FREE ESSAY ON BOEING 700

BOEING 700

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.