The 'Boeing 747', commonly nicknamed the '"Jumbo Jet"', is a long-haul, widebody
commercial airliner manufactured by
Boeing. Known for its impressive size, it is among the world's most recognizable
aircraft. First flown commercially in 1970, it has held the passenger capacity record for 37 years and was the first commercial
wide-body aircraft.
The four-engine 747, produced by
Boeing's
Commercial Airplane unit, uses a
double decker configuration for part of its length. The hump created by the upper deck has made the 747 a highly recognizable icon of air travel. A typical three-class layout accommodates 416 passengers, while a two-class layout accommodates a maximum of 524 passengers. The
747-400, the latest version in service, flies at high-subsonic speeds of
Mach 0.85 (567
mph or 913 km/h), and features an intercontinental range of 7,260
nautical miles (8,355
mi, 13,446 km).
[4]
The 747 was expected to become obsolete after sales of 400 units, but it has outlived many of its critics' expectations and production passed the 1,000 mark in 1993. As of June 2007 1387 planes had been built, with 120 more in various configurations on order. The latest development of the aircraft, the
747-8, is planned to enter service in 2009.
[5]
Development
Background
The 747 was born from the increase in air travel in the 1960s. The era of commercial jet transportation, led by the enormous popularity of the
Boeing 707 and
Douglas DC-8, had revolutionized long distance travel. Boeing had already developed a study for a very large fixed-wing aircraft while bidding on a US military contract for a huge cargo plane.
[6] Even before it lost the contract to
Lockheed's
C-5 Galaxy in September 1965 Boeing came under pressure from
Juan Trippe, president of its most loyal airline customer
Pan Am, to build a large passenger plane that would be over twice the size of the 707.
In 1965
Joe Sutter was transferred from Boeing's
737 development team to manage the studies for a new airliner, already assigned its model number 747. The original design was a full-length double-decker fuselage seating eight across (3–2–3) on the lower deck and seven across (2–3–2) on the upper deck.
[7] However, concern over evacuation routes and limited cargo carrying capability caused this idea to be scrapped in early 1966 in favor of wider single deck, becoming the first
wide-body airliner.
[8]
One of the principal technologies that enabled an airplane as large as the 747 to be conceived was the
high-bypass turbofan engine. This promised to deliver double the power of the earlier turbojets while consuming a third less fuel.
General Electric had pioneered the concept but were fully committed to developing the engine for the C-5 Galaxy.
Pratt & Whitney were also working on the same principle, and by late 1966 Boeing, Pan-Am and Pratt & Whitney agreed that Pratt would develop a new engine, designated
JT9D, to power the 747. Four of these engines were to be mounted in
pods below the 747's wings.
At the time, it was widely thought that the 747 would eventually be superseded by
supersonic transport (SST) aircraft, so Boeing designed it such that it could easily be adapted to carry freight, so that it could remain in production if and when sales of the passenger version dried up. The cockpit was therefore placed on a shortened upper deck so that a nose cone loading door could be included, thus creating the 747's distinctive "bulge". However, supersonic transports, including the
Concorde and Boeing's never-produced
2707, were not widely adopted. SSTs were less fuel-efficient at a time when fuel prices were soaring, very noisy during takeoff and landing, and their ability to operate at supersonic speeds over land was limited by regulations concerning their
sonic booms.
[9]
To appease concerns about the safety and flyability of such a large passenger aircraft, the 747 was designed with multiple structural redundancy, four redundant
hydraulic systems, and quadruple main landing gear with 16 wheels which provided a good spread of support on the ground and safety in the event of tire blow-outs. In addition, the 747 had split control surfaces and sophisticated triple-slotted
flaps that minimised landing speeds allowing it to use standard-length runways. The wing was
swept back at an unusually large angle of 37.5 degrees which was chosen in order to minimize the wing span, thus allowing the 747 to use existing
hangars.
8[10]
In April 1966,
Pan Am ordered 25 of the initial 100 series for US$525 million. During the ceremonial 747 contract signing banquet in Seattle, concurrent to Boeing's 50th Anniversary, Juan Trippe predicted the 747 as "''...a great Weapon for peace, competing with
intercontinental missiles for mankind's destiny''.", according to an interview with
Malcolm T. Stamper.
[11] As launch customer,
1[12] and because of its early involvement before placing a formal order, Pan Am was able to influence the design and development of the 747 to an extent not seen by a single airline before or since.
[13]
Cargolux 747-400F with the nose cone loading door open
Production
Boeing did not have a facility large enough to assemble the giant aircraft, so it had to build a new one. The company looked at a number of locations including
Walnut Creek, California and
Tacoma, Washington. In the end, it decided to build the new plant some 30 miles north of
Seattle on a site ajoining a military base at
Paine Field near
Everett, Washington,
[14] which had a 9,500 foot runway. In June 1966, Boeing bought the 780 acre site.
1
While developing the 747 had been a major challenge, constructing the plant in which to build it was also a huge undertaking. Boeing president
William M. Allen asked
Malcolm T. Stamper, then head of the company's turbine division, to lead construction of the Everett factory and start up production of the 747. "How would you like to build an airplane — in fact, the biggest airplane in the world?" Allen asked him in 1966, according to "Legend and Legacy", a Boeing history by Robert Serling.
"Mr Allen, the only airplane I ever built had rubber bands on it," Stamper said.
"Do you or do you not?" demanded Allen.
"I'd welcome the challenge," Mr Stamper replied.
To level the site, over four million cubic yards of earth had to be moved.
[15] Such was the shortage of time that the 747's full-scale
mock-up had to be built even before the factory roof had been constructed above it.
[16] The plant is the largest building by volume ever built.
6
Boeing had promised to deliver the 747 to Pan Am by 1970, which gave it less than four years to develop, build and test the aircraft. Work progressed at such a breakneck pace that all those who worked on the development of the 747 were given the nickname "The Incredibles".
6
Testing
Before the first 747 was even fully assembled, testing began on numerous components and systems. One of the most anxiously awaited tests was the emergency evacuation, to see how long it took for 560 volunteers to exit from a cabin mock-up using the plane's emergency chutes. The first full-scale test took two and a half minutes instead of the maximum 90 seconds mandated by the
Federal Aviation Administration, and resulted in several injuries to the volunteers. Subsequent tests achieved the 90-second limit, albeit at the cost of more injuries. Most problematic was evacuation from the airplane's upper deck: instead of a slide there was an escape harness attached to a reel.
