A TWA Boeing 707-331B ready to taxi
From the start the 707
had accommodation for approximately four times as many passengers as
the original British de Havilland Comet I, as well as a considerably
higher maximum speed. This, combined with a temporary setback to the
British aircraft, helped establish the 707 in World-Wide service. The
developed Comet 4 was first to open a transatlantic passenger jet
service, on October 4,1958, but the 707s of Pan American followed from
October 26,1958 and went on to inaugurate the first round the world jet
passenger service on October 10,1959.
The prototype first (Boeing Model 367-80) flew on 15 July 1954, and the
initial aircraft off the production line were military KC-135A flight
refuelling tanker/transports.
Only a short time
elapsed before commercial versions were built, a flood of orders from
airlines all over the world being sparked off by a large contract
placed by Pan American. Production cantered on two major series, the
707-120 medium-range versions for up to 181 passengers, and 707-320
long-range versions for 189 to more than 200 passengers. By the spring
of 1977 total sales of the 707 stood at 920, operating in every
continent of the world.
This original Boeing 707 was followed by a whole family of 707
passenger and cargo variants, with different lengths and weights, and
turbofan power. The passenger carrying 707-320B and passenger/cargo
707-320C models were still in production in 1977. Also developed was
the short-to-medium-range version known as the Boeing 720 or, with
turbofans, 720B. By the end of October 1976, 920 Boeing 707s and 720s
of all models had been ordered, and they had flown more than 30 million
hours and carried just under 522 million passengers.
The first production
airplane of the Boeing 707 commercial jet series made its maiden flight
December 20, 1957, with Pan American World Airways putting the airplane
into transoceanic service October 26, 1958, and American Airlines
following with transcontinental service January 25, 1959.
The prototype jet airliner, built as a private venture by Boeing at a
cost of more than $16,000,000, amassed more than 1000 hours in its four
years of flight testing, while the first three of the production
airplanes used for Civil Aeronautics Administration certification
testing raised the overall total to more than 1650 hours. In addition,
the new jet transports benefited by the thousands of hours of flight
time logged by their military counterpart, the Boeing KC-135 jet
multipurpose tanker-transports which went into service in 1957.
Including the prototype, there are eight Boeing jet airliners; the
others are the 707-120, the 707-120B, the 707-220, the 707-320, the
707-420, the 720 and the 720B. Weighing in at 248,000 pounds as
compared with the prototype's 190,000, the 120 is principally intended
for continental use. The 220 is identical in airframe and body size to
the 120, but is powered by Pratt & Whitney JT4 turbojet engines, larger
and of greater thrust than the JT3. The "B" airplanes use Pratt &
Whitney JT3D turbofan engines.
SPECIFICATIONS (120): Span 130 ft. 10 in.; Height 42 ft.; Length 144
ft. 6 in.; Engines Four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojet, more than
10,000 lb. thrust; Gear tricycle, main undercarriage units, four-wheel
trucks, dual nose wheels.
PERFORMANCE: Cruise Speed 591 mph; Cruising Altitude 25,000 to 40,000
ft.The 320 and the 420 are the Intercontinental 707s, which partially
fulfil the growth potential Boeing designed into the basic 707 series.
Weighing more than 295,000 pounds, they are 8 feet, 5 inches longer
overall than the 120, 220, and 720, have 11 feet 7 inches more
wingspan, and 500 square feet of additional wing area. Fuselage
diameter, 148 inches, is the same in all models. Only difference
between the 320 and 420 is the engines, the former using Pratt &
Whitney JT4s and the latter Rolls-Royce "Conways."
SPECIFICATIONS INTERCONTINENTAL: Span 142 ft. 5 in.; Height 42 ft.;
Length 152 ft. 11 in.; Engines Four Pratt & Whitney JT4 or Rolls Royce
Conway turbojets, more than 10,000 Lb, thrust; Gear tricycle, main
undercarriage units, four-wheel trucks, dual nose wheels.
PERFORMANCE: Cruise Speed 591 mph; Cruising Altitude 25,000 to 40,000
ft.
Designed to operate
profitably in the medium range area, the Boeing 720 combines low cost
with excellent operational flexibility. Associated with its capability
to operate over existing route segments is the ability of the 720 to
utilize present runways and terminal facilities throughout the entire
airline system. The 720 offers a high level of safety, ease of
maintenance and inspection, long life, minimum structural weight and
reliability based on experience and extensive test programs. The seats
are mounted on continuous tracks recessed in the floor, allowing use of
four, five and six-abreast seating. In less than ten minutes each row
of seats and its accompanying overhead service unit can be repositioned
or replaced. Windows are spaced at 20-inch intervals to insure an
unobstructed view regardless of seat spacing. This flexibility permits
a choice of seating combinations ranging from the luxurious
four-abreast interior to the six-abreast, 149-passenger tourist
arrangement.
SPECIFICATIONS: Span 130 ft. 10 in; Length 136ft. 2 in.; Height
41 ft. 6.5 in.; Empty Weight 103,145 Lb.; Engines Four Pratt & Whitney
JT3C-7; Fuel Capacity 11,500 gal.; Wing Area 2433 sq. ft.
PERFORMANCE: Maximum Speed more than 600 mph; Maximum Range 3300
mi.; Cruising Altitude 15,000 to 40,000 ft.
