Boeing 747 747-100

Flying for almost everyone

10 m · person 1.75 m · behind it, the A380 at the same scale

The story

Its wingspan alone, 59.6 m, is longer than the ' first flight. The 747 carried twice as many people as the 707, and the lower cost per seat made long-haul travel affordable for millions. The hump on top was there so it could be turned into a freighter with a nose that swung open.

Pan Am's asked for an aircraft two and a half times the size of the 707, and Boeing built a new factory at Everett to make it, still the largest building in the world by volume. Boeing expected supersonic airliners to take over the passengers within a few years, which is why the cockpit went upstairs: the 747 was meant to end its life carrying freight.

Pan Am flew the first passengers, New York to London, on 22 January 1970. Instead of giving way to supersonic airliners, the 747 outlived them: Boeing built 1,574, and the last, a 747-8 freighter for Atlas Air, was delivered in January 2023.

How it works

How the 747 slows to land. Three flap segments roll back and down on their tracks, and the slots that open between them let air from under the wing sweep over the top of each one.

Drawn for the Airbus A380

A Rolls-Royce Trent 970, the A380's engine, on a ground-run thrust frame with part of its casing cut away. Drag the lever and the three spools wind up at their own speeds; most of the air the fan moves leaves as a cold bypass jet around the core. Press Space for a take-off run.

Drawn for the Boeing 707

Why airliners lean their wings back. Sweep the wing and the air meets its leading edge at a slant, so it can fly closer to the speed of sound before shock waves form and drag climbs.

The whole aircraftDrag to turn it, and pinch to zoom. Pick a part to fly the camera to it.

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Specifications

Top speed: 955 km/h
Wingspan: 59.6 m
Max weight: 333,400 kg
Ceiling: 13,700 m
Range: 9,800 km
In 12 seconds: 3.2 km
Power: 4 × Pratt & Whitney JT9D turbofans, 193 kN each

Where it flew

Everett, Washington

Paine Field, Everett, Washington. The simulator starts here, over today's ground and imagery of the place.

Fly it yourself

Take the Boeing 747 up in 3D, with its real weight, wing area and power.

Get 333 tonnes off the ground. Rotate gently above 290 km/h.