We are surrounded by icons: we drive them, we wear them, we experience them. But up in the air, things are a different matter. Planes, and we mean big ol’ jets, are a means of transportation for so many of us — just a way to get somewhere and (hopefully) without delays and only minor jockeying for overhead luggage space — but in their colossal efforts in moving us from here to there, a few are are more deserving of legendary status than you’d imagine.
747. The Jumbo Jet. Whether you’re a million miler or just look for the cheapest thing on Kayak, the 747 is a plane that requires no introduction. You know it has an upstairs. You know that’s what Air Force One is. You know it’s been around forever and it still imparts second glances through the glass even when you’re beelining it for baggage claim. It’s a stalwart of the skies.
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But let’s put aside the nerdy jet-poetry for a second and talk some statistics. The 747 has earned them. Let’s say you booked a flight to the moon (oh the miles). You would be logging approximately 238,850 miles. One way. The world’s fleet of 747s has made the trip the equivalent of 203,000 times. That’s 42 billion nautical miles across the birds’ lifespan, during which the fleet has ferried the equivalent of 80% of the world’s population. If you’re counting, that’s 5.6 billion people. And these stats are just for civilian aircraft. Its duties as a freighter are equally impressive.
Since its birth in the ’60s as a revolutionary way to tackle long distance flights with large passenger loads, the 747 has undergone several evolutions. Today the 4th generation 747, the 747-8 Intercontinental, is, in our opinion, the finest one yet, though its success has been somewhat marred by its misunderstood approach. In the previous decades while manufacturers focused on making their products bigger, newer and faster, Boeing took a different tack with the 747: efficiency and evolution. Elsewhere, the undeniably successful (and colossal) double-decker Airbus A380 garnered praise, and for good reason. But the bloated machine’s overshadowing of the 747-8 has more to do with its epic proportions than its merits as a machine of pure world transportation or, in our eyes, design.
During its lifespan the 747 has logged 42 billion nautical miles, during which it has ferried the equivalent of 80% of the world’s population.
Though the 747-8 is an entirely new plane, it strikes a familar silhouette to previous 747s. Most may not even notice, but its upper deck, which once only accommodated a lounge or a small premium class cabin, now touts the equivalent square space of a Boeing 737-700. Its four engines are nearly the diameter of a B-29 Bomber’s fuselage. It generates enough power to operate 480,000 32-inch flatscren TVs. It’s the longest commercial aircraft in the world and its wings are the equivalent of four 3-bedroom homes. It can carry 422,000 pounds nearly 7800 miles. Los Angeles to Melbourne with 467 souls on board? Pie.