Boeing 747-400 (Airliner Tech Vol. 10)

108 Pages·2002·79.19 MB·English

by  Robert F. Dorr

5 E R I E 5
JUMBOJET I
VOLUME 10
I
-
• Improved 747Models • 747-400 Roster
• 747-400 Variants • Advanced Engines
• Technical Description • The World's Largest Airliner
~~
AirlinerTech Series IiJ!LHEl!!~!!I~
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I
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AIRLINERTECH "
5 E R I E 5
10
VOLUME
BOEING
By F.
ROBERT DORR
COPYRIGHT © 2002 ROBERTF. DORR
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Material contained inthisbookisintended for historical and entertainmentvalue only,
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Printed inChina
Title Page: AtlasAir was not thefirst userofthe popular 747-400Ffreighter but it became the largest when itacquired Polar
Airin 2001, and now hauls cargo in several otherliveries inaddition to its own. This jetliner is operatingat California's Los
AngelesInternational AirportinAugust2001. (Sunil Gupta)
FrontCover: This studyofaJapan Airlines747-400from beneath providesan excellentviewofsomeofthe technicalfeatures
ofthe aircraft. Note the complexity ofthe three-piece trailing edgeflaps located inboard ofthe engines and the separate set of
trailing-edgeflaps outboard. We canalso seedetail ofthe leading-edgeflaps and main landinggear. (TomPesch)
Back Cover (LeftTop): Illustrating an airliner with charactersfrom the children's game Pokemon was apleasing move by
AllNippon Airways. This aircraft is Boeing 747-481, line number979, c/n25645, registered asJA8962. Unlike -400s in early
operation on domestic routes, this aircraft's international configuration is equippedwith winglets. (Alex Hrapunov)
BackCover (RightTop): This is the undersideofthe left wingofapartiallyassembled 747-400in the Everettfactory, priorto
installation ofengines. The split pylon doors are in the open position. Each wing ofthe 747-400 weighs 33,000 pounds but
would beheavierwere itnotfor the counterbalancinginfluenceofthe pylon-mountedengines. Games c. Goodall)
BackCover (RightLower): The -400's mostwidely-usedpowerplantis the General Electric CF6-80C-B1Fhigh bypass ratio
turbofan engine, a derivative of the CF6-50E2 but with a shorter overall length, larger diameter fan, four-stage booster
compressor, shortercombuster,core-mountedaccessorygearboxandengineaccessories,andrelocatedenginemounts. (Boeing)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOEING 747-400
Introduction 4
A Word from the Author
Chapter 1 Flying a 747-400 7
Long Haul Mission in Boeing's Biggest
Chapter 2 Why the 747-400 ? 25
Improving Upon Aerial Success
Chapter 3 747-400 Airlines 75
Today and Tomorrow
Color Section Colorful Jumbos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 65
A 875,000-pound Flying Canvas
Chapter 4 747-400 Variants 51
Main Models in Use
Chapter 5 Technical Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 35
Walk-Around Check
Appendix A 747-400 Roster 96
By The Numbers
Appendix B Significant Dates 103
Key Dates in the History of the Boeing 747-400
BOEING
141-400
INTRODUCTION
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR
Tv'" .~.,..,.,.••"",~""he Boeing 747-400 is the ing prices, staggering delays, surly nience of new security measures.
!
transformed version of the employees, lost baggage. No matter Now, the United States was at war,
,..,.L. airliner that changed the what happened, things would have Americans saw their economy in a
world. In manyways, itis a new air to getbetter. tailspin, and air travel, once so glam
craft rather than a development of Briefly, they did. A non-stop orous and exciting in an earlier age,
the wide body "jumbo jet" that 747-400 flight from Chicago to wasnowmoreanordealthanever.
brought air travel to the everyday Tokyo, which inspired the first The 747-400 continued to travel
citizen. Withan outershellthatdates chapter, wasa delight. the globe hauling people and car
to the mid-1980s and an interior that However, while his book was goes. However, some -400s joined
reflects a digital revolution and a under way, the United States was uneconomical 747 "classics" that
new century, the 747-400 is a com attacked. Nineteen men transformed were basking in the sun in bone
plex and smoothly functioning thing our beloved airliners into lethal mis yards in the American Southwest
of beauty. Many regard the 747-400 siles; they were used to kill 3,000 too costly to yield a profit for air
as the most majestic flying machine innocent people. In the aftermath of lines experiencing one of the worst
plyingtheworld's revenueroutes. the attack of September 11, 2001, air slumpsever.
