Boeing 747-400

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Boeing 747-400

A British Airways 747-400. British Airways is the largest

operator of the -400 with 57.
Type Airliner
Boeing Commercial
Manufacturer
Airplanes
Maiden flight 1988-04-29
1989-02-09
Introduction (Northwest
Airlines)
Status In service
Passenger version:
1988-2005
Produced
Freighter version:
1988-current
US$230 million
Unit cost
(2006)
Developed from Boeing 747
Boeing 747-8
Variants
Boeing YAL-1

The Boeing 747-400 is the latest version of the Boeing

747 in service and the largest commercial airliner, a title
it will lose to the Airbus A380 when the latter enters
service in October 2007.[1] The -400 series is the best
selling and the most advanced model of the 747 family.
The 747-400 is being replaced by the Boeing 747-8,
expected to enter service in 2009.
Design and development
The 747-400 was announced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in October 1985.
Compared to the 747-300 the 747-400 has 6 ft (1.83 m) wing tip extensions and 6 ft (2 m)
winglets, an all-new glass cockpit which dispensed with the need for a flight engineer,
tail fuel tanks, revised engines, an all-new interior, revised fuselage/wing fairings and
newer in-flight entertainment to the basic design of the -300 series. Like the 747-300, the
passenger version of the 747-400 included the stretched upper deck (SUD) as a standard
feature. The SUD was almost twice as long as the standard upper deck; it had previously
been offered as a retrofit and first appeared on two Japanese 747-100 SR models.[1]
While the wingspan was increased, the overall weight of the wings was decreased due to
the use of composites and aluminum alloys.

An ANA 747-400, decorated with images of different Pokémon.

It was rolled out in January 1988 and first flew on April 29, 1988. Certification was
received on January 10, 1989 with PW4000 engines, May 18, 1989 with CF6-80C2s and
June 8, 1989 with RB211-524Gs. The first 747-400 was delivered to Northwest Airlines
on January 26, 1989, with service entry on February 9.[2] The extended range freighter
(ERF) entered service in October 2002. The next month, the extended range (ER)
passenger version entered service with Qantas, the only airline ever to order the
passenger version of the 747-400ER. Qantas uses the aircraft on its Melbourne-Los
Angeles flights, which are too long to operate using a standard 747-400.

The Boeing Signature Interior was later made available on the 747-400, either as
interior refitting on existing 747-400s or as a "fresh-from-installation" option on newer
747-400s and 747-400ERs. One example, China Airlines's two newest Boeing 747-400s,
(tail number B-1821x), were newly built with Boeing Signature Interior. One of the
newest Boeing 747-400s (B-18210), has a combined Boeing/China Airlines livery
painted in 787 Dreamliner colors.

Production of the 747-400 passenger version officially ended on March 15, 2007.
Production of -400 freighters and -400ER freighters continues with thirty six yet to be
delivered.[3]

[edit] Variants
Virgin Atlantic Airways 747-400 "Tinker Belle" taxiing to the take off point at London
Heathrow Airport.

Malaysia Airlines Kargo 747-400F.

A Great Wall Airlines 747-400F at Manchester International Airport.

[edit] 747-400

The 747-400 is an improved version of the 747-300 with increased wingspan, winglets,
revised engines and a glass cockpit that removed the need for a flight engineer. The 747-
400 passenger version features a stretched upper deck (SUD) like the 747-300 as a
standard feature.

Production of the 747-400 passenger version officially ceased on March 15, 2007.[3] The
last four -400s on order were canceled by Philippine Airlines (which switched to the 777-
300ER). The last to order the -400 was China Airlines in November 2002, with the last
passenger 747-400 constructed in 2005 and delivered in April of that year.[3] It was the
1358th 747-400 (MSN33737/B-18215).[4]

[edit] 747-400F

The 747-400F (Freighter) is an all freight version which uses the fuselage design of the
747-200F. The aircraft's first flight was on May 4, 1993 and it entered service with
Cargolux Airlines on November 17, 1993. Major customers include Atlas Air, Cargolux,
China Airlines, Korean Air, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Polar Air Cargo, and Singapore
Airlines. The -400F can be easily distinguished from the passenger -400 by its shorter
upper-deck hump.

The United States Air Force has purchased seven 747-400Fs to act as "Airborne Laser"
carriers, designated YAL-1A. The aircraft are heavily modified to carry a nose mounted
turret and Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) equipment.

Boeing has orders for eighteen 747-400F aircraft yet to be completed.[3]

[edit] 747-400M

The 747-400M (a passenger/freight or "Combi" variant) first flew on June 30, 1989 and
entered service with KLM on September 12, 1989. The -400M has a large cargo door
fitted to the rear of the fuselage.

