Everything about The Boeing 707 totally explained
The
Boeing 707 is a four-engine commercial passenger
jet airliner developed by
Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly spoken as "Seven Oh Seven". Boeing delivered a total of 1,010 Boeing 707s, which dominated passenger air transport in the 1960s and remained common through the 1970s. Boeing also offered a smaller, faster version of the aircraft that was marketed as the
Boeing 720.
Although it wasn't the first commercial
jet in service (that distinction belongs to the
de Havilland Comet), the 707 was the first to be commercially successful, and is credited as ushering in the
Jet Age. It established Boeing as one of the largest makers of passenger aircraft, and led to the later series of aircraft with "
7x7" designations.
Development
The 707 was based on an aircraft known as the
367-80. The "Dash 80" took less than two years from project launch in 1952 to rollout on
14 May 1954. This was powered by the
Pratt & Whitney JT3C engine which was the civilian version of the J57 used on many military aircraft of the day including the
F-100,
F-101,
F-102, and the
B-52.
The prototype was conceived for both military and civilian use: the
United States Air Force was the first customer for the design, using in the
KC-135 Stratotanker midair refueling platform. It was far from certain that the passenger 707 would be profitable. At the time, Boeing was making nearly all of its money from military contracts: its last passenger transport, the
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, had netted the company a $15 million loss before it was purchased by the Air Force as the
KC-97 Stratotanker.
The fuselage of the Dash 80 was only wide enough to fit two-plus-two seating (in the manner of the
Stratocruiser). Boeing soon realized that this wouldn't provide a viable payload, so decided to widen the fuselage to, the same as the
KC-135 Stratotanker, which would allow six-abreast seating - and the shared use of the KC-135's tooling. However,
Douglas had launched its
DC-8 with a fuselage width of . The airlines liked the extra space, and so Boeing was obliged to increase the 707's cabin width again, this time to . This meant that little of the tooling that was made for the Dash 80 was usable for the 707. The extra cost meant the 707 didn't become profitable until some years after it would have if these modifications were not necessary.
The first flight of the first production 707-120 took place on
20 December 1957, and FAA certification followed on
18 September 1958. A number of changes were incorporated into the production models from the prototype. A
krueger flap was installed along the leading edge. The height of the vertical fin was increased, and a small fin was added to the underside of the fuselage, and acted as a bumper during excessively nose high takeoffs.
As the 1960s drew to a close, the exponential growth in air travel led to the 707 being a victim of its own success. The 707 was now too small to handle the increased passenger densities on the routes for which it was designed. Stretching the fuselage wasn't a viable option because the installation of larger, more powerful engines would in turn need a larger undercarriage, which wasn't feasible given the design's limited ground clearance. Boeing's answer to the problem was the first twin aisle airliner - the
Boeing 747. The 707's first-generation engine technology was also rapidly becoming obsolete in the areas of noise and fuel economy.
Trans World Airlines flew the last scheduled 707 flight for passengers by a US carrier on
30 October 1983, although 707s remained in scheduled service by airlines from other nations for much longer. For example Middle East Airlines (MEA) of
Lebanon flew 707s and 720s in front-line passenger service until the end of the 1990s. Since
LADE of
Argentina took its 707-320B from regular service in 2007,
Saha Airlines of
Iran is the last airline to keep 707s in scheduled passenger service. Saha's 707-320C is listed for the nightly domestic flight between
Tehran and
Kish Island as well as a weekly flight between Tehran and
Mashhad on Friday morning as of February 2008.
In 1984, a Boeing 720 that was flown by remote control was intentionally crashed at
Edwards AFB as a part of the
FAA and
NASA Controlled Impact Demonstration program. The test provided peak accelerations during a crash.
While not used as an airliner,
Honeywell is currently operating a single Boeing 720 to aid in turbine engine development. The aircraft has been modified with an extra engine nacelle to allow testing of a turbine engine at altitude. This is the last Boeing 720 in operation in the United States, flying out of Skyharbor airport in Phoenix, operating on special certification allowing it to be used for experimental use. The aircraft's experimental flight certification is set to expire in 2008 when it'll be replaced.
Design
Engines
The 707's engines couldn't supply sufficient
bleed air for
pressurization without a serious loss of thrust, so the aircraft instead used engine-driven
turbocompressors to supply high-pressure air for this purpose. On many commercial 707s the outer port (#1) engine mount is distinctly different from the other three, as this is the only engine not fitted with a turbocompressor. The Boeing 707 was the first commercially successful airliner to use
podded engines.
Wings
The 707 wings are swept back at 35 degrees and, like all swept-wing aircraft, displayed an undesirable "
Dutch roll" flying characteristic which manifested itself as an alternating yawing and rolling motion. Boeing already had considerable experience with this on the
B-47 and
B-52, and had developed the
yaw damper system on the B-47 that would be applied to later
swept wing configurations like the 707. However, many new 707 pilots had no experience with this phenomenon as they were transitioning from straight-wing propeller driven aircraft such as the
Douglas DC-7 and
Lockheed Constellation.
