With the final Boeing 747 rolling off the assembly line, I figured it was time for me introduce a new series on my website dubbed "What Makes This Plane Great." Inspired by Youtube Channels Rick Beato's series "What Makes This Song Great" and Ward Carroll's "What Makes This Plane Great" about military aviation, I figured that I would start a similar series regarding commercial aviation. And what better way to start off the series by talking about the Boeing 747!
Development
During the 1960s with the Jet Age already in full swing replacing rail transportation as the number one source of intercity travel, airlines needed a new airliner to meet with the high demand for the industry. At the time, Boeing was competing with Lockheed to build a new cargo plane for the United States Air Force. Boeing would eventually lose the contract to Lockheed's C-5 Galaxy but that wasn't the end of the project.
Pan Am CEO Juan Trippe famously told Boeing CEO Bill Allen, "If you build it, I'll buy it" to which Allen responded by saying, "If you buy it, I'll build it." Trippe wanted the plane to be at least 2.5 times bigger than the Boeing 707. As for why the cockpit was at the top of the airplane, Boeing took that idea from their freighter competiton and decided to put the cockpit on top so then the nose section would lift up. This is why the 747 is a favorite amongst cargo carriers in the industry.
However people at the time thought that supersonic transport would be the way of the future and Boeing responded to this by saying the 747 would adapt to being a freighter even if demand for the passenger variant decreases. Eventually, the Boeing 747 would make its first flight on February 9th 1969 and enter service with launch customer Pan Am in the subsequent year.
Variants
There are many different variants of the 747. First off, were the 100 and 200 variants that began the program. The latter was different from the 100 by having a higher MTOW (Maximum Takeoff Weight) allowing it to carry more passengers than the 100.
A unique variant of the 747 would be the 747SP. Pan Am wanted an airliner that had a longer range than the 100 and 200 so they can fly to Tehran from the US. However, that meant the plane needed to be smaller to compensate for the longer range. And Pan Am tested this range by completing a flight around the world on May 3rd 1976. Not only was this plane perfect for longer range travel, it allowed the 747 to compete with smaller widebodies such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 or Lockheed L-1011 Tristar until they developed the 767.
However, as the demand for travel began to increase in the 1980s, airlines needed a larger variant of the 747. That's when Boeing developed the 747-400 with Northwest Airlines being the launch customer of the type. This was the first plane in the series to utilize a glass cockpit thus reducing the crew down to two as opposed to three in the cockpit. Eventually, Boeing would make one more variant with the 747.
In the 2010s, Boeing would introduce the last variant of the 747 known as the 747-8. Taking the technological developments learned from the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing would make the most advanced version of the jumbo yet with more fuel efficient engines found on the Dreamliner as well as a composite wing. Although successful in the cargo sector, only a few airlines ordered the passenger variant (Air China, Lufthansa, and Korean Air). With demand for 747s starting to dry up, eventually, Boeing decided to pull the plug on the program this year after the last 747 is delivered to Atlas Air.
Impact on Aviation
Even though the 747, will no longer be produced in Everett, there will still be jumbos flying in the near future for cargo and passenger. This plane changed the way we looked at the world forever. It allowed us to connect to far away places that we dreamed of visiting. In addition, it allowed more people to move into new places all around the world to start a new life. I know this from experience because the 747 was the main reason my parents were able to immigrate from India and make a living in the US. From a young age, the 747 always captured my enthusiasm for aviation and between this plane and the F-14 Tomcat, it made it easier for me to fall in love with aviation. When I was young, I would take a KLM 747-300 from Chicago O'Hare to Mumbai via Amsterdam where I would change over to a Northwest 747-400. It's definitely the best plane that I've ever flew on.
But it isn't just how the 747 impacted me or all the people all of the world. The airline industry had to change. To begin with, airports had to be redesigned to accommodate the large plane in order for it to fit into airports. In addition, it was the first ever widebody twin-aisle airplane which would eventually lead to other widebodies such as the 787, A330, or the 777. With this plane, airlines can have the opportunity to introduces multiple class offerings as well as reduced prices for international travel due to the size of the airplane. Without the 747, I don't know if the industry would be what it is today.
Conclusion
Overall, the Boeing 747 is one of the greatest passenger aircraft of the modern age of aviation. Its size, innovations, versatility and iconic design captured the imagination of the world and made it a smaller place. Even if they are no longer built, they will be flying for years to come. But what do you guys think of the 747? What are your personal stories regarding the "Queen of the Skies?" Let me know in the comments below and keep looking to the sky!
Great article! Did not know that the last variant featured composite wings and super efficient engines a la Dreamliner!