[17]
Before the 747's first flight Boeing built an unusual training device known as "Waddell's Wagon" (named after the 747 test pilot,
Jack Waddell), which consisted of a mock-up cockpit mounted on the roof of a truck, for training pilots how to taxi the plane from the high upper deck position.
6
Uniformed flight attendants representing each of the 747's initial 26 airline customers.
On
September 30,
1968 the first 747, N7470, was rolled out of the assembly building in front of the world's press and representatives of the 26 airlines that had ordered the plane.
[18] Over the following months preparations were made for the first flight, which took place successfully on
February 9,
1969, with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls,
[19][20] and Jess Wallick at the flight engineer's station. In spite of a minor problem with one of the flaps, the flight confirmed that the 747 handled extremely well; the plane was found to be largely immune to "
dutch roll", a phenomenon that had been a major hazard to the early swept-wing jets.
[21]
Later stages of the flight test program revealed some problems:
flutter testing showed that the wings suffered oscillation in certain conditions. These difficulties were partly solved by reducing the stiffness of some wing components. However, a particularly severe high-speed flutter problem was only solved by inserting
depleted uranium counterweights as ballast in the outboard engine nacelles of the early 747s.
[22] This measure caused some anxiety when several of these aircraft were lost, such as the 1991 crash of
China Airlines Flight 358 in
Wanli and 1992 crash of
El Al Flight 1862 at
Amsterdam.
[23][24]
The flight test program was considerably hampered by problems with the plane's JT9D engines: these included engine stalls caused by rapid movements of the throttles and distortion of the turbine casings after a short period of service.
[25] The problems caused 747 deliveries to be delayed several months, resulting in up to 20 planes at one time being stranded at the Everett plant awaiting engines.
[26] The program was further set back when the third of five test aircraft suffered serious damage while attempting to land at Boeing's
Renton plant where it was being taken to have its test equipment removed and a cabin installed; pilot
Ralph C. Cokely undershot the short runway and sheared off the aircraft's landing gear.
[27] However, these difficulties did not prevent Boeing taking one of the test aircraft to the 28th
Paris Air Show in the summer of 1969 where it was displayed to the general public for the first time.
The 747 finally achieved its
FAA airworthiness certificate in December 1969, paving the way for its introduction into service.
The huge cost of developing the 747 and building the Everett factory meant that Boeing had to borrow heavily from a banking syndicate to fund the project. During the final months before delivery of the first plane the Company had to repeatedly request additional funding from the syndicate to enable it to complete the project; had this been refused the survival of the Company itself would have been threatened.
[28]12 However, the gamble paid off and Boeing enjoyed a monopoly in the very large passenger aircraft segment for over 35 years until the arrival of the
Airbus A380.
[29]
In service
Flightdeck of the 747-200.
On
January 15 1970,
American First Lady Pat Nixon officially christened a Pan Am Boeing 747 at
Washington Dulles International Airport in the presence of Pan Am chairman
Najeeb Halaby. Instead of a bottle of champagne, red, white and blue water was sprayed on the plane. The first commercial flight of a Boeing 747 took place on
January 22 1970 and was operated by Pan Am between New York's
John F. Kennedy International Airport and
London Heathrow Airport. Pan Am added 747 services to London from Boston, Washington and other cities during the spring and summer of 1970. Overnight, a new standard of air travel had been created and other airlines rushed to bring their own 747s into service.
Trans World Airlines,
Japan Airlines,
Lufthansa,
BOAC and
Northwest Orient were among the first carriers to use 747s on long-haul flights.
American Airlines started a 747 service between New York and Los Angeles by the summer of 1970, and in September 1970 added nonstop 747 flights between Washington and Los Angeles. Soon afterward American Airlines added a 747 service from Boston to Chicago and on to Los Angeles. In addition to its foreign destinations, TWA offered 747 flights between San Francisco and New York by early 1971.
Initially, many airlines regarded the 747 with skepticism.
McDonnell Douglas and
Lockheed were working on wide-body three engine "
tri-jets", which were smaller than the 747. Many airlines believed the 747 would prove too large for an average long distance flight, investing instead in tri-jets. There were also concerns that the 747 would not be compatible with existing airport infrastructure—an issue which has resurfaced with the Airbus A380, due to its double-deck feature.
[30]
Fuel efficiency was another concern, and this became more critical after the
Arab oil crisis, which led to economic stagnation in the United States. This lowered the number of airline passengers and made it difficult for airlines to fill their new 747s, so American Airlines replaced coach seats on its 747s with
piano bars in an attempt to attract more customers. Eventually, it relegated its 747s to cargo service and then sold them.
Continental Airlines also removed its 747s from service after several years. The advent of smaller, more efficient wide bodies, starting with the
trijet DC-10 and
L-1011, and followed by the
twinjet 767 and
A300, took away much of the 747's original market, especially as airline deregulation made point-to-point international service more common. Other airlines that have removed 747s from their fleet include
Delta,
Air Canada,
Eastern,
Aer Lingus,
Avianca,
SAS,
TAP,
America West and
Olympic Airways.
However, many international carriers continued to use the 747 on their busiest routes. The type remained popular among Asian airlines for short and medium-range flights between major cities: in
Japan, domestic airlines continue to pack 747s to their maximum passenger capacity. Elsewhere, 747s remain popular on long-range trunk routes, such as transoceanic flights and the
Kangaroo routes between Europe and Australia. The largest fleet of 747s today belongs to Japan Airlines, at approximately 78 (series -200s, -300s and 44 -400s).
British Airways has the next largest fleet of 747s, comprising 57 747-400s.
The 747 remained the largest passenger
airliner until the maiden flight of the
Airbus A380. The 747 was the heaviest airliner in regular service until the use of the
Antonov An-124 Ruslan in 1982, the 747-400ER model regaining the title in 2000. The
Antonov An-225 cargo transport remains the world's largest aircraft by a number of measures (including the most accepted measure of
[31] maximum gross takeoff weight and length) and is in service, while the
Hughes H-4 Hercules is the largest by only wingspan length, but never flew more than once a few feet off the ground
[32] Only 2 An-225 aircraft have been produced with only one still flying, while the 747 and A380 are made for serial mass production.