On one customer acceptance flight, where the yaw damper was turned off to familiarize the new pilots with flying techniques, a trainee pilot exacerbated the Dutch Roll motion causing a violent roll motion which tore two of the four engines off the wing. The plane, a brand new 707-227 N7071 destined for Braniff, crash landed on a river bed north of
Seattle at Arlington,
Washington, killing four of the eight occupants.
In his autobiography,
test pilot Tex Johnston described a Dutch Roll incident he experienced as a passenger on an early commercial 707 flight. As the aircraft's movements gradually became more severe, he went to the cockpit and found the crew frantically attempting to resolve the situation. He introduced himself and relieved the ashen-faced captain who immediately left the cockpit feeling ill. Johnston quickly stabilized the plane and later, even landed it for the crew.
Upgrades and modifications
JT8D engines
Pratt & Whitney, in a joint venture with Seven Q Seven (SQS) and Omega Air, has developed the
JT8D-219 as a re-engine powerplant for Boeing 707-based aircraft, calling their modified configuration a
707RE. Northrop Grumman has selected the -219 to re-engine the United States Air Force’s fleet of 19 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (
E-8 Joint STARS) aircraft, which will allow the JSTARS more time on station due to the engine's greater fuel efficiency. NATO also plans to re-engine their fleet of
E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft. The -219 is publicized as being half the cost of the competing 707 re-engine powerplant, the
CFM-56, and is 40dB quieter than than JT3D engines that are being replaced. The 720 was used before the Boeing 727 replaced it in the market. First flight was on
23 November 1959, and 64 of the original version were built.
720B: The turbofan-powered version of the 720, with JT3D-1-MC6 turbofans producing each. Takeoff gross weight was increased to . 88 of these were built in addition to conversions of existing 720 models.
Military
The militaries of the United States and other countries have used the civilian 707 aircraft in a variety of roles, and under different designations. (Note: The U.S. Air Force's C-135 Stratolifter isn't a 707 variant, but was developed in parallel to the 707 from the original Boeing 367-80.)
Operators
Although 707s are no longer employed by major airlines 63 aircraft remain in commercial use, mainly with air cargo operators.
In the 1980s, the USAF acquired around 250 used 707s to provide parts for the KC-135E Stratotanker program.
As of August 2007, commercial operators of the Boeing 707 with more than one aircraft include: African Airlines International (4), Air Charter Express (2), Angola Air Charter (3), Azza Transport (2), Beta Cargo (4), Hewa Bora Airways (3), Interair (2), Iran Air (4), Iraqi Airways (2), Libyan Arab Airlines (4), Saha Airlines (4), Sky Aviation FZE (2), Skymaster Airlines (5), Sudan Airways (2), Sudanese States Aviation (2) and TMA (5). American actor John Travolta owns, and is qualified to fly as second in command, an ex-Qantas 707-138B, registration N707JT.
The list of customer codes used by Boeing to identify specific options and trim specified by customers was started with the 707, and has been maintained through all Boeing's models. Essentially the same system as used on the earlier Boeing 377, the code consisted of two digits affixed to the model number to identify the specific aircraft version. For example, Pan American Airlines was assigned code "21." Thus a 707-300B sold to Pan Am had the model number 707-321B. The number remained constant as further aircraft were purchased, thus when Pan American purchased the 747-100 it had the model number 747-121.
Accidents and incidents
As of May 2007, the 707 has been in a total of 166 hull-loss occurrences with 2,733 fatalities.
Notable accidents
On 15 February 1961, Sabena Flight 548 crashed while on approach to Brussels Airport, Belgium. A total of 73 people were killed, including the entire United States Figure Skating team.
On 1 March 1962, American Airlines Flight 1 crashed into Jamaica Bay after taking off from Idlewild Airport (now JFK Airport) while heading for Los Angeles International Airport All 95 people on board died.
On 22 May 1962 a bomb destroyed Continental Airlines Flight 11, killing everyone on board.
On 24 January 1966, an Air India 707-437 flying Flight 101 crashed into Glacier des Bossons on the SW face of Mont Blanc in the French Alps. All 106 passengers and 11 crew were killed.
On 6 March 1966, BOAC Flight 911 broke up in flight due to severe turbulence and crashed into Mount Fuji.
On 3 November 1973, Pan Am Flight 160, a 707 crashed on approach to Boston-Logan. Smoke in the cockpit caused the pilots to lose control. Three people were killed in the hull-loss accident.(External Link
)
On 22 April 1974, Pan Am 707-321C crashed into a mountain while preparing for landing after a 4 hour 20 minutes flight from Hong Kong to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. All 107 people on board were killed.(External Link)
On 13 October 1983, a Bolivian 707 cargo jet crashed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia killing 91 (88 were killed on the ground when it crashed into a practice football game).
