A Brief History
On December 20, 1957, one of the most important flights in the history of passenger airlines took place when the Boeing 707 jetliner made its first flight. Although not the first jetliner to carry passengers, the 707 was the first successful commercial passenger jet, and remains in limited service today.
Digging Deeper
Developed from the Boeing prototype jetliner 367-80, circa 1954, the 707 also traces its lineage to the great Boeing bombers of the post-World War II era, the B-47 and the B-52. Like those bombers, the 707 has a relatively narrow fuselage and carries its 4 jet engines under its wings in pods. Produced from 1958 to 1979, the 707 can be credited for transforming passenger flight into the jet age, beginning commercial service in October of 1958. (Note: The DeHaviland Comet I flew first, but carried a quarter of the passengers of a 707 at 100 mph slower, and was removed from service when they began to break up in flight, until a redesign could be made.)
During its active service, the 707 was modified to use different engines and reconfigured to carry more passengers farther, as many as 219 passengers compared to the original 110 and a range of nearly 5000 nautical miles, about double the original range. Its 590 mph speed doubled that of piston powered airliners. Over 1000 707’s have been built as airliners, with an additional 154 designated 720, a slightly smaller version.
Also developed as military variants, the 707 is the basis for the E-3 AWACS/Sentry, E-6 Mercury and E-8 Joint Stars (made by Northrop Grumman). The military also used the 707 as the C-137 Stratoliner for personnel transport. Over 800 military versions have been built.
Although not the most produced jetliner of all time, and the amount of passengers carried and miles flown elude my research, the 707 is certainly the jet that put the world’s airline passengers in the clouds (30,000 to 44,000 feet) and at speeds approaching 600 mph. Celebrated in numerous cultural references, perhaps the 1970 film, Airport, best pays homage to this wonderful aircraft, repeatedly giving testimony to its ruggedness and reliability.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Cearley Jr., George Walker. Boeing 707 & 720: A Pictorial History. George W. Cearley, Jr.,1993.
Francillon, Rene. Boeing 707: Pioneer Jetliner (Jetliner History). Zenith Press, 1999.