Future of the 747
Since the arrival of the
747-400 in 1989, several stretching schemes for the 747 have been proposed, but the only design to be adopted is 2005's
747-8. The 747-X program was launched in 1996 as
Boeing's response to the
Airbus A3XX proposal. The 747-X would have consisted of the 747-500X and 747-600X, seating up to 800 passengers and powered by the
Engine Alliance GP7200 turbofan developed for the Airbus A380. However, the airlines preferred Boeing to develop an all-new design instead of an updated 747, and the plan was dropped after a few months.
After development of the Airbus A380 formally began in 2000, Boeing reexamined its 747-X studies but instead focused on the
Sonic Cruiser,
[33] and then on the
787 after the Sonic Cruiser program was put on hold indefinitely.
[34] Some of the ideas developed for the 747-X were, however, used on the 747-400ER.
In early 2004, Boeing rolled out tentative plans the 747 Advanced. Similar in nature to the 747-X plans, the stretched 747 Advanced uses advanced technology from the 787 to modernize the design and its systems. On
November 14 2005, Boeing announced it was launching the 747 Advanced as the 747-8.
[35] Due to long delays in production of the Airbus A380, two customers signed additional orders,
[36][37] two customers cancelled their orders and several launch customers deferred delivery, or considered switching their order to the 747-8 and
777F aircraft.
[38][39]
Eventually, the 747 (in all forms) may be replaced by a clean-sheet aircraft dubbed "
Y3".
Variants
There are five major variants of the 747. The 747-100 was the original and launched in 1966. The 747-200 followed soon after with an order in 1968. The 747-300 was launched in 1980, and was followed in 1985 by the 747-400. Lastly, the 747-8 was launched in 2005. Several versions of each variant have been produced, and many of the early variants were in production at the same time, especially in the 1980s.
747-100
The first model of the jet, the 747-100, rolled out of the new Everett facility on
September 30 1968. The prototype, named ''
City of Everett'', first flew on
February 9 1969,
[40] and on
January 22 1970 the 747-100 entered service with launch customer
Pan American World Airways on the New York-London route.
[41] The flight was supposed to occur on
January 21, but engine overheating made the original plane unusable and it had to be substituted, creating a more than 6-hour delay to the next day.
41 The basic -100 has a range of about with full load.
[42]
The very first 747-100s off the line were built with six (three per side) upper-deck windows to accommodate upstairs lounge areas. A little later, as airlines began to use the upper-deck for premium passenger seating instead of lounge space, Boeing offered a ten window upper deck as an option, and it quickly became the standard. Some -100s were even retrofitted with the new configuration.
With a MTOW of 735,000 lb compared to the 833,000 lb of the 747-200, no freighter model of this aircraft was offered directly by Boeing. However, upon airline retirement, many 747-100s have been converted to freighters over the years. Their cheap acquisition costs more than compensate for lack of carrying capacity. They are also ideal for parcels since volume is paramount to weight. A 747-100 is owned by
General Electric and used as a testbed for their engines such as
General Electric GEnx.
Total production was 250. Of these, 167 were 747-100, 45 were SP, 29 were SR, and 9 were 100B.
747-100B
The 747-100 was later superseded by the 747-100B, which has a stronger airframe and
undercarriage design.
42 This increased maximum take-off weight to . The 747-100B was only delivered to
Iran Air and
Saudia (now Saudi Arabian Airlines).
[43]
747-100SR
With requests from Japanese airlines, Boeing developed the 747SR as a 'Short Range' variant of the 747-100. The SR has a lower fuel capacity, but can carry more passengers – up to 498 passengers in early versions and more than 550 passengers in later models. The 747SR has a modified body structure to accommodate the added stress accumulated from a greater number of take-offs and landings. Later on, short range versions were developed also of the -100B and the -300. The SR aircraft are primarily used on domestic flights in
Japan.
[44]
Two 747-100B/SRs were delivered to
Japan Airlines (JAL) with a stretched upper deck to accommodate more passengers. This is known as the "SUD" (stretched upper deck) modification.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) operated 747SR on domestic Japanese routes with 455-456 seats but retired the aircraft on
10 March 2006. JAL operated the 747-100B/SR/SUD aircraft with 563 seats on domestic routes which retired in the third quarter of 2006. JAL and
JALways have also been operating the -300SRs on domestic leisure routes and to other parts of Asia. With the arrival of the much more economical
Boeing 777-300, the SRs are now being replaced, with just a very few still in operation.
In August 2006 a total of 38 Boeing 747-100 aircraft (all versions) were in airline service with
Iran Air (1),
Japan Airlines (1),
Orient Thai Airlines (2),
Saudi Arabian Airlines (7),
Evergreen International Airlines (6),
Kalitta Air (6),
Polar Air Cargo (1) and
United Parcel Service (7).
[45]
747SP
Main articles: Boeing 747SP
The 747SP was a shortened version of the 747-100. It entered service in 1976, with
Pan Am. Apart from the upcoming
747-8 the SP is the only 747 with a modified length fuselage. It was designed to fly higher, faster and longer than the 747-100. Boeing hoped that SP would take orders from the
Douglas DC-10 and create a niche market, but in the end only 45 were built.
As of August 2007, 17 Boeing 747SP aircraft were in service with:
Iran Air (3),
Saudia Airlines (1),
Syrian Arab Airlines (2) and South African Airways . Additionally, executive versions are in service with
Qatar Government (1),
Bahrain Government (2),
Saudi Arabian Government (2),
Oman Government (1),
Yemen Government (1) and
Las Vegas Sands Group (1). Also,
Pratt and Whitney Flight Test (1), and
Ernest Angley Ministries (1). Finally,
NASA's
Dryden Flight Research Center has one (1) for the
SOFIA experiment.
[46]
747-200
Entering service in 1971, and further improved over successive years, the 747-200 had more powerful engines and higher takeoff weights than the -100, allowing it to fly farther. Optional engine models by
GE (
CF6) and
Rolls-Royce (
RB211) were offered for the first time. A few early build -200s retained the three window configuration of the -100 on the upper deck, but most were built with a ten window per side configuration. As on the -100, a stretched upper deck (SUD) modification was offered much later.
