With the slowdown in aviation seen in 2020, many airlines are retiring aircraft. While it lacks the capacity and the range of the 747, it is a more modern, efficient aircraft, designed to meet the growing interest in point to point travel. With passenger orders for the 777X drying up, the 777X is the way forward for many airlines. The 747 has been continuously built at Everett since 1966, alongside the later 767, 777, and some 787 aircraft.Īs replacements for the 747, Boeing offers the 747-8 and the 777X. It is still the largest building, measured by usable volume, in the world today. A new site at Everett, Washington, was purchased and built (alongside the first aircraft prototype). The first challenge was to secure a new location for development as none of Boeing's existing sites could handle such large construction. This was a massive undertaking in a comparatively short time. Construction of the 747įollowing Pan Am's order in 1966, delivery of the first 747 was set for the end of 1969. Referred to as the "Father of the 747" by Smithsonian Air and Space magazine, many of his initiatives, such as dual design for freight use, were critical to the success and longevity of the program. He had previously worked on the 707, 727, and 737, and he was transferred to lead 747 development. Photo: Olivier Cleynen via Wikimediaīoeing engineer Joe Sutter led the 747 development program. New JT9D engines were developed to cope with the increased aircraft weight. Pratt & Whitney joined the 747 development, designing the JT9D engine specifically for it. Both General Electric and Pratt & Whitney were working on this type of engine, but General Electric was committed to developing it for the Galaxy C-5 aircraft. This would deliver higher power but with lower fuel consumption. Such a large aircraft needed a new high-bypass turbofan engine design too. This, of course, has gone on to be a big success for the 747. The smaller upper deck also allowed for a wider main fuselage for the aircraft, improving its cargo capacity. This resulted in the small upper deck that we all recognize. Initially, a full second deck was envisioned, but this was not possible due to safety requirements at the time. It returned to recent work it had been doing to design a freighter aircraft for the US military (it lost this to the C5 Galaxy). Designing the 747īoeing did not start from scratch with its design of the 747. Such close interaction between one airline and a manufacturer is unusual, and the involvement of Pan Am in the development of the 747 is unmatched in other developments. Photo: Getty Imagesĭevelopment began once Pan Am ordered 25 aircraft, for $525 million, in April 1966. Pan American Boeing 707 and 747 together, showing the size increase the 747 offered.
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