Boeing 700 Essay, Research Paper

The Boeing 700?s are very capable of handling duties in the commercial and military world.

The Boeing 700?s are capable of handling many tasks in the commercial and military world. With the introduction of the 707 in the late fifties to the most recent 777 in the early nineties the, 700?s have dominated the commercial world for five decades. They are a line of aircraft that are capable of handling many roles from basic civilian transport to various military needs. They are the people movers of the 20th century. Each with a large carrying capacity combined with the range of a jet aircraft they have moved more people longer distances than what was once thought possible. Boeing has truly produced some of the greatest aircraft in history. The various duties that the 700?s perform are quite extraordinary.

It all started in the fifties. There was a growing demand for a commercial airliner that could move a greater number of people farther and faster. The age of the jet engine still had not reached to civilian transportation. There was still a fear of the jet because of lack of reliability, but with the advancement of technology the jet engine now had become more even reliable than the piston engine. The need for a jet engine powered plane was growing. Airlines still were looking for a plane that could cross the Atlantic Ocean without a refueling stop. The Lockheed Super Connies, a piston powered plane, were able to cross the Atlantic Ocean with out stopping on the eastbound leg, but they had to stop in Gander, Newfoundland to refuel on the westbound leg. The airlines desired a plane that could easily travel the Atlantic with out a stop. The piston engine just wasn?t going to do it, the jet engine was the answer to the question. Boeing realized this and moved to look for a design for a jet powered plane. At first Boeing was looking to modify existing aircraft with jet engines to perform the tasks. They quickly realized that they needed a whole new aircraft. The Boeing 707 was born.

The first Boeing 707 was delivered to Pan America airlines in May of 1958 (Bauer, 218). Sales started out slow in fact the 707 almost died many times in it?s first couple years of existence. It wasn?t until Boeing modified the 707 by increasing the overall length, the wing span, and adding more powerful engines did the 707 confirm its place in as a commercial transporter. With the new modifications the 707 became a very capable aircraft, crossing the Atlantic Ocean became a routine affair. With the introduction of the 707 transatlantic travel doubled in two years (Bauer, 195). Airlines? profitability soared due to the new capabilities of the 707 presented. The 707 began a new era and improved the way people are flown.

The 707 being the first major jet airliner saw many applications and variations in it?s lifetime. There were thirteen variations of the 707, they varied in capacity, range, and speed (Wright,49). Each variation was designed to meet a specific needs of an individual airline. Some 707?s could carry a larger capacity of passengers over a shorter distance, were as another variant could carry fewer passengers over a longer distance. With all of these variations the 707 left little room for the Douglas DC-8 which was once though to be a major treat to Boeing. The 707 could meet any need of an airline; this is one reason that made the 707 such a versatile aircraft and why it dominated the market.

The 707 also saw plenty of action in uniform. It?s most useful application came in the way of the KC-135 Stratotanker. It was modified to perform in-flight refueling task for the United States Air Force. The 707 saw a healthy lifespan as the KC-135, of the 735 units build in the early sixties 550 still remain in service today (www.Boeing.com). The 707 also had the very privileged role of presidential transport. As Air Force One it started its career in 1962 and served seven Presidents. It was only to be replace by one of it?s bigger brothers the Boeing 747. Another of one of it?s more interesting applications was that of the ?Vomet Come? a modified KC-135 to make large in-flight arcs to provide a weightless environment to train NASA astronauts. Altogether the 707 and its derivatives saw many varied and interesting applications.

With the 707 fulfilling the needs for a long range jetliner there was a demand by the airline industry for a short to medium range jet. A jet that was designed for short-range use would provide savings over a long-range jet and faster travel times that were presently completed by prop driven planes. Boeing went to the drawing boards and came out with the 727. When the 727 finally came to production it came out with better performance that what was originally planned. ?As throughout Boeing?s history, its strong, patient, intense engineering efforts had once more been the key? (Bauer, 226). The 727 filled the duty of short to medium range better than any other aircraft. It showed in the sales and the 727 became at the time the most selling Boeing aircraft, but that title would not remain very long.

The Boeing 737 became the most selling commercial jetliner in the world. To date it has sold 3,158 units and there are still more on order (www.Boeing.com). Its primary role is short to medium range passenger transport. The 737 were to be a gradual replacement to the 727 and did so quite well, it became known as the ?Little Giant.? The 737 also proved to be a very rugged aircraft, with a kit add-on to the landing gears it made it possible for the 737 to land on unimproved runways like a grass field or a gravel runway. The 737 also were far superior in its ability to take off from high altitude, short runways. These abilities made the 737 very versatile it could link many areas that were unable maintain a modern airport that would have a paved runway (Bauer, 250). One key feature to the 737, which made it the success it was, was the decision to make the plane six seats abreast. Douglas was the main competition in the beginning has a plane that was five seats abreast. Even with Douglas?s advantage in speed and range it could never match the seat per-mile cost the 737 gave. The single decision, which meant about a 17inch increase of diameter over the DOUGLAS DC-9, meant the success of the 737 and the failure of the DC-9.