[edit] 747-400D

The 747-400D (Domestic) is a high density seating model developed for short-haul
domestic Japanese flights. The aircraft is capable of seating a maximum of 568
passengers in a 3-class configuration or 660 passengers in a single-class configuration.
The -400D lacks the wing tip extensions and winglets included on other variants,
allowing for increased number of takeoffs and landings by lowering wing stresses.[citation
needed]
The benefits of winglets would be minimal on short routes. The -400D may be
converted to the long range version when needed.

The 747-400 Domestic first flew on March 18, 1991 and entered service with Japan
Airlines on October 22, 1991.

[edit] 747-400ER

The 747-400ER (Extended range) was launched on November 28, 2000 following an
order by Qantas for 6 aircraft. This was ultimately the only order for the passenger
version. The -400ER can fly an additional 805 km or carry 6,800 kg more freight. Qantas
received the first -400ER on October 31, 2002.

The 747-400ER includes the option of 1 or 2 additional 3,240 US gallon body fuel tanks
in the forward cargo hold. Manufactured by Marshall Aerospace, these tanks utilize
innovative metal to metal honeycomb bonded technology to achieve an incredibly high
dry weight to fuel volume ratio. Similar technology has been used in the development by
Marshall of body fuel tanks for the 777-200LR and P-8A Poseidon MMA aircraft.

[edit] 747-400ERF

The 747-400ERF is the freight version of the -400ER, launched on April 30, 2001. The
-400ERF was delivered to Air France (via ILFC) on October 17, 2002. The 747-400ERF
has a maximum payload of 248,600 pounds (112,760 kg) and can carry 22,000 pounds
(9,980 kg) more than other 747-400 freighters on long-range flights at maximum takeoff
weight. It has a maximum range of 9,200 km, about 525 km farther than other 747-400
freighters, and has a strengthened fuselage, landing gear and parts of its wing, along with
new, larger tires.

Boeing has eighteen 747-400ERF aircraft yet to be delivered.[3] The new 747-8 Freighter
will have more payload capacity but less range than the 747-400ERF.

[edit] 747-400BCF

The 747-400BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter), formerly known as the 747-400SF

(Special Freighter), is a conversion program for standard 747-400s. The project was
launched in 2004. The first Boeing 747-400BCF was redelivered to Cathay Pacific Cargo
and entered service on December 19, 2005.

[edit] 747 Large Cargo Freighter

Main article: Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter

Boeing announced in October 2003 that due to the length of time of marine shipping, air
transport will be the primary method of transporting parts for the Boeing 787. Pre-owned
passenger 747-400 aircraft are to be converted into an outsize, "Large Cargo Freighter"
configuration, in order to ferry sub-assemblies to Everett, Washington for final
assembly.[5] The LCF has a bulging fuselage similar to that of the Super Guppy or Airbus
Beluga cargo planes used for transporting wings and fuselage sections. The conversion,
designed by Boeing engineers from Puget Sound , Moscow and Canoga Park, Calif. and
Gamesa Aeronautica in Spain,[6] is carried out in Taiwan by a subsidiary of the Evergreen
Group.[7] Boeing has purchased three former China Airlines aircraft and converted two of
them and the third one is currently being modified.

Compared to marine shipping, delivery times for the parts built in Italy will be reduced
from around 45 days to four hours with the 747 LCF.[5] The Large Cargo Freighter can
hold three times the volume of a 747-400F freighter.[6][8] Evergreen International Airlines,
which is unrelated to the Evergreen Group, is the operator of the LCF fleet.[5][9]

The LCF is not a Boeing production model and will not be sold to any customers or see
any airliner operation. It will be for Boeing's exclusive use.

[edit] Current operators

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This article has been tagged since February 2007.
Total Passenger Aircraft in service: 493

[edit] Passenger
(sorted by number of 747 in fleet, then by name of operator)

• British Airways (57) (RB211)

• Japan Air Lines (41) (CF6)
• Lufthansa (30) (CF6)
• Qantas (30) (RB211/CF6)
• United Airlines (30) (PW4056)
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (22) (CF6)
• Singapore Airlines (22) (PW4056)
• All Nippon Airways (23) (CF6)
• Korean Air (23) (PW4056)
• Cathay Pacific (21) (RB211/PW4056)
• Thai Airways International (18) (CF6)
• Malaysia Airlines (11) (PW4056)
• Air France (16) (CF6)
• Northwest Airlines (16) (PW4056)
• Air India (15) (PW4056)
• China Airlines (15) (PW4056/CF6)
• EVA Air (15) (CF6)
• Virgin Atlantic Airways (13) (CF6)
• Air China (12) (PW4056)
• Air New Zealand (8) (CF6/RB211)
• Asiana Airlines (8) (CF6)
• South African Airways (7) (CF6/RB211)
• Transaero (7) One of them will delivered in summer of 2007
• Corsairfly (6) (PW4056)
• Philippine Airlines (5) (CF6)
• Saudi Arabian Airlines (5) (CF6)
• El Al (4) (CF6)
• Aerolineas Argentinas (3) (PW4056)
• Garuda Indonesia (3) (CF6)
• Air Pacific (2) (PW4056)
• Oasis Hong Kong (4)+4 (CF6/PW4056)
• Royal Air Maroc (1) (CF6)
• Surinam Airways (1) (CF6)

