Boeing 747 400 - double-deck transcontinental airliner

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Jumbo jet, giant jet, this is how this aircraft is called all over the world. It is indeed very large, this quality is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

In 1970, when the 747 was introduced to leading airlines, many carriers doubted that the money invested in buying it would pay off. At first, these fears were justified, the fuel crisis of the seventies led to a sharp decrease in the intensity of air transport. However, Boeing is what Boeing is for, to withstand the challenges of market conditions.

In the class of passenger liners designed for long-haul flights with a large number of people on board, this aircraft was unmatched, so the refusal of a number of airlines to operate it did not cause panic among one of the world's leading aircraft manufacturers, but only forced think about improving your car. In the fall of 1984, the development of the 747-300 modification began, and in the spring of 1985, it was put into series under the name Boeing 747 400. In fact, it was already a new aircraft, although it had a lot in common with the prototype, in particular, the externalappearance.

The Boeing 747 400 scheme remains the same. A two-deck layout with a high cockpit, four engines on pylons under the wing, each of which is more powerful than all the engines of the 707th Boeing combined, a huge payload and capacity, combined with high speed - this is a brief description of the updated Jumbo Jet. The number of passengers it can transfer at one time is comparable to the number of tourists on an ocean cruise ship. So, in 1991, the Boeing 747 400 of the Israeli airline El Al delivered over 1,100 repatriated refugees from Ethiopia to their historical homeland. In normal mode, the number of carried passengers with luggage reaches five hundred.

The modified design incorporates new alloy technologies developed for the later 757 and 767 series aircraft, resulting in a nearly three-tonne lighter airframe. The consoles of the wing extended by 3.7 meters were equipped with vertical ends 180 cm high, which improved the stability of the liner when it maneuvered.

Improved passenger comfort on board the Boeing 747. The interior photo shows the presence of individual entertainment complexes, the monitors of which are built into the seats, even in the second class.

The avionics became fully digital, reducing the number of crew members to two, eliminating the flight engineer.

Work to further increase passenger capacity and carrying capacity, planned by management and engineersfirms are currently on hold as sales of the liner have declined in recent years. In total, over 1,400 aircraft of this type were produced. The Boeing 747 400, which has been in operation since 1989, makes up about a third of the world's fleet of this series.

Only the world's largest airlines, such as KLM, PanAm, Cathay, Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa and other equally well-known carriers, can afford to buy such an expensive aircraft. In Russia, the airliner is operated by Transaero and Air Bridge Cargo.