The aircraft is a fitting successor travelslumpedbadly, and thenbegan The 747-400 was at a crossroads
to the 747 "classic" airliner that to improve a.little, but not much. At when this volume went to the print
came before it. In like manner, this the start of2002, itwas more a hassle er, and its future was waiting to be
volume is a follow-up to Volume 6 than ever-inexperienced leisure defined. Meanwhile, tumult in the
in the Airliner Tech series by Dennis travelers deterred by their fear of ter airline industry meant that informa
R. Jenkins, which tells the story of rorism, seasoned frequent flyers tionaboutany airline or airliner was
the 747-100/200/300/SPseries. equally deterred by the inconve- indanger ofbeingout-of-datebefore
When this volume was begun,
the world's airlines already were
parking and storing three-pilot jet
liners to cutcosts. By the time it was
finished, they were beginning to
park and store more four-~nginejet
liners-yes, even the stately 747
400-for the same reason. Anyone
looking at the future of air travel
mightwonder whether the future lie
with any commercial aircraft pow
ered by more than two engines, but
Boeing is proceeding with the
"Longer-Range 747-400" due in
2002, and its hopes arehigh.
I started work on this mono
graphwhenthe UnitedStateswas at
peace, Americans were prospering,
and air travel was increasingly
becoming a hassle. To us frequent The 747-400's distinctive winglet seenfrom the passenger's viewpoint. This shot
flyers, the air travel year 2000 of a Singapore Airlines craft was taken over Mount Everest, but the world's
seemed theworstexperience anyone highest mountain eluded the camera while the winglet stood out distinctively.
could have-crowded flights, soar- (Jim Winchester)
AIRLINERTEC.H.
4
The enormous bulk ofthe 747-400fuselage contrasts dramatically with the high-incidence, relatively thin wing when viewed
from thefront, moments after takeoff. This is aKLMaircraft. (Andre Ran)
the printer's ink was dry. This book Every Boeing aircraft (whether history office unearthed documents,
containsplenty ofinformationabout 737,747,oranothermodel)isassigned and the manufacturer provided
the ownership and operation of the a five-digit manufacturer's serial facilities to a photographer whose
747-400, and much of it will remain number in a series that only recently work appears here. However, Boe
valid. Some of it will change, faster reached 30,000. The 696th aircraft in ing could make no one available to
thaninbettertimes. the 747 production run was given be interviewed, to review the manu
A note about Boeing designa manufacturer's serial number 23719. script, to make suggestions, or to fill
tions: The type is obvious: 707, 727, I have followed longstanding prac out our roster of 747-400 aircraft,
737, 747, and so forth. Next are a tice and referred to the manufactur which is current through line num
hyphen and the series number er's serial number as a constructor's ber 1203, but has gaps afterward.
"-400." Butwhile 747-400 is the cor number (not construction number), Again, this was a dramatic contrast
rect, generic term for every aircraft spelled out when first encountered to Airbus, which is always eager to
in this series, each can be described butotherwiseabbreviatedc/n. assistwithbooksaboutits products.
more preciselyby replacing the "00" Every civilian aircraft has a civil Again, too, it must be said again
with a customer code: "22" for Unit registry number assigned by the that an invaluable resource for
ed Airlines, for example. Thus, a authorities ofthe countrywhere it is research on individual aircraft is Jet
typical aircraft belonging to United licensed to fly. The civil registry Airliner Production List: Volume 1
canbe called a 747-400 (generic) or a number can change if the aircraft Boeing, by John Roach and A. B.