KLM remains the only airline to perform the retrofit their -200s with the SUD option themselves. A total of 10 conversion were operated by KLM, some performed in-house and some converted by Boeing. The French airline, UTA, and Japan Air Lines also had two aircraft converted each. From a distance, the 747-200 SUD looks very similar to the 747-300 with both having a stretched upper deck and absence of winglets as in found in the 747-400.
Today, many -200s are still in passenger operation, though in recent years retirement and conversion to freighters has accelerated.
747-200B
The 747-200B is an improved version of the 747-200, with increased fuel capacity and more powerful engines.
Qantas took delivery of these from 1971. It comes in a combi version as well. The -200B aircraft have a full load range of about 6,700 miles (10,700 km).
747-200C
The 747-200C Convertible is essentially a passenger aircraft that can be converted to a freighter and back when needed. The seats are removable and the fuselage has a much bigger door on the maindeck for cargo entry. The -200C could be fitted with a nose door.
747-200M
This type can carry both freight and passengers but, unlike the 200C, it can do so at the same time. A wall half way through the main deck separates the cargo at the back from the passengers at the front. This type carries cargo throughout the lower deck and on half the main deck, along with roughly 200 passengers. Also known as the 747-200 Combi.
747-200F
This is a freighter version of the -200 model. It could be fitted with or without the nose door. It has a 105 ton capacity and a MTOW of up to 833,000 lb. It entered service in 1972 with Lufthansa.
Total production was 393. Of these, 225 were 747-200, 78 were M, 73 were F, 13 were C, and 4 were military. In August 2006 a total of 239 Boeing 747-200 aircraft (all versions) were in airline service. Major operators include:
Japan Airlines (13),
Nippon Cargo Airlines (10),
Air Atlanta Icelandic (15),
Air France (9),
Atlas Air (16),
Kalitta Air (12),
Northwest Airlines (28),
Cathay Pacific Airways (7) and
Southern Air (9). Some 41 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type.
747-300
Following the aborted
747-300 Trijet, Boeing explored increasing the capacity of the 747 by using fuselage plugs either to stretch the entire aircraft to seat around 600 passengers or to stretching the upper deck the entire length of the fuselage. These plans were dropped in favor of a more simple stretch of the upper deck part way along the length of the fuselage.
[47] The 747-300 name was revived for this new version, which was introduced in 1980. It was the first 747 model to feature a "stretched upper deck", which was 23 ft 4 inches (7.1 m) longer than earlier variants. The -300 also had a straight staircase for the upper deck instead of a spiral, and this created more room both below and above for more seats. With minor aerodynamic changes, Boeing increased the cruise speed of the -300 to Mach 0.85 from Mach 0.84 on the -100/-200. Also, with improved fuel economy, range improved to 7,700 mi (12,392 km).
Swissair was the launch customer for the 747-300, but the first plane was delivered to French airline
UTA on
March 1 1983.
[48] Boeing never launched a 747-300F as it had no operating advantage over the 747-200F, no cargo being carried on the upper deck.
Despite the -300's improvements, only 81 aircraft were ordered, 56 for full passenger use, 21 M and 4 SR. One reason for its limited sales was the imminent launch of the much more advanced 747-400 in 1985 (just two years after the -300 entered service) for which most airlines were prepared to wait. Today, most of the -300 versions are still in passenger operation, mainly in south and west Asia.
747-300M
The -300M had similar cargo capacity to the -200M, but with the stretched upper deck it could carry more passengers. This proved popular in the fleet of
KLM on their Africa routes that had few passengers but considerable air freight.
747-300SR
The Japanese airlines again asked for a high capacity domestic model and Boeing offered the SR. JAL operated such aircraft with over 600 seats on Okinawa-Tokyo route and elsewhere.
Airlines (at August 2006) operating the Boeing 747-300 include
JAL/
JALways (12),
Saudi Arabian Airlines (9),
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) (6),
Qantas (6) and
Air Atlanta Icelandic (6). Some 16 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type and a total of 72 Boeing 747-300 aircraft (all versions) were in airline service.
747-400
Main articles: Boeing 747-400
The '747-400' was offered in several versions like previous 747 variants. It added wing tip extensions and
winglets, tail fuel tanks, revised engines, an all-new interior, and an all-new
glass cockpit which dispensed with the need for a
flight engineer.
The passenger version first entered service in February 1989 with
Northwest Airlines on the Minneapolis to Phoenix route.
[49] The combi version entered service in September 1989 with
KLM. In 1989, a
Qantas 747-400 flew non-stop from
London to
Sydney, a distance of 9,720
NM (11,185 mi, 18,001 km) in 20 hours and 9 minutes, although this was a delivery flight with no passengers or freight aboard.
[50] The freighter version entered service in November 1993 with
Cargolux.
The extended range freighter (ERF) entered service in October 2002. The next month, the extended range (ER) passenger version entered service with
Qantas, the only airline ever to order the passenger version of the 747-400ER. Qantas uses the aircraft on its Melbourne-Los Angeles flights, which are too long to operate using a standard 747-400.
In August 2006, a total of 627 Boeing 747-400 aircraft (all versions) were in airline service, with 46 further firm orders. Major operators include:
Air China (12),
Air India (12),
Air New Zealand (8),
All Nippon Airways (23),
Asiana Airlines (14),
Cathay Pacific (30, plus 6 on order),
China Airlines (34, plus 2 on order),
EVA Air (18),
Japan Airlines (44),
Korean Air (43),
Malaysia Airlines (19),
Qantas (30),
Singapore Airlines (23),
Singapore Airlines Cargo (15),
Thai Airways International (18),
Air France (21),
British Airways (57),
Cargolux (14, plus 2 on order),
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (25, plus 1 on order),
Lufthansa (30),
Virgin Atlantic Airways (13),
Atlas Air (11),
Northwest Airlines (16) and
United Airlines (31). Some 24 airlines also operate the type, but in smaller numbers.
The last to order was China Airlines in November 2002 and it was delivered to them on April 2005. It was the 1358
th 747-400 (MSN33737/B-18215), the last passenger version to be built.
[51] Production of the 747-400 passenger version was officially over on March 15, 2007.
[747-400 passenger is no more., Seattlepi.com 17 March, 2007] However, thirty six 747-400F aircraft are still yet to be delivered.
747 LCF "Dreamlifter"
Main articles: Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter
Four used Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft are to be converted into an outsize configuration to ferry
Boeing 787 sub-assemblies to
Everett, Washington for final assembly.
