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747 Celebrating the Past, Building the Future

747: Then and Now

In developing the 747, Boeing designers understood that in order for the airplane to be successful, it would have to be a long-term program. It would have to achieve gains in capacity, range and efficiency, so the basic design had to absorb the march of technology.

In the late 1980's, Boeing thoroughly redesigned the 747 with the -400 model, making major aerodynamic improvements, adding winglets to improve fuel efficiency, incorporating new avionics, installing a new flight deck and providing the latest in-flight entertainment systems. The 747-400 remains the world's fastest subsonic commercial jetliner, allowing passengers to arrive at their destinations nearly an hour sooner than passengers flying on competitor's airplanes.

The 747-400 flight deck replaced the analog systems of the 747-100, -200 and -300 with digital avionics. This reduced the number of lights, gauges and switches from 971 to 365. Programmable displays and simpler cockpit procedures also reduced crew workload in the flight deck, allowing the number of crew members to decrease from three to two.

Technical Characteristics--Now vs. Then
Passengers 747-400 747-100
Typical 3-class configuration 416 366
Typical 2-class configuration 524 452
Typical 1-class configuration N/A N/A
Engines
Maximum thrust 		Pratt & Whitney
4062
63,000 lb (28,710 kg)		 Pratt&Whitney
JT9D-7A
46,500 lb (20,925 kg)
  Rolls-Royce RB211-524H
59,500 lb (26,990 kg)		 Rolls-Royce RB211-524B2
50,100 lb (22,545 kg)
  General Electric CF6-80C2B5F
62,100 lb (27,945 kg) 		General Electric CF6-45A2
46,500 lb (20,925 kg)
Maximum Fuel Capacity 57,285 U.S. gal (216,847 L) 48,445 (183,380 L)
Typical Fuel Burn on 3,450 statute-mile flight 300 lb per passenger 409 lb per passenger
Maximum Takeoff Weight 875,000 lb (396,900 kg) 735,000 lb (333,400 kg)
Maximum Range 8,430 statute miles (13,570 km) Typical city pairs: Los Angeles-Hong Kong, Los Angeles-Sydney, Singapore-London 5,300 statute miles (8,550 km) Typical city pairs: New York-Los Angeles, San Francisco-Honolulu, New York-London
Typical Cruise Speed at 35,000 feet 0.85 Mach
565 mph (910 km/h) 		0.84 Mach
555 mph (895 km/h)
Flight Deck Comparison 747-400 747-100
Crew Two: Captain, First Officer Three: Captain, First Officer, Flight Engineer
Avionics Digital Analog
Displays Six cathode ray tubes (CRTs) Electro-mechanical/analog
Controls, Indicators 365 lights, gauges, switches 971 lights, gauges, switches
Basic Dimensions 747-400 747-100
Wing Span 211 ft 5 in (64.4 m) 195 ft 8 in (59.6 m)
Overall Length 231 ft 10.25 in (70.6 m) 231 ft 10.25 in (70.6 m)
Tail Height 63 ft 8 in (19.4 m) 63 ft 5 in (19.3 m)
Interior Cabin Width 20 ft (6.1 m) 20 ft (6.1 m)
Freighter Comparison 747-400 Freighter 747-200 Freighter
Maximum Takeoff Weight 870,000 lb (391,500 kg) 775,000 lb (348,750 kg)
Maximum Payload/Range 244,000 lb (109,800 kg)
5,000 miles (8,000 km)		 260,000 lb (117,000 kg)
2,900 miles (4,640 km)
Total Cargo Volume 27,467 ft3 (777.9 m3) 26,599 ft3 (758.4 m3)

News Releases:
Boeing 747 Gets Its Own Postage Stamp
Boeing 747 Celebrates 30 Years In Service