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Product Name: 707
Product Description
America entered the age of the jet transport on July 15, 1954, when the
Boeing 707 prototype, the model 367-80, made its maiden flight from Renton
Field, south of Seattle. Forerunner of the more than 14,000 Boeing jetliners
built since, the prototype, nicknamed the "Dash 80," served 18 years
as a flying test laboratory before it was turned over to the Smithsonian Air and
Space Museum in May 1972.
In May 1990, under an arrangement with the Smithsonian, Boeing returned the
airplane to Seattle for full restoration after it spent 18 years in the Arizona
desert. The refurbished Dash 80 made a special fly-over of the five Boeing
facilities in the Puget Sound area on July 15, 1991, to commemorate the 75th
anniversary of The Boeing Company and the 37th anniversary of its own first
flight.
Production go-ahead for the Dash 80 was announced by Boeing Aug. 30, 1952, as
a company-financed $16 million investment. The airplane rolled from the factory
less than two years later, on May 14, 1954. Its first flight that July marked
the 38th anniversary of The Boeing Company.
Powered then by four Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojets, mounted under wings
swept back 35 degrees, the Dash 80 established the classic configuration for
jetliners to come. It also set new speed records each time it flew. This was
illustrated March 11, 1957, when it streaked nonstop on a press demonstration
flight from Seattle to Baltimore in 3 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of
612 mph.
The Dash 80 was retained as a Boeing test aircraft and underwent major
structural and aerodynamic changes in the course of developing and testing
advanced aircraft features. Many test programs were aimed far beyond aircraft
flying today, such as airborne simulation of flight characteristics and systems
concepts for a U.S. supersonic transport.
The Dash 80 flew with a fifth engine mounted on the aft fuselage to test
installation feasibility for the trijet 727 and with three different types of
engines installed at the same time. It investigated engine-thrust reversers,
engine sound suppressers, rigs designed to cause in-flight engine icing
conditions, air conditioners, and wing flap and slat modifications.
It was also used to test radar and radar antennas, and even different paints.
In one test series for landing gear, the 707 prototype was outfitted with
oversized tires; it landed and took off from mud fields barely able to support
the weight of passenger automobiles.
The 707 prototype also flew special landing-approach studies at Moffett
Field, California, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A
high-lift, slow speed system featuring special wing flaps for direct-lift
control was used in steeper-than-usual landing approaches designed to alleviate
community noise in airport areas.
During its early years, the airplane was the center of attraction in the
aviation world, giving many airline pilots, airline executives, and military and
government officials their first taste of jet flying. It has approximately 3,000
hours of flight recorded in its logbook.
The prototype led to a revolution in air transportation. Although it never
entered commercial service itself, it gave birth to the 707 series of jetliners.
Much larger, faster and smoother than the propeller airplanes it was replacing,
it quickly changed the face of international travel.
Commercial history was made Oct. 26, 1958, when Pan American World Airways
inaugurated trans-Atlantic 707 jet service between New York and Paris; jetliners
then rapidly entered service throughout the world.
The first commercial 707s, labeled the 707-120 series, had a larger cabin and
other improvements compared to the prototype. Powered by early Pratt &
Whitney turbojet engines, these initial 707s had range capability that was
barely sufficient for the Atlantic Ocean. A number of variants were developed
for special use, including shorter-bodied airplanes and the 720 series, which
was lighter and faster with better runway performance.
Boeing quickly developed the larger 707-320 Intercontinental series with a
longer fuselage, bigger wing and higher-powered engines. With these
improvements, which allowed increased fuel capacity from 15,000 gallons to more
than 23,000 gallons, the 707 had truly intercontinental range of over 4,000
miles in a 141-seat (mixed class) seating configuration.
Early in the 1960s, the Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan engines were fitted
to provide lower fuel consumption, reduce noise and further increase range to
about 6,000 miles.
Commercial Fleet
Following the success of the 707, Boeing has developed a complete family of
commercial jetliner models, each model tailored to specific air route
requirements. Today, Boeing jetliners account for nearly three-fourths of the
world's commercial jet fleet.
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