| The Jumbo Jet |
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October 1995 saw the launch of the Boeing 747-400 on the basis of an order placed by Northwest Airlines.
The 747-400 was considered as a further development of the 747-300 encompassing many changes to the structure and systems. The wingspan has been increased and consumes up to 13% less fuel than the 747-300 and up to 17% less than the 747-200.
The 747-400 includes a choice of advanced technology such as the Pratt & Whitney PW4056, General Electric CF6-80C2 and the Rolls Royce RB211-524G/H engines.
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| The 747-400 has seen the transformation of a three crew-member analogue cockpit to a full digital, two crew flight deck with six multifunction CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays and flight crew workload is designed to be one-half to one-third that of former 747 models. |
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The 747-400 first flew in April 1988 powered by PW4056 and entered service in January 1989 with Northwest Airlines. |
| The developments of the 747-400 included an increased wingspan by the use of extensions on the wingtips and upward pointing winglets to reduce drag and increase the range of the aircraft. Japanese airlines have bought the aircraft without winglets, however, for high intensity Japanese domestic routes. This has required some additional minor changes though, such as strengthening the aircraft to accommodate a large number of landings and takeoffs. The addition of the winglet provides the affect of having an even greater wingspan without outgrowing the standard airport slot. |
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Air France first bought the freighter version, the 747-400F in 1989, but Cargolux was the first to put it into service.
The 747-400 offers the lowest operating costs per seat and delivers more range and better fuel economy than the previous 747 models
Boeing redesigned the 747-400 to improve passenger comfort and flexibility for airline operators to relocate class dividers and galley and lavatory modules.
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Specifications:
- Boeing 747-400 is available in passenger, combi freighter and domestic configurations. Two pilot digital flight deck.
- Up to 524 passengers.
- Wing Span 64.67 m (212 ft 2in).
- Range up to 8400 mi (13,400km)
- Gross weight 800,000 to 870,000 lb
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