Awww!!!
That's evidence enough I think!
Praise the F A C T SThe 747 was finally unleashed on the world on January 15, 1970. At a ceremony at Washington Dulles International, First Lady Pat Nixon christened Clipper Young America, the first ever 747 to be put into service. On January 22, 1970, Clipper Victor would temporarily assume Young America’s name to make the first flight from JFK International to Heathrow after the real Young America suffered overheating problems. At 355 souls on board, it would be just seven seats shy of full capacity. And with a trouble free arrival, Clipper Young America would prove to everyone watching that the new largest-ever aircraft could take on the world. And with the viability of the 747 proven, other airlines like TWA, Air France, and BOAC began ordering their own.
First Lady Pat Nixon christens N736PA - Clipper Young America
The 747’s launch would prove to be just in time. By the end of 1970, 102 aircraft would be built and delivery ready before a global recession began to take hold in 1971. While sales were strong to begin with, air travel began to decline, and airlines suddenly didn’t have the purchasing power to order more. From 1971 to 1972, Boeing only delivered ten aircraft. And when the economy picked up again, airlines found that they didn’t have the volume they used to in order to justify buying a jumbo jet.
But the 747 wasn’t a sales disaster. After all, it wouldn’t be alive today if it was. But the recession of the early 70s hit Boeing hard, and the company experienced mass layoffs, leading to the iconic sign outside of SeaTac Airport reading “Will the last person leaving Seattle – Turn out the lights.” If Boeing tanked on this new project, it was likely to take Seattle – if not all of Washington state – with it. Boeing would survive the recession not entirely unharmed, having to lay off over 60% of their working staff between 1967 and 1971. And when the economy picked up again, some customers saw some unorthodox potential in the 747 platform.
The infamous sign outside SeaTac airport, 1971
Thanks to its immense capacity, the 747 was able to boast the lowest cost per seat mile than any other aircraft. But the problem was that this statement only held true if the plane was filled to the brim. The 747’s efficiency wasn’t impacted by weight, and running an empty 747 only yielded about 5% in fuel savings versus a loaded aircraft. The solution then is to have more seats, and to have those seats filled all the time. Exactly the scenario Japan Air Lines (JAL) was looking for.
One of JAL's 747-100SRs at Tokyo Haneda, circa 1999
Japan has a rather unique geographical situation – a high population in a very small area. And between the nation’s two largest cities of Tokyo and Osaka, there was a niche for rapid travel that even the Shinkansen couldn’t completely cover. After months of consulting, JAL announced quite proudly that they had commissioned a special variant of the 747-100. Dubbed the Short Range, or 747-100SR, JAL had opted to have only economy seating throughout and more reinforcements to handle the higher amount of takeoffs and landings from the short hops it would be put through. And with a seat capacity of 498, it would eclipse the original 747’s seating capacity of 362.
Not to be outdone, Pan Am (in conjunction with Iran Air) started clamoring for their own version. They were the launch customer, damnit, and since 747s were flying off the line (pun sort of intended), they wanted something special of their own. Pan Am and Iran Air both wanted the same thing – New York to Tehran nonstop, the longest route in the world at the time. Taking the opposite approach to the 747-100SR, the 747SP (or Special Purpose) was shortened and lightened, trading passenger capacity for range. It also had the added bonus of being the only 747 variant that required less than 10,000 ft in takeoff distance, giving the plane even greater flexibility.
A 747SP that found its way into the hands of the Royal Qatai family
The 100SR and the SP were signs of the aircraft’s unlikely recovery. From the first year that the 747 entered service, it was already shrouded in doubts that such an aircraft could ever be profitable. But it had an aura of luxury about it that made it desirable, even when the economic argument didn’t add up. A 200 variant was already entering service at the tail end of the recession, but the 747’s continued popularity would see five generations of the plane being produced, with orders peaking in 1990. It’s survived an oil crisis, multiple recessions, and outsold two of its supposed killers (the Lockheed L-1011 and the Douglas DC-10). To date, 1,555 aircraft have been built, making it a runaway success compared to the supposed dethroner, the A380.
It’s important to note exactly why the 747 was able to succeed. And to do so, we can draw comparisons to an unlikely competitor in the Concorde. Both were revolutionary aircraft for different reasons, but they both promised to change the face of aviation in their own way. The Concorde was eventually done in by cost overruns and environmental concerns, but both aircraft sold themselves as the pinnacle of luxurious air travel.
American Airlines ad touting their on board lounge, circa 1971
Part of the 747’s saving grace was that it was designed as a freighter first, giving it a secondary role in case it didn’t sell as a passenger aircraft. It was also marketed as the ultimate in luxurious air travel, much like the Concorde was. But while early aircraft featured upper deck cocktail bars and piano lounges, it still had economy seating, and therefore wasn’t completely inaccessible like the Concorde was.
But the biggest difference between the two was timing. While the Concorde seemed to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the 747 wasn’t met by any significant delays – even after their first test aircraft was damaged in a landing accident. This meant the 747 got out on time, getting its foot in the door before the financial and energy crunches of the early 1970s, and selling well enough to weather the economic storm. And even after the recession and the fiscal argument wasn’t there, it had cemented its place in pop culture as the de facto icon of the modern jet age. And ever since, it’s maintained an aura of desirability so strong that it’s swayed even the most frugal customers with the allure of status and prestige.
One of the last 747s to be built, a 747-8F belonging to Cathay Pacific Cargo
As of February of this year, 491 747s are still flying. And the final 17 are expected to remain in production until 2022 – outliving its only competitor, the Airbus A380. The oldest 747 still in service is currently living in Iran with Caspian Airlines, T/N EP-CQB. First flown on July 13, 1969, it’s been in service for over 50 years. It’s not the only standout either – In 50 years of production, 747s have moonlighted as many different aircraft, including fuel tankers, firefighters, shuttle carriers, and even a flying telescope. Despite the decline of the 747 in favour of more traditional single deck widebodies, it remains one of the most recognizable aircraft ever built, not to mention most important. Not bad, for an aircraft that quite nearly bet the town.
One of NASA's dedicated shuttle carriers, bringing Endeavour to Los Angeles following her retirement
MaybeDo et!
Not tonight though, I'm feelin' the sleepy
That's evidence enough I think!
I wrote down the bones of a short story years ago about this tiny red mushroom I met on a hike in North Carolina.
He lived in some beautiful woods but wanted to know what else was out there, so it becomes lots of little stories told from the perspective of different forest creatures until one finally says "let me show you", scoops him up and he gets his own perspective~
It's dorky, but I thought it was a fun concept
Today’s episode of F A C T S is made possible by @Ravofox. The first five readers to use code MISCHIEF will get a three-month subscription for their own @Ravofox for just $9.95.
In the early hours of January 22, 1970, 355 people depart New York’s JFK International for Heathrow. But this is unlike any transatlantic crossing before it – because all 355 passengers and crew are on board the same aircraft, a Pan American jet named Clipper Young America. And in six hours and forty-three minutes, the first Boeing 747 in service would land at Heathrow and change commercial aviation forever.
Clipper Young America (later renamed Clipper Victor) would usher in a new era of travel, because Pan Am would prove that Boeing’s new 747 – the first ever widebody airliner – had a place in the skies. And for decades, it would be the largest plane to ever fly. Welcome to Double Decker – a two-part look at the two largest jet airliners in existence.
In the 1950s, Britain introduced the world’s first jet airliner, the DeHavilland Comet. But while Europe was the first, they quickly lost ground to American giants like Douglas and Boeing, who were able to make more reliable aircraft while getting better range. Despite beating the Americans into service by six years, the Boeing 707’s instant popularity would give it the title of harbinger of the jet age. And without the crowded competition that the literal dozens of manufacturers had to fight in Europe, Boeing and Douglas would hold over 80% of the airliner market by the 1960s.
Boeing’s early jet lineup was effectively a money printer. At 1,019 produced, the 707 and 727 would dwarf combined European airliner production. The 707 could take the DeHavilland Comet or Sud Aviation Caravelle, and best all of their vital stats such as passenger capacity or range by double or triple, depending on the configuration. It wasn’t the first, but it was an untouchable powerhouse. And it gave airlines like Pan Am a global reach, able to fly from Honolulu to London non-stop.
Absolute legend Tex Johnson on the Boeing 707
But Pan Am’s founder Mr. Juan Trippe was an ambitious man. The forerunners of the era, the 707 and Douglas DC-8 already had the highest passenger capacities. Mr. Trippe wasn’t terribly interested in having the largest capacity for the sake of capacity, but rather to ease congestion. Pan Am had introduced a new “Rainbow Class” in 1952 (the predecessor to modern economy fare), making commercial air travel accessible to the American middle class. And with increased demand, came increased congestion. By having fewer aircraft at higher capacity, the logic followed that congestion would drop. So Mr. Trippe turned to Boeing, hoping to leverage his position as Boeing’s largest customer.
Before Pan Am came knocking in Seattle, Boeing was already embroiled in a bitter fight with Lockheed for the US Air Force’s CX-HLS (Heavy Logistics System) contract. The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter introduced in 1962, at the time the largest military aircraft, was only considered something of a stopgap measure by the US military to replace their dated propeller transports. Despite losing the contract to Lockheed and their C-5 Galaxy, Boeing turned around to find Mr. Trippe patiently waiting.
Boeing assigned engineer Joe Sutter from their next money printing 737 project in 1965 to consult with Pan Am on their newest request. Pre-designated the 747 based on Boeing’s naming convention, Sutter focused the 747’s design on cargo capacity. If we recall, the Boeing 2707 was starting to take shape around this time, and the prevailing theory was that the 747 would be a temporary step before supersonic travel. So to meet Pan Am’s needs (and give Boeing a fallback scenario if passenger variants declined in popularity), this new 747 was designed around a standard 8’x8’x20’/40’ container. Higher passenger capacity would just…happen.
To make the most possible cargo space, the 747 borrowed elements from Boeing’s failed HLS bid. The cockpit was situated on a second deck, and freighter variants housed a swinging nose door for maximum cargo access. The second deck was originally intended to be full-length, but the lack of usefulness for the upper deck in terms of cargo made Boeing cut the upper deck’s length to give the 747 its distinctive hump. But with the upper deck not certified for passenger use, early 747s ended up featuring the space as a bar or lounge.
The first ever 747 in the Paine Field assembly - the largest building ever built by volume
After about a year of consultations, Pan Am was satisfied with this new design. And in 1966, they ordered 25 747-121 aircraft for about $525M USD (almost $4.2 Bn today). Because Pan Am commissioned the design (and because Pan Am was Boeing’s largest customer), Boeing crunched development time to just 28 months. But the 747 project wasn’t just massive, it was…er…massive. Boeing didn’t have a facility large enough to get the 747 built. With a steady flow of cash coming in from 707 and 727 sales, Boeing did what any sensible company would do and bought a disused military base (Paine Field) near Everett, WA.
My current opinions on the company aside, I respect the extraordinary lengths Boeing went through to get the 747 built. Despite starting the project with a firm order and guaranteed sales, Boeing didn’t have the infrastructure in place. After buying Paine Field, the company worked with nearly Japanese efficiency to level the old buildings and construct the new factory, all while developing and engineering the plane in 67% of their normal timeline. I say nearly Japanese efficiency because by the time first mockup was built, the factory roof above it still wasn’t finished.
By now, you might be wondering “if Boeing’s factory wasn’t big enough, how will it even fit at other airports?” You’d be among the several others that weren’t Pan Am or Boeing to ask that question. The 747’s wingspan was just two inches shy of being 65 feet wider than the 707. It was also over 30 feet longer, and more importantly nearly triple the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of the 707 (700,000 lbs vs 257,340 lbs). Concerns were immediately voiced about how the 747 would even fit at airports like JFK or Heathrow. To make sure their newest toy would be operable from their home base, Pan Am built a new terminal 3 (which they called the Pan Am Worldport), specifically to accommodate the 747. Remember, these guys were the largest airline for the time. They had a lot of money to burn.
Pan Am's Worldport (Terminal 3) at JFK
Speaking of money to burn, Boeing really didn’t have any. Even though the company would enter the decade on strong sales and leave it launching several moneymakers, the 747 project was a massive financial drain. The 2707 had the benefit of Congressional backing, and the new 737 that the company desperately needed could skimp on costs by borrowing most of its tech from the even older 727. But the 747 was new territory without government funding, and Pan Am’s $525M order wouldn’t be nearly enough to cover development costs, which totaled approximately $1Bn ($7.05 Bn today), on top of which Boeing owed another $1Bn from Paine Field’s construction and other debts. To stay afloat, Boeing needed a winner. And they’d have less time than they’d think.
Yes. -Pulls forth a nerf gun and switches to full auto-
Do et!
Oooh, didn't know this was a mouse-in-disguise!
Praise the F A C T S
That's an iconic machine, thank you for background!
Wooooo!!!! Thank you so much for accepting my suggestion! Hmmm, do I get any of that $9.95 by any chance?
I was inquiring only about the A380, but I didn't expect getting the treat of learning about the 747 as well!!!
I learnt so much I never knew before, like how it was originally designed as primarily a cargo aircraft and how this masterpiece has managed to stay afloat for so long.
Here's one of my favourites
You always put so much heart into these and really do these aircraft justice^^
Can't wait for the A380
*hugs tight and showers with tulips*
Hmmm, do I get any of that $9.95 by any chance?
Shame the A380 never became widespread. IIRC, it became available just after the late 2000s financial crisis
*peers at you for an hour*I'm just sitting here. Don't mind me.
*boops him*
I have no money.
*pays you $50 for the boop*
