Boeing 747

 

Boeing 747
707 · 717 · 727 · 737 · 747 · 757 · 767 · 777 · 787
Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-400
Type	Airliner
Manufacturer	Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Designed by	Joe Sutter
Maiden flight	9 February1969[1]
Introduction	1970 with Pan Am and TWA[1]
Status	In development (747-8)
Primary users	Japan Airlines British Airways Korean Air Cathay Pacific
Produced	1969–present
Number built	1,387 as of June 2007
Unit cost	747-100 $24 million (1967) 747-200 $39 million (1976) 747-300 $82 million (1982) 747-400 $228-260 million (2007)[2] 747-8 $285.5-300 million (2007)[2][3]
Variants	Boeing 747SP Boeing VC-25 Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747-8 Boeing 747 LCF

The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the "Jumbo Jet", is an American 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 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 (8,350 mi, 13,450 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 1,387 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 and design phase

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 was 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.^[10] 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][11]

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.^[12] As launch customer,^[1][13] 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.^[14]

Into 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 adjoining a military base at Paine Field near Everett, Washington,^[15] 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.

To level the site, over four million cubic yards of earth had to be moved.^[16] 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.^[17] 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.^[18]

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]

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.^[19] Over the following months preparations were made for the first flight, which took place successfully on 9 February 1969, with test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle at the controls,^[20][21] 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.^[22]

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.^[23] 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.^[24][25]

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.^[26] 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.^[27] 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.^[28] However, these difficulties did not prevent Boeing taking one of the test aircraft to the 28th Paris Air Show in summer 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.^[29][13] However, the gamble paid off and Boeing enjoyed a monopoly in the very large passenger aircraft segment for many years until the Airbus A380's entry into service in 2007.^[30]

Entry into service

On 15 January 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.^[31]

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^[32] 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^[33] Only two An-225 aircraft have been produced with only one still flying, while the 747 and A380 are made for serial mass production.

Recent developments

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,^[34] and then on the 787 after the Sonic Cruiser program was put on hold indefinitely.^[35] Some of the ideas developed for the 747-X were, however, used on the 747-400ER.

In early 2004, Boeing rolled out tentative plans for the "747 Advanced". Similar in nature to the 747-X plans, the stretched 747 Advanced used 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.^[36] In light of long delays in production of the Airbus A380, two Airbus customers signed additional orders,^[37][38] two customers cancelled their A380 orders and several launch customers deferred delivery or considered switching their order to the 747-8 and 777F aircraft.^[39][40]

Eventually, the 747 (in all forms) may be replaced by a clean-sheet aircraft dubbed "Y3".

Design

The Boeing 747 is a large, wide body (two aisles) airliner with four wing-mounted engines. The wings have a high sweep angle of 37.5 degrees for a fast, efficient cruise^[41] of Mach 0.84 or greater. Seating capacity is over 366 with a 3-4-3 seat arrangement in economy class and 2-3-2 arrangement in first class on the main deck. The upper deck 3-3 seat arrangement in economy class and a 2-2 arrangement in first class.^[42]

The cockpit is raised above the main deck creating a hump. The cockpit raised was to allow front loading of cargo on freight variants.^[41] Upper deck behind the cockpit provided space for a lounge or extra seating. The 747 originally had three upper-deck windows per side. After airlines began to use the upper deck for seating, the upper windows increased to ten window per side. The upper deck was stretched on the 300 variant.

The 747 has multiple structural redundancy with four redundant hydraulic systems, and four main landing gear with 16 wheels which provide a good spread of support on the ground and safety in the event of tire blow-outs. The redundant main gear allows for landing on two opposing gear if the others do not function properly.^[10] In addition, the 747 has split control surfaces and sophisticated triple-slotted flaps that minimizes landing speeds allowing it to use standard-length runways.^[43]

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 9 February 1969,^[44] and on 22 January 1970, the 747-100 entered service with launch customer Pan American World Airways on the New York-London route.^[45] 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 six-hour delay to the next day.^[45] The basic -100 has a range of about  miles ( km) with full load.^[46]

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.

