Queen of the Skies – Early Boeing B-747s

This Boeing B-747-151 (N603US) was the 45th airframe of the type built. Note the windows on the upper deck… one story mentions that all B-747-100 versions, and a few -200 versions began life with only three windows, as upper deck seating was alongside the fuselage walls, not facing forward like the main cabin.  The seating was limited to three windows per side due to the lounge or bar set up in many airlines’ upper deck arrangements which faced each other, not straight ahead and not meant for regular passenger seating. In the 1970s, when the worldwide fuel crisis hit, the upper decks were converted into regular passenger seating; one report states that Boeing offered a retrofit of the windows to match the standard-forward facing seats which allowed more fare-paying passengers to be assigned seats in the upper deck. 

Story and photos by Ken Kula

The first flight of a Boeing B-747 occurred on February 9, 1969. Pan American Airlines inaugurated scheduled service with the B-747 on January 22, 1970. More than 55 years later, the first so-called widebody transport can still be seen in operation at various airports around the world, although not in anywhere near the numbers (over 1,570 were built) when the type was the primary intercontinental jet transport in the world.

Numerous versions of the Jumbo Jet were produced, with incremental changes to structures and engines. Here is the first of a pair of scrapbooks which will examine how the airliner grew… from a pure passenger jet into a freighter with long legs and a cavernous hold as well as a smaller but ultra-long ranged VIP transport.

Wardair Canada’s B-747-211B at a Terminal 2 gate at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport

The Early years: Boeing B-747-100 and -200 series

The main difference between the -100 and -200 versions of the B-747 was the use of more powerful engines in the latter version, as well as a higher maximum take-off weight allowing for more fuel and longer range. A total of 205 airframes of several variants of the B-747-100 were built. Some pure freighters of the -200 version (with nose entry to the cargo deck) were built, and several combination freight/passenger models were made too. After retirement from passenger service, a few airframes were rebuilt as freight haulers. All told, including freighters and four airframes for the U. S. military, 393 B-747-200 series jets were completed. 

Trans World Airlines operated several B-747SPs from Boston’s Logan International and New York City’s Kennedy International Airports to Europe… this jet had just arrived in Boston from Italy 

The Long-Ranged B-747SP

In an effort to address both Pan Am and Iran Airlines’ aspirations to operate a longer-ranged B-747 on non-stop flights between America’s East Coast to the Middle East, the B-747SP (Special Performance) was designed. The type had a noticeably shorter fuselage, but a longer range than the standard -100 and -200 versions. This model was made for a specific niche found in just a few of markets, and only 45 B-747SPs were built.

KLM operated many “Combi” versions of the B-747. This B-747-306M carries freight in the rear of the jet (note the large door behind the wing) and passengers forward of the wing.

The Increased Capacity B-747-300

By adding more room to the upper deck (noted in many sources as the SUD – Stretched Upper Deck), the B-747-300 had similar performance figures compared to the -200 version, but with more seating to drive down operating costs. Including several Combi versions for the airline KLM, 81 of the B-747-300s were built.

This Anchorage, Alaska scene is of a Northwest B747-200 series freighter awaiting cargo loading. This jet was an original cargo jet, not one of many converted jets.

The Freighters, Both Intentional and Converted Versions

As already noted in this story, there were pure freighter versions of the B-747 built by Boeing on the -200 series assembly line. Several other civilian companies worked on modifying retired -100, -200 and -300 passenger jets into freighters, giving the remanufactured jets another decade (or more) of service carrying freight mainly between continents. Flying Tiger Lines operated both purpose-built and modified freighters while in business.

There’ll be another scrapbook in the near future featuring the extended B-747-400, and the ultimate long-ranged Jumbo… the B-747-8 Intercontinental and the B-747-8i.