[edit] Cargo
(sorted by number of 747 in fleet, then by name of operator)

• China Airlines Cargo (21) (CF6)

 • Korean Air Cargo (19) (PW4056)
• Singapore Airlines Cargo (16) (PW4056)
• Cargolux (13) (RB211/CF6)
• Cathay Pacific Cargo (19+6) (RB211/PW4056)
• Polar Air Cargo (6) (CF6)
• Malaysia Airlines Cargo (6)
• Air China Cargo (5) (PW4056)
• Air France Cargo (5) (CF6)
• Atlas Air (5) (CF6)
• Asiana Cargo (5) (CF6)
• Emirates Skycargo (4) (CF6)
• Jade Cargo International (3) (CF6)
• EVA Air Cargo (3) (CF6)
• Global Supply Systems (3) (CF6)
• JAL Cargo (3) (CF6)
• KLM Cargo (3) (CF6)
• China Southern Cargo (2) (CF6)
• Great Wall Airlines (2) (PW4056)
• Dragonair Cargo (2) (PW4056)
• Nippon Cargo Airlines (2) (PW4056)
• TNT Airways (2) (CF6)
• China Cargo Airlines (1) (CF6)
• Martinair Cargo (2) (PW4056)

[edit] Other use

(sorted by number of 747 in fleet, then by name of operator)

• Dubai Air Wing (4) (PW4056/CF6)

• Boeing (3)** (PW4056)
• Government of Japan (2) (CF6)
• Kingdom Aircraft Leasing (2) (PW4056)
• Royal Flight of Oman (2) (CF6)
• Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight (1) (PW4056)
• Government of Brunei (1) (CF6)
• Government of Kuwait (1) (CF6)
• Government of Saudi Arabia (1) (CF6)
• United States Air Force (1) (CF6)

[edit] Specifications
Model 747-400 747-400ER
Cockpit Crew Two
Seating capacity 416 (3-class)
Length 231 ft 10 in (70.6 m)
 Wingspan 211 ft 5 in (64.4 m)
Height 63 ft 8 in (19.4 m)
178,756 kg 164,382 kg
Weight empty
(393,263 lb) (361,640 lb)
396,890 kg 412,775 kg
Maximum take-off weight
(875,000 lb) (910,000 lb)
Mach 0.85 Mach 0.855
Cruising speed
(491 kt, 910 km/h) (493 kt, 913 km/h)
Mach 0.92
Maximum speed
(590 kt, 1093 km/h)
Takeoff run at MTOW (3,018 m) (3,090 m)
7,260 nm 7,670 nm
Range fully loaded
(13,450 km) (14,205 km)
Max. fuel capacity 57,285 US gal (216,840 L) 63,705 US gal (241,140 L)
Fuel cap./range fully loaded (16.1 L/km) (17.0 L/km)
PW 4062
PW 4062
Engine models (x 4) GE CF6-80C2B5F
GE CF6-80C2B5F
RR RB211-524H
63,300 lbf PW
63,300 lbf PW
Engine thrust (x 4) 62,100 lbf GE
62,100 lbf GE
59,500 lbf RR

Sources: [2], [3]

[edit] References
1. ^ Airbus A380 for Singapore Airlines update, Airbus release, May 10, 2007
2. ^ About the 747 Family, Boeing, retrieved 12 June, 2006
3. ^ a b c d e 747-400 passenger is no more., Seattlepi.com 17 March, 2007
4. ^ Flight International, 27 March - 2 April 2007
5. ^ a b c "Ugly in the Air: Boeing's New Plane Gets Gawks, Stares." Lunsford, J. L.
The Wall Street Journal. January 8, 2007.
6. ^ a b "Boeing's 747 Large Cargo Freighter Development on Plan." Boeing
Commercial Airplanes press release. February 22, 2005.
7. ^ "Boeing Selects EGAT for 747 Large Cargo Freighter Modifications." Boeing
Commercial Airplanes press release. February 18, 2005.
8. ^ "Boeing 7E7 Will Use Air Transport for Component Delivery." Boeing
Commercial Airplanes press release. October 13, 2003.
9. ^ "Evergreen International Airlines, Inc. to Operate Boeing 747 Large Cargo
Freighters." Boeing Commercial Airplanes press release. December 15, 2005.

[edit] External links

• 747-400 Family Official Site
[edit] Related content

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