[52] The first 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) flew for the first time, unpainted, on
September 9,
2006.
[53] The LCF is not a Boeing production model and will not be sold to any customers or see any airliner operation: it will be for Boeing's exclusive use.
747-8
Artist's impression of a Boeing 747-8 ''Intercontinental'' in the colors of
Lufthansa, the launch customer.
Boeing announced a new 747 variant, the '747-8' (referred to as the '747 Advanced' prior to launch) on
November 14 2005, which will use same engine and cockpit technology as the
787 (It was decided to call it the 747-8 because of the technology it will share with the 787 ''Dreamliner''). Boeing claims that the new design will be quieter, more economical and more environmentally friendly.
The 747-8 is 251 feet long (76.4 m), and therefore would surpass the
Airbus A340-600 to become the world's longest airliner once the aircraft is in service.
747-8I
The passenger version, dubbed '747-8 Intercontinental' or '747-8I', will be capable of carrying up to 467 passengers in a 3-class configuration and fly over at
Mach 0.855. As a derivative of the already common 747-400, the 747-8 has the economic benefit of similar training and interchangeable parts. The 747-8I is also stretched to add more capacity/payload, which involved a lengthening from 232 to 251 feet (70.8 to 76.4 m). The 747-8I is scheduled to enter service in 2010.
As of March, 2007, there were a total of 24 firm orders for the Boeing 747-8I aircraft: 4 from Boeing
Business Jets and 20 from
Lufthansa.
747-8F
Coincident with launching the 747-8I, Boeing announced a new freighter model, the 747-8F, which is to be a derivative to the 747-400ERF. The 747-8F is 251 feet (76.4 m) long and can accommodate 154 tons (140
tonnes) of cargo. To aid loading and unloading it features an overhead nose-door. It has 16 percent more payload capacity than the 747-400F and can hold seven additional standard pallets. It is a competitor to the Airbus A380 Freighter. The 747-8F is scheduled to enter service in 2009.
As of March 2007 there were 57 firm orders for the Boeing 747-8F aircraft, from
Atlas Air (12),
Nippon Cargo Airlines (8),
Cargolux (13), Emirates air cargo (10), Volga-Dnepr (5),
Guggenheim Aviation Partners (4) and
Korean Air (5).
Undeveloped variants
Boeing has studied a number of 747 variants which have not gone beyond the drawing board.
747-300 Trijet
During the 1970s, Boeing studied the development of a shorter body, three-engined 747 to compete with the
Lockheed L-1011 and the
McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which were both smaller than the existing 747-100/-200 and had lower trip costs than the 747SP. The 747-300 Trijet would have been bigger than either of the competing
trijets, with more payload, range and passenger capacity. The center engine would have been fitted in the tail with an s-duct intake similar to the L-1011’s. Wind tunnel testing showed that the upper deck interfered with the airflow into the center engine, and the design was not pursued. The
747-300 designation was later used for an improved 747-200 with a stretched upper deck.
747-500X/-600X/-700X
Boeing announced the 747-500X/-600X at the 1996 Farnborough Airshow
[54] to compete with the
Airbus A3XX. The aircraft would combine the 747's fuselage with a new 251 ft (77 m) span wing derived from that of the
777. Other changes included new engines similar to those being developed for the A3XX and an increasing in the number of tires from two to four on the nose landing gear and from 16 to 20 on the main landing gear
[55].
The 747-500X concept featured a slight stretch of the 747-400's fuselage and would have been able to carry 462 passengers over ranges of up to 10,000 miles (8,700 nm/16,100 km), with at least 10 tons of extra payload capacity. The 747-600X concept featured a greater stretch of the 747-400's fuselage, allowing it to carry 548 passengers over ranges of up to 8,900 miles (7,700 nm/14,300 km). If it had been developed, the 747-600 would have been the longest commercial airliner, at 279 ft (85 m), which is longer than the ICAO standard 80 m x 80 m box for large aircraft. While studies concentrated on these two derivatives, a third was also being considered. The 747-700X would have combined the wing of the 747-600X with a widened fuselage, allowing it to carry 650 passengers over the same range as a 747-400.
Because of the extent of modifications over the previous 747 models, in particular the new wing, the 747-500X/-600X would have cost in excess of $5 billion to develop. This proved too much, and Boeing was unable to attract enough interest to launch the aircraft.
747X/X Stretch
As Airbus progressed with its A3XX study, in 1999 Boeing again offered the market a 747 derivative as an alternative. This was a more modest proposal than the previous -500X/-600X, which would retain the 747's overall wing design, albeit with a relofted center section increasing the span to 229 ft (70 m)
[56]. Power would have been supplied by either the
Engine Alliance GP7172 or the
Rolls-Royce Trent 600, which were also proposed for the
767-400ERX. A new flight deck based on the 777’s would be used. The 747X concept featured a slight stretch over the 747-400’s fuselage, allowing it to carry 430 passengers over ranges of up to 10,000 miles (8,700 nm/16,100 km). The 747X Stretch would be extended to 263 ft (80 m) long, allowing it to carry 500 passengers over ranges of up to 9,000 miles (7,800 nmi/14,500 km). Both would feature an interior based on the 777’s signature architecture. A freighter model of the 747X was also envisaged.
Like the predecessor, the 747X family was unable to garner enough interest to justify production, and was shelved along with the 767-400ERX in March of 2001, when Boeing announced the
Sonic Cruiser concept. While the design had been less costly than the 747-500X/-600X, it was criticized for not offering a sufficient advance from the existing 747-400. While the 747X did not make it beyond the drawing board, the 747-400X, which was being developed concurrently, did move into production to become the
747-400ER.
747-400XQLR
Following the termination of the 747X program, Boeing continued to study improvements which could be made to the aircraft. The 747-400XQLR (Quiet Long Range) would have featured longer range than the 747-400ER, at 7980 nm (14,800 km), along with improvements to improve efficiency and reduce noise.
[57] Improvements studied included raked wingtips similar to those used on the 767-400ER, and a sawtooth engine nacelle for noise reduction. While the 747-400XQLR did not move to production, many features were picked up for the 747 Advanced, which has now been launched as the
747-8.
Government and military variants
20-1101 ''Japanese Air Force One'', one of the two customized Boeing 747-400s that have been part of the
Japan Air Self-Defense Force since 1993
★ 'C-19' - the US military version of 747-100.