Above:

Comparison between the DC-9 and 737 cross-sections.

With the ruggedness of the 737 it sees several applications for the Military. Its most widely used application is as a training aid for both pilots and navigators. Pilots use the USAF designated T-43 737s as a flight trainer for large cargo and transport aircraft. The 737 is a large aircraft but not too large aircraft, it provides the perfect stepping stone for pilots into the huge birds that are present in today?s Air Force. It also provides navigational training. Its wider design offers plenty of room for the trainees and their instructors. One T-43 has about 19 stations for its students (Minton, 31). The T-43 provides a very accommodating learning environment for the flight students.

The largest and most infamous member of the family is the Boeing 747, the ?Jumbo Jet?.? This is an aircraft that has changed commercial airliners forever. With its sheer size it put itself in a class of it?s own. The 747 offer a lower seat per-mile cost and a more efficient way for transportation than any other aircraft. It can move more people and cargo farther and faster. ?The 707 brought jet transportation to people. The 747 brought jet transportation to the everyday people? (Norris and Wagner, 26). 747s have become the backbone of many airlines, in that they handle more people and cargo than any of their other planes. 747 not only provides a highly efficient people mover it has also been a great improvement of cargo transportation. Some modified 747 have a large upward swinging door at the nose of the plane. This door allows for great ease in loading large cargo items. Boeing also offered the option of a side panel door for loading. This was mainly used in the ?Combi? 747; they were 747 they would transport people and cargo at the same time.

The 747 also serve several roles in the Military. Most notably is in the application of presidential transportation as Air Force One. The 747 replace the 707 as Air Force One with great pride. With the increase in room and luxury the President hasn?t had a better ride since. The 747 also found itself the solution to a rather large problem that is of the transportation of the Space Shuttle. There really is no other way to transport the large orbiter than strapping it onto the top of a 747. NASA bought an ex-American Airlines 747 in 1977 and has been using it ever since (Gilchrist, 61).

By the late seventies the 727 and 737 were showing their age. Boeing was unable to sell newly modified versions of the two aircraft and they soon realized that a whole new aircraft was in need. The new aircraft did not come in the form of a single plane but in two completely different airplanes that would pick up the slack in the short to medium range jet planes. These planes would be the 757 and the 767. They would prove to be very qualified successors to the 727 and the 737 proving themselves in both the commercial and military world. In fact the 767 came out of production with great performance than what was original planned. ?Getting it into service, getting it under our original cost estimates and one day early-I don?t know how you can improve on that. And that?s due to the great team at Boeing? (Bauer, 320). The short to medium range jet had been modernized with increases in performance of its capacity, speed, and fuel consumption.

The Military had their eye on the 767. It was as wide-bodied aircraft similar in dimensions to the 737 and the wider body is what the Military saw most appealing. One of the primary functions the 767 serves is in the AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) program. It is a 767 modified with a large circular disc on the top. The disc is composed of radars and antennas, it purpose is to target and track targets from a long range, this information is then communicated to fighters on stand by. The body of the plane has a crew and a large amount of computer equipment used in the process of determining targets. Boeing has some more plans for the 767, Boeing see it a very capable candidate for a tanker/transport variant that would provide in flight refueling and transportation duties (www.Boeing.com).

The last in the family is the 777, which were introduced, in the early nineties. It is a complete new generation of aircraft with the complete integration of computers. The 777 has two main variants presently they are the 777-200 and the 777-300. Their main difference is length and capacity, the 300 is about 33 feet longer and can hold about 70 more passengers than the 200. Both will work to satisfy the different needs of an airline. A newer version is in the works too. It is the 777-400 planned to have even greater capacity that what is now present. The 777 should gradually replace the 747 as the large capacity long-range jet (www.Boeing.com). The 777 are the plane of the future and will have many service roles in the commercial world.

The line of the Boeing 700 aircraft is undeniably a very versatile line of aircraft. From the beginning they have dominated in commercial jet sales and for good reason. Boeing has always made their aircraft with the utmost quality and attention to detail. Boeing will test and test again until they get it right and that shows in their products. The 700?s serve any commercial and military need placed on them. They have made long distant travel a comfort and a pleasure to many. It is hard to imagine what is would be like without Boeing. It is very safe to say that commercial airline travel would simply not be at the same caliber we find it today.