747-422 (specific), and either term is changes owners, or even countries. Tony Eastwood (Middlesex: The
II II
correct. Occasionally, a letter suffix American civil registry numbers Aviation Hobby Shop, 1999). On the
also appears, the 747-400M being a beginwith"N." pages that follow, readers will get
"Combi," the747-400Fafreighter. Using the formula described representative information about the
Numbers identify every aircraft. above, the first Boeing 747-400 (or 747-400fleet, includingaroster ofair
Production ofthe 747-400beganwith 747-451) was assigned line number frames, or "hulls," as some call them,
the 696th aircraft in the larger 747 696, constructor's number (c/n) but Roach and Eastwood list every
series.Afterthe721st,every747being 23719, and civil registry N661US. Boeing jetliner, its registration, who
manufactured was also a 747-400 and This aircraft first flew in 1988 and operates it, and various significant
the series now extends to at least the flies todaywithNorthwestAirlines. events in its history. Their work is a
l,272nd. This number, identifying the Again, as with the earlier vol superb companion to the technical
sequence ofthe aircraft onthe assem ume on the "classics," Boeing did andpictorialmaterialappearinghere.
blyline,iscalleda "linenumber" and not assist in the preparation of this The author is responsible for
isusuallynotabbreviated. book. Boeing provided photos, its any errors that appear here, but this
•
BOEING
141-400 5
book would have been impossible helped make this book possible are "Michael Shayler," Michael Stroud,
without help from many, including Colin Clark, Bill Crimmins, Michael Nick Stroud, Kirsten Tedesco, Dave
Boeing historian Tom Lubbesmeyer France, James C. Goodall, Sunil Willis,andJimWinchester.
and international airline captains Gupta, GeorgeW. Hamlin,JosephG. This book is dedicated to Marc
Robert Beavis, Robert L. Burns, Cort Handelman, Rob Hewson, Dennis Reid, who is finally able to straight
de Peyster, Dennis Hoffman, and R. Jenkins, Jim Kippen, Jon Lake, enup andfly right.
DarrelWhitcomb. Nate Leong, Jason S. MacLean, Al RobertF. Dorr
Among the fraternity, those who Mongeon, Tom Pesch, Andre Ran, Oakton, Virginia
71 PERCENT
69 FEET
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7 INCHES
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A two-view plan drawing ofthe 747-400from sideand top provides an appreciationfor the sizeand shape ofthe aircraft. The
747-400 introducedanewwingwithgreaterspan than thewingof"classic" 747models. Thefuselage length ofthe DashFour
Hundred isfully three times the length ofaConvair 240 propeller-driven transport. (UnitedAirlines)
..
AIRLIJVERTECH
6
747-400
FLYING
· LONG HUAL MISSION IN BOEING'S BIGGEST
T
he aircraft snuggled up to changeable. The short answer is that checktheflightplanandweatherfor
the jetbridge at Chicago Boeing resisted the temptation to today's 6,274-mile (5,453-nautical
,~~ O'Hare International Air install a common flight deck on all .mile, or 10,097-kilometer) nonstop
port is a Boeing 747-400, an up-to of its major airliners, preferring flight from Chicago to Tokyo. Today,
date and decidedly high-tech ver instead to give the 747-400 a few an extra pair of pilots is coming
sion of the "jumbo" jetliner that extra bells and whistles. The aboard because of the distance and
brought air travel to the everyday 747-400's two pilots were trained duration of this trip. The rule is that
citizen. specifically to fly the 747-400 while three pilots mustbe onboard; one is
It's a distinctive aircraft. It 757 and 767 pilots routinely fly both for reliefduty ona flight longer than
stands apart from other airliner of those aircraft. Compared to other eight hours. Four pilots are required
models with its 6-foot (loS-meter) aircraft, the electronic flight instru for aflight longer thantwelve hours;
winglets, those upturned wingtips mentation system (EFIS) of the 747 this includes a complete, two-pilot
designed to enhance fuel efficiency 400 uses larger cathode ray terminal reliefcrew.
(found on nearly all 747-400s) and (CRT) screens thatprovidemoreatti To most airlines, this require
with its stretched upper deck (SUD) tude and navigational data in digital ment means the obvious-carrying
which extends the upper-fuselage form thanonthe othermodels. an extra captain, an extra first offi
hump by 23 feet 4 inches (found on Arriving at O'Hare, the captain cer, or both. Some, however, follow
all 747-400s except freighters, but on and first officer check in at Opera the practice of Air New Zealand of
some -200 and all -300 models as tions, sign in, and check their com having a second officer fill the third
well). To passengers loitering at the puters for schedules and the latest crew position when three pilots are
gate and peering out toward the air company information. Then they aboard. This means that a co-pilot
craft, other distinguishing features
of the Dash Four Hundred are not
readily apparent. From outside, they
cannot see the new structural alloys
or the new carbonbrake units. They
cannot see the high-tech flight deck
where a flight crew of just two peo
plewill rely on a digital "glass cock
pit" to fly this SOO,OOO-pound
(362,SOO-kilogram) leviathan.