★ '
VC-25' - the US military version of 747-200B. The US Air Force operates two in
VIP configuration as the VC-25A. These are among the most famous 747 models with tail numbers 28000 and 29000. They are popularly known as ''
Air Force One'', although that is technically the call sign for any
United States Air Force aircraft carrying the
US President. Although based on the 747-200B, they contain many of the innovations introduced on the 747-400, such as an updated flight deck and engines.
★ '
C-33' - the US military version of 747-400, which was intended to augment the
C-17 fleet, but the plan was cancelled in favor of additional C-17 military transports.
★ 'KC-33A' - The 747 was also adapted as an
aerial refueling tanker, and was bid against the DC-10-30 during the 1970s Advanced Cargo Transport Aircraft (ACTA) program which resulted in the KC-10A Extender. Before the Khomeini-led revolution, Iran bought four 747-100 aircraft with air refueling boom conversions to support a fleet of F-4 Phantoms. It is not known whether these aircraft remain usable as tankers. Since then other proposals have emerged for adaptation of later 747-400 aircraft for this role.
[58]
★ '747 CMCA' - This variant was considered by the US Air Force as a Cruise Missile Carrier Aircraft during the development of the
B-1 Lancer strategic bomber. It would have been equipped with up to 72
AGM-86 ALCM cruise missiles on rotary launchers. This was abandoned in favor of more conventional strategic bombers.
★ '
E-4B' - formerly known as National Emergency Airborne Command Post (referred to colloquially as "Kneecap"), now referred to as National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC).
★ '
YAL-1' - the experimental
Airborne Laser, a component of the
National Missile Defense plan.
★ '
Shuttle Carrier Aircraft' - Two 747s were modified to carry the
Space Shuttle. One is a 747-100 (N905NA), acquired in 1974 from American Airlines; the other is a 747-100SR (N911NA), acquired from Japan Airlines in 1988. It first carried a shuttle in 1991.
★
T/Space has discussed the use of a 747 for its CXV space capsule proposal.
★ A number of other governments also use the 747 as a VIP transport, including
Bahrain,
Brunei,
India,
Iran,
Japan,
Kuwait,
Oman,
Pakistan,
Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and
United Arab Emirates. Recently, several new
Boeing 747-8 have been ordered by
Boeing Business Jet for conversion to VIP Transport for several unidentified customers.
[59]
Specifications
| Measurement | 747-100 | 747-200B | 747-300 | 747-400 | 747-400ER | 747-8I |
|---|
| Cockpit Crew | Three | Two |
| Seating capacity | 366 (3-class) | 416 (3-class) | 467 (3-class) |
| Length | 231 ft 10 in (70.6 m) | 250 ft 8 in (76.4 m) |
| Wingspan | 195 ft 8 in (59.6 m) | 211 ft 5 in (64.4 m) | 224 ft 9 in (68.5 m) | |
| Height | 63 ft 5 in (19.3 m) | 63 ft 8 in (19.4 m) | 63 ft 6 in (19.4 m) |
| Weight empty | 358,000 lb
(162,400 kg) | 383,000 lb
(174,000 kg) | 392,800 lb
(178,100 kg) | 393,263 lb
(178,756 kg) | 361,640 lb
(164,382 kg) | 410,000 lb
(185,972 kg) |
| Maximum take-off weight | 735,000 lb
(333,390 kg) | 833,000 lb
(377,842 kg) | 833,000 lb
(377,842 kg) | 875,000 lb
(396,890 kg) | 910,000 lb
(412,775 kg) | 970,000 lb
(439,985 kg) |
| Cruising speed | Mach 0.84
(555 mph, 895 km/h, 481 knots at 35,000 ft cruise altitude) | Mach 0.85
(567 mph, 913 km/h,
487 knots at same altitude) | Mach 0.855
(567 mph, 913 km/h, 490 knots at same altitude) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 0.89
(587 mph, 945 km/h, 510 knots) | Mach 0.92
(608 mph, 977 km/h, 527 knots) | |
| Takeoff run at MTOW | N/A | 10,466 ft (3,190 m) | 10,893 ft (3,320 m) | 9,902 ft (3,018 m) | 10,138 ft (3,090 m) | N/A |
| Range fully loaded | 5,300 nm
(9,800 km) | 6,850 nm
(12,700 km) | 6,700 nm
(12,400 km) | 7,260 nm
(13,450 km) | 7,670 nm
(14,205 km) | 8,000 nm
(14,815 km) |
| Max. fuel capacity | 48,445 US gal
(183,380 L) | 52,410 US gal (199,158 L) | 57,285 US gal
(216,840 L) | 63,705 US gal
(241,140 L) | 57,285 US gal
(216,840 L) |
| Fuel cap./range fully loaded | (18.7 L/km) | (15.7 L/km) | (16.1 L/km) | (16.1 L/km) | (17.0 L/km) | (14.6 L/km) |
| Engine models (x 4) | PW JT9D-7A
GE CF6-45A2
RR RB211-524B2 | PW JT9D-7R4G2
GE CF6-50E2
RR RB211-525D4 | PW JT9D-7R4G2
GE CF6-80C2B1
RB211-524D4 | PW 4062
GE CF6-80C2B5F
RR RB211-524H | PW 4062
GE CF6-80C2B5F | GEnx-2B67 |
| Engine thrust (x 4) | 46,500 lbf PW
46,500 lbf GE
50,100 lbf RR | 54,750 lbf PW
52,500 lbf GE
53,000 lbf RR | 54,750 lbf PW
55,640 lbf GE
53,000 lbf RR | 63,300 lbf PW
62,100 lbf GE
59,500 lbf RR | 63,300 lbf PW
62,100 lbf GE | 68,000 lbf (estimated) |
Sources:
[2],
[3]
The
parasitic drag is given by ''½ f ρ
air v²'' in which ''f'' is the product of a drag coefficient C
Dp and the wing area. For the 747, C
DP is 0.022, and the wing area is 5500 square feet, so that ''f'' equals about 121 ft² or 11.2 m².
