It is 30 September , and a crowd of thousands has gathered at the new Boeing factory at Everett, about 30 miles 50km north of Seattle. The s has seen seismic social change, the race to put an astronaut on the Moon, the tumult of the Vietnam War and the undulations of Cold War tension.
Over the course of the decade air travel has gone from being the preserve of the wealthy to something much more affordable. Key to that has been a new generation of jet airliners. They are bigger and faster than their propeller-driven ancestors, and their powerful jet engines let them fly far higher — allowing them to climb over bad weather instead of having to fly around it.
That means flights to far-flung places take a lot less time than they used to. The bigger jets are able to take more passengers, which means airports are having to grow just to keep up with demand. Juan Trippe, the chief of globetrotting airline Pan Am, has noticed increasing congestion at airports. While the number of flights is increasing, the aircraft themselves can carry only relatively small numbers of passengers.
A bigger plane will help the airlines keep down running costs. Trippe asks Boeing to design something completely different — a super-sized airliner twice the size of the Boeing The came out of a search to find a new, giant military transport Credit: Getty Images.
The plane that Boeing unveils on this September day will become synonymous with the glamour of long-haul travel — the plane that can take you to sunny beaches a continent away. In the early s, the US Air Force was just starting to take delivery of the Lockheed C Starlifter, a huge four-engined jet designed to carry 27 tonnes of cargo over distances of some 3, miles 5,km. But the air force needed something even bigger. In March it invited aircraft builders to submit designs. The new plane would have to be able to haul 52 tonnes of cargo 5, miles 8,km — or be able to take off with 81 tonnes of cargo onboard for shorter missions.
On top of that, the plane would have to have a cargo hold 17ft 5. And it would need to have cargo ramps both front and back so vehicles could be driven in or out at either end. Boeing tendered a design for this giant freighter, alongside rivals Douglas, General-Dynamics, Lockheed and Martin-Marietta. Boeing chose something somewhere between the two — and this would later work out to be very wise decision indeed.
The 's nose opens so that freight can be quickly and easily loaded inside Credit: Getty Images. Sutter realised, by talking to potential customers such as Pan Am, that the airlines needed a plane that could carry many more than the passengers the s currently plying the airways. There would be less congestion, and more passengers per flight meant the cost per passenger would go down. The bigger jets would be cheaper to run. This meant the new jumbo-sized airliner would have to keep the same configuration as the freighter, with the cockpit above the passenger cabin, because of the realisation that their days as an airliner would be numbered.
It was an insight that would also help to ensure the success of the The Boeing SST, known as the , never made it to airline service, by comparison.
Environmental concerns about the noise created by sonic booms — and the prodigious fuel costs — killed the aircraft before it ever flew. Read: The American Concordes that never flew. Even before they were able to build the , Boeing had something else on their to-do list — build a factory big enough to assemble them.
The was so big — ft They had to build a completely new assembly plant, big enough for factory-fresh s to be rolled out at the end of it. The four-engine wide-body can carry passengers. The Boeing is a passenger plane manufactured in the United States with a seating capacity of people in a single-class setup and in a two-class configuration.
It has a travel range of 6, nautical miles or 11, kilometers. The Boeing is a passenger plane made in the United States by Boeing that has the capacity to accommodate passengers in a three-class setup, in a two-class setup and in an all-economy cabin.
It has a travel range of 7, nautical miles or 13, kilometers. Its inaugural flight was on April 28, The , with many structural and electronics improvements, was a major development of the series. British Airways used to be one of the main operators but it retired the entire fleet due to the coronavirus crisis in the summer of Now its main operator is Atlas Air.
China Airlines is also among the largest passenger airlines still operating the and it has taken delivery of 16, according to planespotters. The Boeing 8 is a passenger airplane manufactured in the United States. It can accommodate passengers if a single-class system is followed, while seats are available in a double-class configuration. The plane has a travel range of 8,nautical miles or 14, kilometers. However, till it only received 47 orders instead of anticipated The other airlines that ordered the aircraft were Korean Air and Air China.
Boeing had already told suppliers that the last would roll off assembly lines in It is due to be delivered in Boeing plans to replace with the brand-new Boeing X, which is expected to enter service in The Airbus A is a passenger plane made in France with capacity for passengers in a single class or in a two-tiered class.
It has a travel range of 8, nautical miles or 15, kilometers. It first took flight on 27 April, As of 30 September , aircraft have been manufactured, however, due to poor sales, Airbus announced A retirement in With As in its fleet and eight pending delivery, Emirates is currently the main operator of A and intends to stay one in the future. However, on April 27, , the 15th anniversary of the first A flight, just one A was up in the air — a China Southern flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou, according to Flightradar Some airlines are grounding their A fleets for the duration of the pandemic, while others are retiring them.
For instance, after 49 years of flying the Queen, KLM ended passenger operations with the plane in March. The flag carrier of the Netherlands had a rich history with the jumbo, and the two grew within the industry together with a relationship that lasted nearly five decades. Additionally, Virgin Atlantic was going retire the in , but the UK-based airline decided to do it this year. The carrier and the jet created an iconic partnership that symbolizes an exciting period for British passenger aviation.
One of the most famous retirements in is related to the Qantas A Qantas was going to let go of its six remaining units before the year was over. However, it soon felt like that there was no time like the present. Moreover, this summer, Air France retired its last A jet.
The flag carrier of France was initially going to phase the type out by However, the changes in circumstances caused the airline to make amendments to its plans.
Throughout the summer, Lufthansa was ending A services from Frankfurt and was looking to focus on flights with the jet out of Munich. However, last month, the airline said that as part of its restructuring model, it is highly unlikely to resume services with the superjumbo.
Despite both types being rapidly phased out, the is yet to be officially retired due to the pandemic. Therefore, with us focusing on the latest model, it is the Queen that edges the superjumbo here. Over the decades, Boeing variants have found careers in other fields after being retired by passenger airlines.
Other than going on to become cargo units, several editions have been put to use creatively in different ways. It holds a ton, 8-foot-wide infrared telescope that is mounted behind a large sliding door. Another example is that the is often trusted to be testbeds within the industry.
Recently, a unit that had been with Qantas for nearly five decades was given a new role as Rolls-Royce chose to use it for testing. The plane will trial current and future jet engine technology that will help to revolutionize aviation and reduce emissions. This procedure will hopefully break new ground when it comes to efficiency. Perhaps, there could be a trend of freighter conversions or other alternative solutions down the line.
However, the has already proven its versatility in several ways. Altogether, the legacy of the Boeing speaks for itself. Despite it being half a century old, it has managed to adapt over the years and still find a role within the industry. The fact that the most recent upgrade of the jet was only introduced last decade shows that there was a demand for the type until recently. Meanwhile, for all of its grandeur, several Airbus As are being permanently grounded before they could reach their 15th birthday.
By the time the s are over, it could be a real treat to see one in the skies. Ultimately, the found a purpose, no matter the circumstances, while there seems to be less versatility with the A It is sad to see the two powerhouses become less prevalent as the world continues to change. Regardless, there are undoubtedly millions of passengers that have experienced so many meaningful moments thanks to the two widebodies.
Nonetheless, there are undoubtedly those that have their favorites when it comes to the two widebodies. Moreover, it also comes down to practical use for airlines.
If a carrier can continue to fill every seat on its A aircraft throughout the years, then the superjumbo may be the preferred option. However, the has shown its ability to adapt, and even if it goes on to be a rare site at passenger airport grounds, it will continue to live for many years in other roles.
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