The History of the Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 — often lovingly referred to as the “Queen of the Skies” — was the world’s first twin-aisle, wide-body passenger plane. The jumbo jet’s interior was designed in association with Seattle-based firm Teague. With nearly vertical sidewalls (the 747 was the first plane to offer this feature) and a high ceiling, it offered a much greater sense of space to passengers than previous airplanes. The cabin was also split up into “rooms” with galleys and restrooms used as dividers. At the time, experts expected supersonic transport would soon become the norm, so the design team tried to futureproof the Boeing 747 by making it ideal for carrying cargo as well as passengers. This meant the cockpit needed to be placed above the flight deck and led to the distinctive hump in the plane’s silhouette. The space behind it was originally intended to be a rest area for the crew, but was instead used for what became the plane’s most famous feature — the passenger lounge. However, in later versions of the 747, this was replaced with more seating. Notably, the Boeing 747 was the first plane to feature Pratt & Whitney’s JT9D turbofans, which directed the bulk of the air it drew around the engine, allowing a relatively small amount through to be compressed, mixed with fuel, and ignited to drive the turbine. Every passenger jet is now powered with similar high-bypass turbofan engines. The Boeing 747 made its maiden flight on February 9, 1969 and then entered service with Pan American World Airways. It revolutionized air travel, made flying more affordable (since airlines could book more passengers per flight), and defined an entire era of air travel. The last Boeing 747 commercial passenger jet was delivered to Korean Air Lines in July 2017 and U.S. passenger operations ended the following year when Delta Air Lines Flight 9771 touched down at a jetliner boneyard in Arizona. As of 2022, only 44 passenger 747s were still in use around the world, although over 300 freighters were still in use at the time. Today, the iconic plane is still in (somewhat limited) use globally and also lives on in movies as well as in the design of Air Force One, which is based on the 747.