[4]
747 Deliveries
| 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992 | 1991 | 1990 | 1989 | 1988 | | 7 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 27 | 31 | 25 | 47 | 53 | 39 | 26 | 25 | 40 | 56 | 61 | 64 | 70 | 45 | 24 |
1987 | 1986 | 1985 | 1984 | 1983 | 1982 | 1981 | 1980 | 1979 | 1978 | 1977 | 1976 | 1975 | 1974 | 1973 | 1972 | 1971 | 1970 | 1969 | 1968 | | 23 | 35 | 24 | 16 | 22 | 26 | 53 | 73 | 67 | 32 | 20 | 27 | 21 | 22 | 30 | 30 | 69 | 92 | 4 | 0 |
★ Last Updated:
July 5 2007
Preserved aircraft
As increasing numbers of 'classic' 747-100 and 747-200 series have been retired, some have found their way into aircraft museums. They include:
★ Boeing 747-100
N7470, ''
City of Everett'', the first 747 and prototype at the
Museum of Flight,
Seattle,
Washington,
USA
★
KLM 747-200(SUD) PH-BUK "Louis Blériot" at
National Aviation Theme Park Aviodrome,
Lelystad,
Netherlands
★
Qantas 747-200 VH-EBQ "City of Bunbury" at
Qantas Founders Outback Museum,
Longreach Airport,
Longreach,
Queensland,
Australia
★
South African Airways 747-200 ZS-SAN "Lebombo" and 747SP ZS-SPC "Maluti" at
Rand Airport,
Johannesburg,
South Africa
★
Lufthansa 747-200 D-ABYM "Schleswig-Holstein" at
Technik Museum Speyer,
Speyer,
Germany
★
Air France 747-100 F-BPVJ at
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace,
Le Bourget airport,
Paris,
France
★
Iran Air 747SPs EP-IAA and EP-IAC and 747-200F EP-ICC at
Tehran Aerospace Exhibition,
Tehran,
Iran
★
Korean Air 747-200 HL7463 at Jeongseok Aviation Center,
Jeju,
South Korea [5]
★
Northwest Airlines' first 747 at
National Air and Space Museum,
Washington, D.C. [60]
Incidents
★ The first crash of a 747 took place in
November 20 1974 when
Lufthansa Flight 540 crashed in
Nairobi killing 59 people.
★ The
Tenerife disaster on
March 27 1977 claimed a total of 583 lives when two 747s collided in heavy fog at
Tenerife Airport. This is the highest
death toll in any aviation accident in history.
[61]
★ An
Air India Flight 855 Boeing 747 crashed into the sea off the coast of Mumbai (Bombay) on
New Year's Day, 1978. All passengers and crew were killed. Many residents of sea-front houses in Mumbai witnessed the incident.
★
British Airways Flight 9, on
June 24,
1982, flew into a volcanic dust cloud, resulting in all four engines failing. After exiting the cloud, three engines continued working, allowing the plane to land safely in
Jakarta.
★
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was a 747-230B which was shot down by the
Soviet Air Force on
September 1,
1983. All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed.
★
Air India Flight 182 was a 747-237B that exploded on
June 23 1985. All 329 on board were killed. Up until
September 11 2001, the Air India bombing was the single deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft.
★ The
Lockerbie bombing on
December 21 1988 was a
Pan Am 747-100.
★ On
August 12 1985, the
Japan Airlines Flight 123 (a 747SR) was lost when most of its
vertical stabilizer fell off while at cruising altitude. The pilots kept it in the air for just over thirty minutes, but eventually crashed, causing 520 fatalities. It is the worst single-aircraft disaster in aviation history.
[62]
★ On
28 November,
1987,
South African Airways Flight 295, a Boeing 747-244B Combi ''Helderberg'' en route from
Taipei to
Johannesburg crashed into the ocean off
Mauritius after an in-flight fire in the rear cargo hold resulted in loss of control and destruction of the aircraft. All 159 people on board were killed.
★
United Airlines Flight 811, a Boeing 747-122, suffered in
February 24 1989 an
explosive decompression shortly after takeoff from
Honolulu,
Hawaii, caused by a cargo door which burst open during flight. Nine passengers were sucked out of the plane, but the pilots managed to land safely at Honolulu.
★
El Al Flight 1862 was a 747-200F which crashed shorly after take-off from Amsterdam
Schiphol on
October 4 1992. Engines no. 3 and 4 detached shortly after take-off and as a result the flight crew lost control and the crippled 747 crashed into the Klein-Kluitberg apartments in
Bijlmermeer at high speed. The sole passenger and all three crew were killed as well as 39 on the ground.
★
TWA Flight 800, a 747-131, exploded during climb from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport on
July 17,
1996, bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, killing all 230 people.
★ On
August 6 1997,
Korean Air Flight 801 crashed before landing at
General Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport,
Guam, killing all but 26 of its passengers.
★ On
31 October 2000,
Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a
Boeing 747-400 flying on a Singapore to
Los Angeles via
Taipei route rammed into construction equipment while attempting to take off from a closed runway at
Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, caught fire and was destroyed, killing 79 passengers and three crew members. The accident prompted the airline to change the flight number of this route from 006 to 030 and to remove the "Tropical Megatop" livery on the accident aircraft's sister ship.
[63]
★
China Airlines Flight 611, a 747-209B, broke-up mid flight on
May 25,
2002, en route to
Hong Kong International Airport,
Hong Kong from
Chiang Kai Shek International Airport in
Taipei,
Taiwan. All on board lost their lives.
Very few crashes have been attributed to design flaws of the 747. The Tenerife disaster was a result of pilot error, ATC error and communications failure, while Japan Airlines Flight 123 was the consequence of improper aircraft repair.
United Airlines Flight 811, which suffered an explosive decompression mid-flight on
February 24 1989, subsequently had
NTSB issuing a recommendation to have all similar 747-200 cargo doors modified.
TWA Flight 800, a 747-100 that exploded mid-air on
July 17 1996, led to the
Federal Aviation Administration proposing a rule requiring the installation of an
inerting system in the center fuel tank for most large aircraft.
As of
May 2006, there were a total of 44 hull-loss occurrences involving 747s, with 3707 fatalities.
Facts and Figures
★ To enable easy transportation of spare engines between sites by airlines, early 747s include the ability to attach a non functioning fifth-pod engine under the port wing of the aircraft, between the nearest functioning engine and the fuselage.
[64]
★ On
24 May 1991 an
El Al Boeing 747 airlifted a record-breaking 1,087 passengers –
Ethiopian Jews flying from
Addis Ababa to Israel as part of
Operation Solomon. The passenger count became 1,088 when a baby was born in-flight.
