The Boeing 747, commonly called a Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable of all jet airliners and is the largest airliner currently in service. First flown commercially in 1970, it held the size record for more than 35 years until surpassed by the Airbus A380 (due to enter service in 2007). The Soviet-built Antonov An-225 cargo transport remains the world's largest aircraft in service, while the Spruce Goose had a larger wing-span.

Boeing 747

The four-engine 747, produced by Boeing's Commercial Airplane division, uses a two-deck configuration. A typical three-class layout accommodates 416 passengers, while a two-class layout accommodates a maximum of 524 passengers. The hump created by the upper deck has made the 747 a highly recognizable icon of air travel. By February 2006, a total of 1430 aircraft have been built or ordered in various 747 configurations, making it a very profitable product for Boeing. 

The 747-400, the only series currently in production, flies at high-subsonic speeds of mach 0.85 (567 mph or 913 km/h), and features intercontinental range (7260 nm (13446 km)). In some configurations this is sufficient to fly non-stop from New York to Hong Kong — a third of the way around the globe. In 1989, a Qantas 747-400 flew non-stop from London to Sydney, a distance of 11185 miles (18001 kilometres) in 20 hours and 9 minutes, although this was a delivery flight with no passengers or freight aboard.

LINKS

• The Boeing 747 family at Boeing.com

• Boeing 747 e-brochure - Flash animation

• Airliners.net - B747-100 & 200, B747-300, B747-400

• Boeing 747SP Website - Production Lists and Photo Gallery

• Calipso: Boeing 747 Information & History

• Planemad.net - Boeing 747 Production Lists

• Two Boeing 747 collided on Tenerife

• Boeing 747 LCF Announcement

• Boeing 747 LCF assignment of workshare

• B747 LCF under construction

• Boeing 747 LCF Rollout

• Boeing Frontiers Internet Magazine B747LCF

• Boeing 747 - Aircraft-Info.net

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