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Boeing and Competitors
Boeing 707 and 720 That famous company, founded in 1915 by Edward Boeing, son of a German immigrant, became America’s leader in airliner production. Studies for a jet bomber had started in 1943 and proposals were made by Boeing, Convair, Martin and North American. In 1945 Boeing got order for XB-47 studies. In that year G. Schairer of Boeing disvovered arrow-wing documents at the wind-tunnel complex at Volkenroede near Braunschweig in defeated Germany. It resulted in changing the design into a swept-back winged type 450 with 6 General Electric engines placed in under-wing pods (information by Bill Gunston). The result was the strategic 6-engined jet bomber XB-47, which had its maiden flight in 1947, to be followed by the larger 8-engined B-52 of 1952, victorious against the Convair YB-60. A transport aircraft following the same principle of a swept-back wing and turbojet engines in maintenance-friendly separated pods emerged as Boeing’s most promising concept also for civil aviation. In 1952 Boeing announced the 4-engined civil and military transport jet aircraft and, financed by Boeing, the first 367-80, the so-called ‘Dash Eighty’ N70700, was completed at Renton in 1954. Immediately the tanker version KC-135 was ordered. In 1955 Boeing under CEO Bill Allen achieved its decisive commercial success: Pan American contracted to buy 50 Boeing 707-120 jetliners with Pratt & Whitney engines. In October 1958 the 707-121 “Clipper America” for 180 passengers undertook its first commercial flight New York – Paris. American Airlines, TWA, and Qantas were among the first users of the 707 and more than 1,000 were built in various versions, including the Air Force types. In 1978 the production of the civil airliner version ended. For Pan American they stayed in service until 1981 and many 707s continued their career as freighters. The smaller derivative Boeing 720 was first introduced in 1960 by United Airlines and, suitable for smaller airports, it was of interest for many countries. Boeing’s test pilot “Tex” Johnston had created a unique sensation in 1955 when he had flown a roll with the 707 prototype near Seattle and later rumors emerged that the loss of a 720 during test flights in Germany was caused by an attempt to copy “Tex”. With the Boeing 707 the principal design layout of the big passenger jet had been defined. Pratt & Whitney’s turbofan engines from 1960 brought greater power as well as extended range and Rolls-Royce engines mostly were confined to BOAC. In the Soviet bloc, only Tarom of Romania under Ceausescu owned, apart from the Tu-134 and IL-62, also the Boeing 707, showing political ambitions. Another matter is China, its CAAC having been dependent on Russian planes. When president Nixon opened up relationship in 1972, of course he arrived aboard the “Air Force One” 707. In the same year CAAC ordered ten Boeing 707s and 40 spare Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines. In 1980 the unlicensed copy Y-10, built by Shanghai Aviation Industrial Corp. and equipped with JT3D engines, made its first flight. In the same year CAAC received Boeing 747SPs and the Y-10 subsequently was hidden away at Shanghai Dasheng air base.
Competitor DC-8 When Pan American ordered the 707, they contracted also to buy 20 DC-8 jetliners, an aerodynamically improved copy by competitor Douglas. With a possible 3+3 seating layout it had forced Boeing to adopt this cross-section also for the 707-120. Being exclusively a civil aircraft, development of the DC-8 had to be financed by the Douglas Aircraft Company, legendary since the time of the DC-3. In 1959 the first DC-8 series 10 with 4 Pratt & Whitney engines were introduced by United Airlines and Delta Airlines. In 1961 the DC-8 series 43 no.N96047 achieved Mach1 during trials at Edwards Base, according to Air&Space (August 2011). Other sources reported a speed of 1,075km/h. With the stretched “Super Sixty” version the capacity was raised and the highlight became the DC-8 series 63, introduced in 1967 first by KLM. Production ended in 1972, giving way to the DC-10. Convair, VC-10 and IL-62 The Boeing 707 and the equally beautiful Douglas DC-8 meant the victory of jet aircraft. The similar Convair 880/990A of General Dynamics/Convair, in service since 1961 and known as the “Coronado”, as well as the rear-engined quad Vickers VC-10 of 1964 came too late. Its Soviet copy, the Ilyuslun IL-62 of 1967, became the long-haul aircraft of the East, but like all the Russian jets, it was uneconomic and the 4 engines positioned in the rear proved a disadvantage. Japan Airlines had to cooperate with Aeroflot which employed its Tu-114 turboprops and IL-62s, for being granted the right to cross Siberia on a Tokyo – Moscow – Europe route. The Tu-114 showed a Japan Air Lines label, but Russian CCCP registration. Zentner’s ‘Verkehrsflugzeuge der Welt’ stated that KLM had the IL-62, but at least no PH registrations are to be found in the literature (e.g. Dennison: Jet Airliner Markings). It was reported that Air-India had wet-leased an IL-62, but R.E.G. Davies (Airlines of Asia) did not confirm it.
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