On 29 November 1987, Korean Air Flight 858 exploded over the Andaman Sea by a terrorist attack. All 115 people on board died.
On 8 February 1989, Independent Air Flight 1851, a Boeing 707, crashed into a hill on approach to Santa Maria, Azores. All 144 people on board were killed.
On 25 January 1990, Avianca Flight 52 crashed after running out of fuel in Long Island, New York. The plane was delayed numerous times because of a blizzard at New York. A total of 73 people died.
On 23 October 1996, a 707 belonging to the Argentinian Air Force crashed shortly after failing to achieve take-off speed in EZE (Buenos Aires International Airport).
On 7 March 2001, a Skymaster Airlines 707-320C, registration PT-MST, landed hard on Runway 09R, São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil. As a result of the landing the undercarriage failed, damaging all four engines and injuring three people. The aircraft was subsequently written off.
Survivors
The following aircraft are on public display:
N70700 Model 367-80 (Prototype) previously at the Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA; now at Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington, DC.
58-6970 Model 707-153 USAF VC-137B "SAM 970", Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA.
58-6971 Model 707-153 USAF VC-137B Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, AZ.
N751TW Model 707-720, in storage, Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ.
VH-XBA Model 707-138B (No. 29) one of the first 707s exported (sold to Australian airline Qantas in 1959) is on display at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum in Longreach, Queensland, Australia.
F-BLCD Model 707-328B (No. 471) is on display at the Musee de l'Air, Paris, France.
62-7000 Model 707-353B (VC-137C SAM 27000) Air Force One is on display at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
62-6000 Model 707-320B (VC-137C SAM 26000) Air Force One is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
1419 Model 707-328C (No. 19917) [SouthAfrican Airforce] is on display at the South African Airforce Museum - Swartkops Airforce Base, Pretoria.
Specifications
|
720 (707-020) |
707-120B |
707-320B |
| Passengers | 140 |
110 (2 class)
179 (1 class) |
147 (2 class)
202 (1 class)
|
| Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) | 222,000 lb (100,800 kg) |
257,000 lb (116,570 kg) |
333,600 lb (151,320 kg)
|
| Empty weight | 103,145 lb (46,785 kg) |
122,533 lb (55,580 kg) |
146,400 lb (66,406 kg)
|
| Takeoff run at MTOW | 8,300 ft (2,515 m) |
11,000 ft (3,330 m) |
10,840 ft (3,280 m)
|
| Landing run | 5,750 ft (1,740 m) |
6,200 ft (1,875 m) |
10,840 ft (3,280 m)
|
| Operating range (Max Payload) | 3,680 NM (6,800 km) |
3,680 NM (6,820 km) |
3,735 NM (6,920 km)
|
| Cruising speed | 540 kn (999 km/h) |
540 kn (1000 km/h) |
525 kn (972 km/h)
|
| Length | 136 ft 2 in (41.25 m) |
144 ft 6 in (44.07 m) |
152 ft 11 in (46.61 m)
|
| Wingspan | 130 ft 10 in (39.90 m) |
145 ft 9 in (44.42 m)
|
| Tail height | 41 ft 7 in (12.65 m) |
42 ft 5 in (12.93 m) |
42 ft 5 in (12.93 m)
|
| Fuselage width | 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m) |
12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
|
| Powerplants (4 x) | Pratt & Whitney JT3C-7:
12,000 lbf (53.3 kN) |
Pratt & Whitney JT3D-1:
17,000 lbf (75.6 kN) |
PW JT3D-3:
18,000 lbf (80 kN)
PW JT3D-7:
19,000 lbf (84.4 kN)
|
Sources: Boeing 707 Family, Boeing 707, Boeing 720
Deliveries
| 1994 |
1993 |
1992 |
1991 |
1990 |
1989 |
1988 |
1987 |
1986 |
1985 |
1984 |
1983 |
1982 |
| 1 |
1 |
5 |
14 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
9 |
4 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
| 1981 |
1980 |
1979 |
1978 |
1977 |
1976 |
1975 |
1974 |
1973 |
1972 |
1971 |
1970 |
1969 |
| 2 |
3 |
6 |
13 |
8 |
9 |
7 |
21 |
11 |
4 |
10 |
19 |
59 |
| 1968 |
1967 |
1966 |
1965 |
1964 |
1963 |
1962 |
1961 |
1960 |
1959 |
1958 |
1957 |
1956 |
| 111 |
118 |
83 |
61 |
38 |
34 |
68 |
80 |
91 |
77 |
8 |
0 |
0 |
Popular culture
The 707 is mentioned in the songs "Boeing Boeing 707" by Roger Miller and "Jet Airliner" performed by The Steve Miller Band and written by Paul Pena; "Early Morning Rain" by Gordon Lightfoot; and "Leaving on a jetplane" performed by Peter Paul and Mary and written by John Denver.
The aircraft also has a major role in the Airport and Airplane films.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Boeing 707'.
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