the upper deck disappeared in favor of additional premium seating in the early 1970s once fuel costs soared after the oil embargo.)
The heavier 747-400 with improved engines and a 2-crew glass cockpit was introduced in 1989 and proved to be a favorite with global carriers. It featured 6 foot high “winglets” which improved fuel efficiency by 4% compared with previous versions. The aircraft engines were more efficient and the range was increased by 1,000 nautical miles. This time, Northwest Airlines was the first customer with an initial order for 10 aircraft and it entered service with the now-defunct carrier on February 9, 1989. After several additional studies by Boeing engineers, the stretched 747-8 was delivered in 2011 and is capable of flying more than 8,000 nautical miles.
The 747 has been the basis for several US government and military aircraft, like the VC-25, better known worldwide as Air Force One. By June of 2019, there were, sadly, no US airlines flying any 747 “jumbos.” Other more fuel efficient and technologically advanced twin-engine jetliners have nearly relegated it to history. Internationally, #British_Airways still flies 747-400s (although we shall have to “wait and see” if that continues post pandemic) while #VirginAtlantic recently announced their retirement. #Airchina, #KoreanAir_KE and #Lufthansa each have several 747-8s as part of their passenger fleets and a number of global cargo lines also operate the latest version. The US Air Force has indicated it will retrofit two undelivered 747-8s and transform them into the “new” Air Force Ones that are expected to come online in 2024.
Since the 747’s introduction, Boeing has built 1,557 of these massive jetliners. Not bad for an aircraft that was only expected to enjoy life primarily as a freighter once the SST Program “took off.” Instead it became the most famous jet aircraft that ever flew and has earned a special place in the hearts of aviation buffs everywhere. I count myself among them with many fond memories of flying aboard these wonderful birds with many different airlines both at home and around the world.
Until next time…stay safe.
A great reminder of the Jumbo Jet we all used to fantasize about travelling aboard,[and abroad]!