Boeing 747 (Jumbo Jet)

History

Passenger air travel flourished during this period in aviation history thanks to advances in jet engine technology in the 1950s and 1960s, with one of the more monumental aircraft designs becoming the Boeing 747 - also known as the "Queen of the Air" . Commenced commercial service in 1970. At its inception, the risky private company became the largest airliner, twice as large as any previous jet a title it would hold for nearly 40 years until the launch of the rival Airbus A380 family. Arrival originated in France and is now trending. It also created an entirely new name for the superjumbo, classed as a "jumbo jet," and introduced the now-popular "widebody" concept to air travel.

Despite its origins in the 1960s, the 747 is still flying today (March 2014), filling the product gap between Boeing's stable of 777s and newer 787 "Dreamliner" models.

The original Boeing 747 - the first ever - was leased as an exhibit to the Seattle-area Museum of Flight.

The 747 has served at the government and military levels in the United States. Two examples are Air Force One (VC-25) working with the U.S. government to shuttle presidents and staff around the globe wherever needed. The pair was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in 1990. The U.S.

Air Force adopted four additional 747-200 airframes for the Air Emergency Command and Control (AECC) role, with specialized equipment and personnel to allow the President and his commanders to conduct warfare on air platforms against the United States and Its Soviet Union conducts a nuclear attack. Designated "C-19", the 747 is in service with the Civil Reserve Air Force (CRAF) and is used by the U.S. military when it needs to transport passengers or cargo on short notice. NASA plans to use another 747 airframe to transport the reusable space shuttle to and from U.S.

Air Force bases as needed. The 747 "Dreamliner" is a quartet of 747-related airframes specially modified to carry all the components of the 787 "Dreamliner" program. As such, they feature an extremely deep hull (creating an unusual hull shape) and a "swing out" tail for cargo hold access.

With the exception of the center fuselage, the group retains most of the look of the original 747 line.

Many airlines still use the 747 today (2014). The 747-8 "Intercontinental" is the latest in the Boeing 747 product line, marketed as a passenger/freighter aircraft with additional seating, state-of-the-art electronics and avionics, improved fuel efficiency, new wings and a redesign cabin and increased cargo storage.

The 747-8 can accommodate up to 500 people in an internal multi-stage configuration and can move thousands of pounds of cargo anywhere in the world. The 747-8 is currently certified to operate at 225 airports worldwide.

A total of 747 productions/deliveries have reached 1,484 since April 2014. Boeing's major product operators include Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, South Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States (among many others - see the Variants section for a full list ). Some operators have replaced the earlier "classic" Boeing 747-100 and -200 brands with the more fuel-efficient Boeing 777. The Boeing 747's lifespan has not been without problems - over its long career, it has suffered 49 fuselage damages, killing 2,852 people. It has also acted as the scene of a total of 31 kidnappings since its inception.

Undoubtedly, the sheer number of passengers the 747 carries makes it a prime target for such crimes.

Despite its size, the Boeing 747 has a larger wingspan than the famous WWII Hughes H-4 Hercules transport prototype, the new French Airbus A380 and the WWII-era Russian-Ukrainian Cold War Antonov An-225 Short Miriam. The An-225 also outlived any aircraft in aviation history.

Delta Air Lines, which currently operates about 16 747s, expects to phase out its entire fleet by the end of the decade.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes