A Tribute to the Plane that Created a Revolution and Changed the World – the B747
A Tribute to the Plane that Created a Revolution and Changed the World - the B747
On April 13th, 1966, Trippe signed for 24 Super Jets, soon to be called the 747, which at the time was the largest ever commercial aircraft order, a deal worth, in today's money, 3.7 billion US Dollars. Bill Allen agreed that Pan Am could have them in only 28 months.
None of the engineers knew what the aircraft should look like. Leading the new 747 division was a young engineer named Joe Sutter. The B747 was not the most important project at the time, but rather the Super Sonic Transport aircraft which months later was stopped as all focus fell on the B747.
The 747 distinctive hump was designed because of the freighter version: in order to have the freighter door at the front, the cockpit needed to be on the top, so the hump was created. Back then there was no CAD and yet Boeing created 75,000 detailed drawings of how each and every part of the 4.5 million parts fitted into the prototype. Boeing even had to build a unique plant for the 747, Everett in Washington State, the largest construction site in the world at the time and completed within only six months.
The day the prototype was rolled out, the paint was still wet and parts were missing, but Bill Allen wanted to reassure the 25 airlines and their bankers that the aircraft was on track. During the 747 development, 60 Pratt and Whitney high bypass engines were written off due to engine issues.
The prototype's first flight drew so much attention that the entire world watched. RA001 (Registration of prototype 1) set off down the runway and everyone held their breath for the moment the aircraft would take to the sky for the first time. The aircraft took off majestically. During the first flight, one of the flaps came loose and the flight test crew had to land the aircraft at a greater speed with 300 tons. The first flight proved the aircraft was a good flying machine.
The engine problems continued while, at the same time, Boeing continued the flight tests for certification. Sutter's most crucial value while designing the 747 was the outstanding safety features of three backup systems that would keep the aircraft flying even if only one was working.
With the arrival of the 747 into commercial use, international airports were expanded to create massive hubs ready for the passenger explosion. Only months before the first 747 was supposed to go into service, Boeing still was battling its engine issue with Pratt and Whitney. Pratt and Whitney was not taking the engine problem seriously, so the president of Pratt and Whitney was invited on a test flight to show him the issue of the engine surges, which created a loud bang. After this dramatic test demonstration, Pratt and Whitney found the cause of the flameouts and came up with a solution.
On the inaugural flight from New York JFK to London Heathrow, there was an issue with an engine. Pan Am switched to a standby aircraft and that aircraft eventually took off on the inaugural flight to London.
Soon the 747 became the ¨must have airplane¨, and all airlines wanted to have the 747 in their fleet. The 747 made air travel a luxury. In the first six months, the 747 had already transported a million passengers. This “cash cow” transformed the aviation industry.
The supersonic aircraft that Boeing was working on was scrapped and due to new and now numerous orders for the 747, Boeing was saved. After some time, the 747 was overhauled and the 747-400 was created with advanced computers and new winglets. Recently, Boeing also completed the 747-8 with a more extended hump, more advanced computers, minimum drag wing at high speeds and the longest fuselage. Sadly, today airplanes with twin engines, which have better engine reliability, are taking over and the 747 has reached its end of production.
By May 2022, 1,570 aircraft had been delivered, with three 747-8Fs remaining on order. The manufacture of the last 747s is scheduled to end in 2022 after a 54-year production run.
Based on information from Wikipedia, during the production cycle of the 747, 61 Boeing 747 suffered total losses, of which 32 resulted in no loss of life.
As a small boy, I flew on the 747 many times and I am sad to see such an amazing engineering marvel to come to the end of its lifetime. The 747 will be sadly missed!
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ht1ogFUBLc&t=219s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_747
