Boeing 707

The Boeing 707 is a four engine plane with regular commercial and military practice developed as of the Fifties by Boeing. Even if it were not the first commercial aircraft with reaction in service, it were a precursor insofar as it were produced massively and that it inaugurated the series of the 7x7 of the airframe manufacturer of Seattle.

History of Boeing 707

Development

The construction of a commercial Jet had been announced by Boeing as of the August 30th 1952 to meet the new and future needs for aeronautics at this time in full expansion. The project had as a priority to design a four-jet plane (the era of the propeller touching at its end) equipped with an autonomy enabling him to accomplish transcontinental flights. Thus after hardly 2 years of development, the May 14th 1954, the prototype of the 707 sees the day under the name of Boeing 367-80 or more commonly Dash 80 . These years of research and design will cost nearly 16 million dollars Boeing but will enable him to develop two close but different planes: the 707 on the one hand for the civil use and KC-135 on the other hand, an aerial tanker, requested by the US Air Force. For nearly 90% the 707 is resulting from military developments, the most important contributions coming from the program KC-135 whose 707 was to become an almost equivalent commercial counterpart. But this apparatus profited also much from the participation of Boeing in the development of the bombers B-47 and B-52. As illustration, the " report/ratio; Arnold and Porter" recall that if the B-47 and B-52 respectively claimed 7.600 and 7.800 hours of tests out of blower, thanks to the latter, only 1.357 hours of passage out of blower were necessary for the 707 . The Dash-80 successfully carried out its first take-off the July 15th 1954, exact date of the 38e birthday of Boeing . However, the doubt was installed quickly on this project which had enormously cost money the American firm. Indeed, the first official ordering of an airline company arrived only in October 1955 when Pan Am ordered 20 apparatuses.

Career

The Boeing 707-120 (first type of 707 exploited) then accomplished its first commercial flight under the colors of the Pan Am the October 26th 1958 between New York and Paris. American Airlines was the second company to charter this type of plane and was very quickly followed per many of other companies of the four corners of the sphere. The 707 then became one of the most popular planes of its time, each time modernized at the wire of new versions throughout its career. The last of these four-jet aircrafts will leave the production lines in May 1991 at the end of almost 4 years without orders but after an exceptional career which less saw the production of step than 1.012 specimens.

Operators

See also: List of the operators of Boeing 707

Today, it only remains very little of Boeing 707 still in business service except some time like plane of freight. Formerly the plane was chartered as well by the largest American companies (Pan Am, American Airlines, TWA, etc) as by the other fleets of the whole world (Air France, Qantas, Lufthansa, etc). The plane was even used (until its replacement in 1991 by the Boeing 747) by the president of the the United States for its official displacements. However, the majority of the military apparatuses are still in service, like planes radar or tankers. The the United Nations as much of other armies of the whole world have a broad fleet of KC-135 or E3 AWACS.

Compete with

Competition vis-a-vis the Boeing 707 essuya only of the failures. Lockheed saw the career of sound L-188 Electra stopped Net following two accidents which have occurred in September 1959 and March 1960 because of a weakness in the design of the wing. The Douglas DC-8 was the most serious detractor of the 707 but which in spite of equal performances and a rather strong resemblance, could not compete on the commercial plan.

Specifications

Versions

Civil

707-120

The first 707 marketed, the 707-120 was designed for the transcontinental connections and asked for a stop of supply for the voyages through the northern Atlantique. It in the beginning was delivered with 4 Turboréacteur S Pratt & Whitney JT3C, conversion civil of the military engine J57. The evolution of the 707-120 , the 707-120-B differed from its elder by its new engine Pratt & Whitney JT3D, which was more sober, more powerful and more economic than its predecessor. The 707-120 was built of 1957 with 1978 with nearly 856 specimens.

707-220

The 707-220 (also called 707-227 ) is similar to the version -120 but was equipped with the engines JT4A-4 more powerful than the series JT3 (in order to facilitate takeoffs in the hot climates), especially for the company Braniff International and its South-African connections. Only 5 apparatuses of this version were assembled in particular because of its very strong fuel consumption.

707-320 and 707-420

The new versions 707-320 and 707-420 are the first versions to make improvements visible with the original 707-120 . First of all they are equipped with lengthened wings and especially their capacity while carburizing was re-examined with the rise in order to carry out the transoceanic connections without stopovers. The -320 was driven by engines JT4A-4, while the -320-B , of turbojets JT3D. Although using the same engines as the -320-B , the -320-C was different by admitting a door cargo liner in order to be able to convert itself into apparatus of freight. Lastly, the version -420 , produced at the origin for BOAC, was propelled by engines Rolls-Royce Conway.

707-700

The only apparatus of this version was tested in December 1979 under the registration N707QT n° of line: 941, n° of series: 21956 with engines CFM56, the last 707 civilian, but the project not having never had a continuation, the apparatus was reconverted in 707-3W6 C equipped with GTR P&W JT3D3, to be resold in Royal Air Maroc: CN-ANR. The 707-700 never started production, first of all because the technicians of Boeing had thought that this version could compete with the future Boeing 757.

720

The Boeing 720 in the beginning was indicated 707-020 , but its name changed thereafter for reasons of marketing, the figure 720 preceding one evolution more that the 020 . The 720 is actually a shortened version of the 707 especially designed for the short ways and the small airports. It is lighter and more rapid that 707-120 and profits from a design of the wings simplified. However this model knew a rather dull career with relatively few sales but which benefitted all the same Boeing because of the least investments than the American firm had to spend to develop this apparatus. Later, it was the 727 which replaced it.

Soldiers

A very great number (approximately 700) of Boeing C-135, mainly in version supply craft, were built. But contrary to the spread idea, it is not a question of a military version of the 707, but a plane “cousin”, whose fuselage shorter, narrower, and is deprived of window.

There also exists of “truths” 707 soldiers. Various countries (Australia, Brazil, Venezuela, Israel…) modified of the 707 civilians to make tankers of them. The Americans also employed of the 707 soldiers, for the applications where the narrower fuselage of the K/KC-135 was penalizing. the VC-137 was used as Air Force One before the current 747. One can also quote E3 Sentry (AWACS), still in active service in many armies of the whole world.

Techniques

Air crashes

Anecdotes

  • the Dash 80 (prototype of the 707 ) accumulated the records of the time. One of most spectacular was when it made, the March 11th 1957, the voyage Seattle - Baltimore (that is to say the crossing of the the United States of is in west) in 3:48 minutes at the mean velocity of 985 km/h.
  • Alvine Mr. " Tex" Johnston, test pilot of Boeing carried out two barrels (or more precisely two barrels) with the orders of the Dash 80 at the time of a presentation the August 7th 1955 with the top of the lake Washington to Seattle. The operation had not been provided and one tells only the president of Boeing, William Allen, who present, was accompanied potential buyers, was so surprised that he asked one his guests if he could borrow his pills for the heart to him.
  • the American actor John Travolta has and pilot personally a 707-138 with the colors of Qantas registered N707JT .
  • the 707 also defined many characteristics present on other families of apparatuses of the American manufacturer. Thus, the diameter of its fuselage was taken again on the 727, 737 and 757, appeared later on. In the same way, its famous “nose of raptor”, so characteristic, is still present on the last 737NG.
  • the “Dash 80” is exposed today to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum of the airport of Washington Dulles.

External bonds

  • Boeing.com - Official site
  • Airliners.net - Images of Boeing 707

Random links:NetBeans | Clerodendrum triplinerve | Paul Deviolaine | Culture of Mozambique | Harley-Davidson V-Rod | Le_grain_dans_l'oeil_de_Dieu