747 Fleet

  • Production of the world’s first twin-aisle airplane, the 747 began in 1967 and  spanned 55 years, during which a total of 1,574 airplanes were built for 100+  customers. 
  • The 747 fleet has logged more than 118 million flight hours and nearly 23 million  flight cycles.  
  • From the early days of the program, the 747 was designed with freight in mind. A key  reason the 747 design located the flight deck on a second level was to facilitate cargo  loading in later freighter derivatives.  

747-8 General  

  • At typical cruising speeds, the 747-8 travels roughly the length of three FIFA soccer  fields or NFL football fields, per second.  
  • The 747-8 is able to travel the length of a standard 26.2-mile marathon (42.2 km) in  2.5 minutes.  
  • The 747-8 tail height is 63 ft 6 in (19.5 m), equivalent to a six-story building.  
  • With a revenue payload of 133.1 tonnes, the 747-8 Freighter is able to transport 10,699 solid gold bars, valued at $7.7 billion. 
  • The 747-8 Freighter could hold approximately 19 million ping-pong balls or golf balls.  
  • The total electrical capacity of a 747-8 can power up to 480,000 32-in. (81 cm) flat  screen televisions.  
  • A 747-8 Freighter is able to instantly airlift nearly 9 million 72-hour medical kits or  122,000 military MRE (meals ready to eat) to a location in distress. 

Wings  

  • One 747-8 wing would accommodate the total living space (total floor area) of four  family homes, each with three bedrooms and two bathrooms at 1,375 square feet  each (128 sq. m).  
  • The wingspan of the 747-8 is as wide as two 737-700s lined up nose to tail. 

Engines  

  • Engine thrust has grown from 43,500 pounds per engine on the early 747s to as much  as 747-8 GENx-B2 engines are rated @ 66,500 pounds per engine.  
  • The fan diameter of the 747-8 GEnx-2B engine is nearly the fuselage diameter of a B 29 bomber fuselage.  
  • One 747-8 GEnx-2B engine has approximately the same take-off thrust as all eight  engines together on the original B-52 bomber (PW YJ57-3).  

Flight  

  • The 747-8 Intercontinental range is approximately 7,790 nautical miles (14,430 km);  the freighter range is approximately 4,325 nautical miles (8,010 km).  
  • Maximum takeoff weight is almost one million pounds (about 450,000 kg). 

Interior  

  • There are 14 stairs in the stairwell to the upper deck.  
  • Just the upper deck of a 747-8 Intercontinental has the same square area as a 737- 700.