The 747-100 was later superseded by the 747-100B, which has a stronger airframe and undercarriage design.^[46] This increased maximum take-off weight to  pounds ( kg). Optional engine models were offered by Rolls-Royce (RB211) and GE (CF6), but only the Rolls-Royce option was taken up by Saudia. The remaining customers opted for the standard Pratt & Whitney JT9D of the -100. The 747-100B was only delivered to Iran Air and Saudia (now Saudi Arabian Airlines).^[47]

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.^[48]

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.

Total production of -100 versions were 250 aircraft. Of these, 167 were 747-100, 45 were SP, 29 were SR, and 9 were 100B. 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).^[49]

747SP

Main article: 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), Saudi Arabian Airlines (1), and Syrian Arab Airlines (2). 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.^[50]

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.

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).

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 main deck for cargo entry. The -200C could be fitted with a nose door.

The 747-200M is a combination version that can carry both freight and passengers 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.

The 747-200F is the 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.

Today many -200s are still in passenger operation, though in recent years retirement and conversion to freighters has accelerated.

Total production was 393 of -200 models. 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.^[49]

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.^[51] 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 (12,400 km).

Swissair was the launch customer for the 747-300, but the first plane was delivered to French airline UTA on 1 March 1983.^[52] 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.

The 747-300M 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.

The 747-300SR is a short range version to meet Japanese airlines's need for a high capacity domestic model. JAL operated such aircraft with over 600 seats on Okinawa-Tokyo route and elsewhere.

As of August 2006, airlines 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.^[49]

747-400

Main article: Boeing 747-400

The 747-400 was offered in several versions like previous 747 variants. It added  feet ({{formatnum:{{rnd/+|6*0.3048

|Expression error: unrecognised punctuation character "{"|}}}} m) wing tip extensions and  feet ({{formatnum:{{rnd/+|6*0.3048

|Expression error: unrecognised punctuation character "{"|}}}} m) 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.^[54] 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 nmi (11,190 mi, 18,000 km) in 20 hours and 9 minutes, although this was a delivery flight with no passengers or freight aboard.^[55] The freighter version entered service in November 1993 with Cargolux.

The 747-400ER extended range passenger and 747-400ERF, extended range freighter variants were launched in 2001 with an order from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The 747-400ERF entered service in October 2002. The next month, the 747-400ER entered service with Qantas,^[56] 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.^[49]

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.^[57] Production of the 747-400 passenger version was officially over on 15 March 2007.^[58] However, 36 747-400F aircraft are still yet to be delivered.^[58]

747 LCF "Dreamlifter"

Main article: 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.^[59] The first 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) flew for the first time, unpainted, on 9 September 2006.^[60] 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

Main article: Boeing 747-8

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 stretched to add more capacity/payload, which involved a lengthening from 232 to 251 feet (70.8 to 76.4 m). 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.

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 8,000 nmi to (15,000 km) 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 scheduled to enter service in 2010.

Also offered is the 747-8 Freighter or 747-8F, which is 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% more payload capacity than the 747-400F and can hold seven additional standard pallets. The 747-8F is scheduled to enter service in 2009 and will be a competitor to the Airbus A380 Freighter.

As of March 2007 there were 57 firm orders for the Boeing 747-8F, 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). Also, there were a total of 24 firm orders for the Boeing 747-8I, four from Boeing Business Jets and 20 from Lufthansa.^[49]

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 TriStar 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^[61] to compete with the Airbus A3XX (later named A380). 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.^[62]

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 nmi or 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 nmi or 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).^[63] 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 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.^[64] 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

• 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.^[65]
• 747 CMCA - This variant was considered by the U.S. 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.^[66]

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 nmi (9,800 km)	6,850 nmi (12,700 km)	6,700 nmi (12,400 km)	7,260 nmi (13,450 km)	7,670 nmi (14,205 km)	8,000 nmi (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	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: 747 specifications,^[67] 747 airport report^[68]

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.^[69]

747 Deliveries

2007	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998	1997	1996	1995	1994	1993	1992	1991	1990	1989	1988
12	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: 4 October 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,^[70] 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^[71]
• Northwest Airlines' first 747 at National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.^[72]

Incidents

As of May 2007, there were a total of 45 hull-loss occurrences involving 7