The 747-400's two-crew cockpit
differs significantly from the two
crew cockpit of the 757, 767, or 777.
The four throttle levers in the center
console are the immediatetip-off. Of
the four Boeing jetliners coming off
the production line today, the 747 The magnificent lines ofthe 747-400 are evident in this view ofAir-India'sfourth
400 is alone in having four engines Boeing 747-437 (VT-ESP), named AJANTA, which made its first revenueflight
and it has a choice of General Elec from New York to New Delhi to Mumgai on June 30, 1994. As the l,034th aircraft
tric (GE), Pratt & Whitney (P & W), in the 747seriesandassignedcln27214,AJANTAdisplays theobviousrecognition
or Rolls-Royce (R-R) power. This features: winglets at the ends ofthe extended wings and the stretched upper deck
e does not fully explainwhy the cock inheritedfrom the 747-300. Not seenfrom this exteriorshotat London's Heathrow
r pits of modern jetliners from the International Airport in 1999 is the revolutionaryflight deck that enabled airlines
same manufacturer are not inter- to operate this "jumbo" jetlinerwithjust two pilots. (JimWinchester)
•
BOEING
141-400 7
fills in the reserve position/ which in
effect/ gives a three-pilot crew to a
two-pilotaircraft.
Theairlineindustrtsstandardis
that the pilots should be onboard 45
minutes before departure time. Since
boarding begins 45 minutes prior to
pushback time on international
flights, the passengers may already
be boarding. In reality/ pilots prefer
to settle into their ergonomic seats
before the passengersarrive. Interna
tional flights like this one require
more time/ anyway. The pilots must
meet quickly with the flight atten
dants, or at least the head attendant
(called the purser by some carriers)
Sucking in its wheels while climbing in the pattern at Chicago's O'Hare for a quick briefing. Then they must
International Airport in August 1997, N195UA is a United Airlines 747-422 program the flight computer/ talk to
(c/n 26899/ line number1113). The complex, double-bogie main landinggear/ wing maintenance ifthere are any discrep
spoilers/ and leading- and trailing-edgeflaps are all new metal-the manufacturer anciesonthe aircraft, determinehow
delivered this aircraft to United on May 23/ 1997. United had some interest in the to depart the airport, and insure that
747-400 having the sameflight deckas the airline's 757an.d 767models/ which are the aircraft is properly loaded. The
flown interchangeably by pilots having identical training, but the buildereschewed first officer will also do a walk
cockpit commonality and gave the two-pilot Dash Four Hundred a unique set of aroundinspectionoftheaircraft.
instruments and controls. (TomPesch) Passengers coming aboard the
Dash Four Hundred may not notice/
but this aircraft has larger/ fixed
shelf luggage bins than earlier 747s.
Ceiling light is more indirect and
subdued and creates the illusionofa
wider passenger cabin although the
internal fuselage dimensions are/ in
fact/ the same as previous 747 mod
els. The 747-400 uses tougher/
graphite-based materials in panels
and bulkheads. All materials on the
interior of the aircraft are of plastic
or graphite materials that meet or
exceed the requirements of fire/
smoke/ and toxicity regulations
established after earlier 747 models
were manufactured. At 31/285 cubic
So where are the winglets? Well, they aren'tfound on 747-4000 (jar "domestic") feet (876 cubic meters)/ the 747-400
models, usedfor short-distanceflights. These aircraft were delivered with the short has the largest passenger interior
wing and without winglets, so that externally they appear identical to the 747-300 volume ofany commercial airliner
model exceptfor minor changes in engine nacelle shape. Internally, however, they the equivalent of more than three
have the two-pilot cockpitand othermodernizedfeatures ofthe DashFourHundred houses each measuring 1/500 square
series. This aircraft is All Nippon Airways' 747-4810 registered as JA8959 (c/n feet (135 squaremeters).
25646, line number 952) which made itsfirstflight on December 18/ 1992 and is Once the passengers are
usedfor high-densityflights withinJapan. (George Hamlin) onboard the Dash Four Hundred/ a
..
AIRLINERTECH
8