(thing) by sekicho Wed Mar 26 2003 at 22:30:25

After a dialogue with The Ubiquitous Custodian, I have only realized my own failure to grasp the wide range of 747 variants out there. So far, these appear to be all of them:

  • 747-100: The original version of the 747, seating 330 passengers in 3 classes, and flying up to 5,100 miles. It entered service with Pan American World Airways in 1970. Production ended in 1986: most 100's remaining nowadays have been converted to freighters. The oldest -100's can be easily identified by their hump, which has only three windows from back in the days when the hump contained a lounge; after airlines began sticking business class seats upstairs, Boeing offered a ten-window hump, which quickly became the norm.
  • 747-100B: An improved version with a stronger undercarriage and structural design. Saudi Arabian Airlines still flies many of these.
  • 747-100SR: Domestic variant, seating 505 to 550 passengers. Entered service with Japan Airlines in 1973. All Nippon Airways operates most of the remaining models.
  • Shuttle Carrier Aircraft: A 747-100 refitted to carry the Space Shuttle from Florida to California and vice versa. Until the Challenger disaster, this was a surplus American Airlines 747-100; it was replaced by a former JAL 747-100SR in 1991.

  • 747-200: Same capacity as the -100, but with a longer operating range of 6,800 miles. The hump has eight windows. Entered service with KLM in 1971, and production ended in 1990 with the rollout of Air Force One (see below).
  • 747-200C: Convertible aircraft capable of carrying either passengers or freight. First flew for World Airways in 1973.
  • 747-200F: All-freight version. First flew for Lufthansa in 1972: production ended in 1991.
  • 747-200M: The first Combi 747, with a main deck that accommodates both passengers and freight, and can be adjusted between the two. Entered service with Air Canada in 1975.

  • 747-300: Has an extended hump with a door in the middle. Longer range (7,120 miles) and higher capacity than the -200. Entered service with Swissair in 1983: production ended in 1988.
  • 747-300M: Combi variant. Entered service with Swissair in 1983: production ended in 1990.
  • 747-300SR: Domestic variant. Only four were built, all for Japan Airlines.

  • 747-400: Carries 416 passengers up to 7,890 miles. Has an extended hump like the -300, as well as winglets. Entered service with Northwest Airlines in 1989.
  • 747-400D: All-coach domestic version, carrying 568 passengers. Entered service with Japan Airlines in 1991.
  • 747-400ER: Extended range version (up to 8,060 miles). Entered service with Qantas in 2002.
  • 747-400ERF: Extended range all-freight version. Entered service with Air France in 2002.
  • 747-400F: All-freight version. Entered service with Cargolux in 1993.
  • 747-400M: Combi variant. Entered service with KLM in 1989.

  • 747-8 Intercontinental: Announced in 2005. Will use the super-efficient General Electric engines developed for the Boeing 787, and a redesigned wing that curves upward, also like the 787. 3.6m longer than the 747-400.
  • 747-8 Freighter: Launched alongside the passenger version. Scheduled to enter service with Cargolux in 2009.

  • 747SP: A shortened 747 with a higher airspeed (610 mph vs. 570 mph) and a much higher range (up to 10,200 miles). First flew for Pan Am in 1976: they were mainly used by airlines in the South Pacific, such as Qantas and American Airlines, and are now mostly found in the Middle East flying for Iran Air and Syrianair. 220 passengers in 3-class configuration, and 280 in 2-class. 44 were built: production ended in 1989.

  • 747SUD: Not a model, but rather a modification to -100 and -200 series 747's to give them stretched upper decks like the -300 and -400 series. JAL has a lot of SUD-modified 100SR's.

  • 747X: A larger 747-400 designed to compete with the Airbus A380. Currently shelved. Concept art is available at http://www.boeingchina.com/images/tu/747/4_b.jpg .

  • E-4 NAOC/NEACP: A heavily modded 747-200 designed to allow U.S. government officials to run a nuclear war from the safety of the air (see The Sum of All Fears). Deployed in 1974 and upgraded in 1980. Four were built, and are currently stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
  • VC-25 Air Force One: A heavily modded 747-200 used to transport the President of the United States of America. Deployed in 1990. Two are currently operational, stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. The E-4 and VC-25 look very similar: the only obvious distinguishing feature is a small radome on top of the E-4. (Incidentally, other countries also use the 747 as a state transport: Bahrain, Iran, Japan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.)
  • YAL-1 Airborne Laser: Missile defense system consisting of a large chemical laser mounted in the fuselage of a 747. Still in development but has already shot stuff in flight as of 2008.

The largest 747 fleets belong to:

  1. Japan Airlines (81)
  2. British Airways (57)
  3. Singapore Airlines (52)
  4. Northwest Airlines (48)
  5. United Airlines (47)
  6. Korean Air (46)
  7. Air France (40)
    Lufthansa (40)
  8. Atlas Air (39)
  9. KLM (34)
    Qantas (34)
  10. Cathay Pacific Airways (31)
  11. China Airlines (19)

Finally, a complete list of all the fatal 747 crashes to date:

Lufthansa flight 540, Nairobi, 1974
Tenerife Airport Disaster, 1977
Air-India flight 855, Arabian Sea, 1978
Korean Air flight 007, Sea of Okhotsk, 1983
Avianca flight 011, Madrid, 1983
Air-India flight 182, Atlantic Ocean, 1985
Japan Airlines flight 123, Tokyo, 1985
South African Airways flight 295, Indian Ocean, 1987
Pan Am flight 103, Lockerbie, 1988
China Airlines flight 358, Taiwan, 1991
TWA Flight 800, Long Island, 1996
Saudia flight 763, Delhi, 1996
Korean Air flight 801, Guam, 1997
Singapore Airlines flight 006, Taipei, 2000
China Airlines flight 611, Penghu Islands, 2002

sources: boeing.com, globalsecurity.org, jetphotos.net, aviation-safety.net, and aerospaceweb.org

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