★ The 747 has appeared as a setting for a number of films. The most well known of these is the
''Airport'' series of
disaster films. Other films using a 747 include ''
Snakes on a Plane'', ''
Air Force One'', ''
Turbulence'' and ''
Executive Decision''.
References
1. ''"Boeing 747-400 Program Milestones"'', The Boeing Company, retrieved August 27 2005
2. Boeing Commercial Airplanes prices, retrived June 26, 2007.
3. ''"Boeing boosts aircraft prices 5.5% on rising cost of labor, materials"'', Air Transport World, June 26, 2007.
4. ''"Technical Characteristics -- Boeing 747-400"'', Boeing Commercial Airplanes, retrieved April 29 2006.
5. '' "Model 747"'', Orders and Deliveries, The Boeing Company, retrieved November 25 2006.
6. ''History - "747 Commercial Transport"'', The Boeing Company, April 29 2006.
7. ''Irving, p. 282''.
8. ''"The Boeing 747"'', Judy Rumerman, U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission, retrieved April 30 2006.
9. ''"The Concorde Supersonic Transport"'', T.A. Heppenheimer, US Centennial of Flight Commission, retrieved April 30 2006.
10. ''Bowers, p. 508''.
11. Discovery Channel-Great Planes-Boeing 747, ''Video interview - Juan Trippe comments on Boeing 747 (00:48 - 02:07)''
12. ''"Passenger Planes: Boeing 747"'', David Noland, Infoplease (Pearson Education), retrieved April 30 2006.
13. ''Irving, p. 359''.
14. ''"Major Production Facilities - Everett, Washington"'', Boeing Commercial Airplanes, retrieved April 28 2007.
15. ''Irving, p. 310''.
16. ''Irving, p. 365''.
17. ''Irving, p. 383''.
18. All but off the Ground .
19. The Giant Takes Off .
20. "Boeing 747, the "Queen of the Skies," Celebrates 35th Anniversary", The Boeing Company press release, February 9 2004.
21. ''Irving, p. 417–418''.
22. ''Irving, p. 428.''
23. Evaluating the risk from depleted uranium after the Boeing 747-258F crash in Amsterdam, 1992, Uijt de Haag P.A. and Smetsers R.C. and Witlox H.W. and Krus H.W. and Eisenga A.H., , , Journal of Hazardous Materials,
24. Uranium Pollution from the Amsterdam 1992 Plane Crash Henk van der Keur
25. ''Irving, p. 441-446''.
26. The Trouble with Jumbo .
27. ''Irving, p. 436''.
28. ''Irving, p. 437 - 438''.
29. ''"Airbus unveils 'superjumbo' jet"'', BBC News, January 18 2005.
30. ''"How the Airbus A380 Works - Triumph or Mistake?"'', Howstuffworks, retrieved April 29 2006.
31. [1]
32. ''"Ask Us - Largest Plane in the World"'', Aerospaceweb.org, retrieved April 29 2006.
33. "Boeing Shelves 747X to Focus on Faster Jet", ''People's Daily'', March 30 2001.
34. "Boeing's Amazing Sonic Cruiser ...", Alex Taylor III, ''Fortune'', December 9 2002.
35. "Boeing Launches New 747-8 Family", The Boeing Company press release, November 14 2005.
36. Singapore Airlines boosts Airbus fleet with additional A380 orders
37. Emirates Airlines reaffirms commitment to A380 and orders additional four
38. Airbus will lose €4.8bn because of A380 delays David Robertson
39. Big plane, big problems
40. ''"Boeing 747 takes maiden flight on February 9, 1969"'', HistoryLink, retrieved 30 April 2006
41. ''Norris, p. 48''
42. ''Wilson, p. 54''
43. ''Norris, p. 53
44. ''Bowers, p 516-517''
45. Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
46. www.747sp.com
47. ''"Boeing 747-300"'', Airliners.net, retrieved April 10 2007
48. ''Norris, p.63
49. ''Norris, p. 88''
50. ''"Boeing aircraft Take Qantas Further"'', Qantas, retrieved April 29 2006.
51. Flight International, 27 March - 2 April 2007
52. "Ugly in the Air: Boeing's New Plane Gets Gawks, Stares." Lunsford, J. L. ''The Wall Street Journal''. January 8, 2007.
53. "Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Completes First Flight." Boeing Commercial Airplanes press release. September 9, 2006.
54. ''"Boeing Outlines The "Value" Of Its 747 Plans"'', The Boeing Company press release, September 2 1996.
55. ''"Impact of New Large Aircraft on Airport Design"'', James W. Patterson, Federal Aviation Administration, retrieved April 10, 2007.
56. ''"Boeing 747 Celebrates 30 Years In Service"'', The Boeing Company press release, September 2 1996.
57. ''"Aircraft Museum - Boeing 747"'', Aerospaceweb.org, retrieved April 10 2007
58. KC-33 details, including prototype images
59. ''Seattle Times''
60. Historic Aircraft Lands at Air and Space Museum
61. ''"1977: Hundreds dead in Tenerife plane crash"'', BBC News On This Day, retrieved May 26 2006
62. ''Japan marks air crash anniversary'', BBC News, August 12 2005
63. Info from AirlineSafety.com
64. Air India Flight 182 was carrying a fifth pod engine
★ Peter M Bowers, (1989), Putnam Aeronautical Books, ''Boeing aircraft since 1916''. ISBN 0-85177-804-6
★ Clive Irving, (1994), Coronet, ''Wide Body: The Making of the Boeing 747''. ISBN 0-340-59983-9
★ Guy Norris and Mark Wagner, (1997), MBI Publishing Co, ''Boeing 747''. ISBN 0-7603-0280-4
★ Stewart Wilson, (1999), Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, ''Airliners of the World''. ISBN 1-875671-44-7
★ Sutter, Joe (2006), Smithsonian Books, ''747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation''. ISBN 978-0-06-088241-9
External links
★
Boeing 747 family at Boeing.com
★
Boeing 747 e-brochure -
Flash animation
★
Airliners.net - 747-100 & 200,
747-300,
747-400
★
Boeing 747 - Aircraft-Info.net
★
Boeing 747SP web site - Production Lists and Photo Gallery
★
Calipso: Boeing 747 Information & History
★
Two Boeing 747 collided on Tenerife
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