HOW BOEING CHANGED AVIATION AS WE KNOW IT
https://therealmikewilson.blogspot.com/
The aviation industry has had its ups and
downs throughout history. For all the
accomplishments the industry has compiled, we have learned that the simplest of
mistakes or rushing a section of a job can prove deadly. From mail delivery to warfighting, to
Transatlantic flight the aviation industry sets the standard of
innovation. The implementation of the
Pan American (Pan-Am) 747 is an example of a huge risk that paid off, paving
the way to establishing the aviation world as we know it today.
BOEING LEADING THE
WAY
Boeing is a name within aviation that many
recognize and pay homage to. Things have
not always been so rosy for the aviation titan, though. In recent times, Boeing has had to deal with
the fall-out of deadly crashes and accusations of cutting corners to justify
ends. In 1969, Boeing had incurred a debt
and may have been on its last leg. The
aviation industry just 15 years earlier had the de Hallivand Comet of British
infamy show the world a blueprint on how not to design airplanes. Down to 50,000 employees, Boeing planned to
have the 747 aircraft ready for test in under 16 months, (Lactis, 2019). According to Joseph, 2019, the aircraft took
29 months total to pass inspections and be “passenger ready.” To introduce such a mammoth airplane,
relative speaking fuel concerns had to be addressed as well as to not punish
passengers through costs for a “luxury."
QUALITY OF LIFE
IMPROVEMENTS
Boeing is often touted for its
innovation. The 747, also known as the
“Queen of the Skies” was no different.
The aircraft increased not only the travel range of airplanes, but also
offered lounges increasing comfort, bars, and how many passengers could travel
at a give time. This differed from
Europe who at the time placed more emphasis on destination arrival perks
(speed), rather than finding a way to meet increasing capacity demands of the
aviation variety. The “final design saw
the first plane developed with almost vertical sidewalls and a high ceiling,
“(Singh, 2020). The 747 introduced the notion that flying could be fun and
relaxing as opposed to a business necessity or a means to be transported to a
vacation area. The 747 also due to its
size was able to double as a freight-carrier.
This helped open doors for the airplanes to serve multiple purposes
beneficial across the business spectrum.
REFERENCES
Josephs,
L. (2017). End of an era: United bids
farewell to the Boeing 747—Here’s a look at the ‘Queen of the Skies. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/07/the-boeing-747-jumbo-jet-the-plane-that-changed-the-world.html
Lactics,
E. (2019). 50 years ago, the first 747
took off and changed aviation. Retrieved
from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/50-years-ago-today-the-first-747-took-off-and-changed-aviation/
Singh,
S. (2020). The Boeing 747 – The plane that
changed the world. Retrieved from https://simpleflying.com/the-boeing-747-the-plane-that-changed-the-world/
Hi, Michael!
ReplyDeleteGreat choice on doing the 747 for sure and how it did change the aviation industry, as it certainly did. It was the perfect replacement for the 707, and it did truly usher in the age of traveling whether for business and pleasure. It was a game changer in the airline sector for sure.
The airplane was first flown in 1972 and held the record for passenger capacity for 38 years. Moreover, the 747 is a four-engine airplane that took the concept to another level, even though I like the de Hallivand Comet design better, but the deck-double configuration of the 747 is much more energy efficient due to the aerodynamic discoveries of the company during the design. Another design "feat" was that the majority of its (747) length was made exactly for the purpose to be quick changed out to become a freighter by just removing the seats, or strictly a passenger version or a hybrid of the two. The plane’s hump-like upper deck is purposely designed to function as an extra seating or first-class lounge (Etkin, 2016).
When I first started with Boeing on the 747 program, I can remember the "old guys" tell a funny story about how prior to the plan being certified , flight testing had began on most of its systems and components. Nearing the end of flight testing the MAJOR One of key tests involved a careful evacuation of 570 volunteers from the cabin mock-ups through the plane’s emergency chute. However, a final evacuation took three and half minutes instead of the approximated 90 seconds. This resulted to injury to many of those that volunteered. The follow-up evacuations managed to achieve the 90-second timeline but results in more injuries (Etkin, 2016). They always laughed when telling that story!
Nice to meet you and great pick on the "Queen of the Skies"!!
Reference
Etkin, B., & Reid, L. D. (2016). Dynamics of flight: stability and control (Vol. 3).