747-200B

The 747-200B is the definitive first-generation 747: more fuel, more thrust and more weight than the 747-100, and by far the most numerous of the classics. 233 were built — more than every -100, -100B, SR and SP combined.

It entered service in February 1971 and could fly about 6,857 nmi (12,700 km) fully loaded, which for the first time made a genuinely global route network possible with one aircraft type.

What made it better than the -100

Three things, in order of importance:

1. Engine choice. The -200 was the first 747 offered with General Electric CF6 and Rolls-Royce RB211 engines alongside the Pratt & Whitney JT9D. Airlines could buy the engine they already maintained.
2. More fuel and higher weights. Range went up substantially, opening routes the -100 could not fly nonstop.
3. More thrust. Which made the higher weights usable out of hot and high airports rather than only in ideal conditions.

Cabin

Flight crew	Two pilots and a flight engineer
Single class	539
Two class	32 first, 388 economy
Three class	22 first, 84 business, 131 economy
Upper deck	15-place lounge, or 8 first plus an 11-place lounge, or 16 first class sleepers, or 32–45 economy

The flight engineer is worth noting. Every 747 up to and including the -300 was a three-crew aircraft. The 747-400 removed the position entirely, which is the single biggest operating-cost difference between the classics and everything that followed.

Dimensions

Cabin length	57.00 m
Cabin diameter	6.13 m
Cabin height	2.54 m
Cabin volume	516 m³
Wingspan	59.64 m
Wing area	510.97 m²
Wing sweep	37.5°
Fuselage length	70.66 m
Fuselage diameter	6.49 m
Height	19.33 m
Horizontal tail span	22.17 m
Wheelbase	25.62 m
Track	10.36 m

Cargo

Main deck	516 m³
Under floor	149.96 m³
Bulk under floor	28.3 m³
Total load	694 m³
LD3 containers in belly	30
Pallets, 2.24 × 3.18 m	28 on the main cargo deck of a freighter
Pallets, 2.24 × 2.99 m	30 on the main cargo deck of a freighter

Engines

Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7AW	205.3 kN each
Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7J	222.4 kN each
Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4G2	243.5 kN each
General Electric CF6-50E2	230.4 kN each
Rolls-Royce RB211-524D4	231.3 kN each

Weights and performance

Empty	170,600 kg
Max zero-fuel weight	238,780 kg
Fuel	198,370 litres
Max payload	68,180 kg
Max takeoff weight	377,800 kg
Max landing weight	285,700 kg
Cruise speed	939 km/h
Max speed	969 km/h
Landing speed	259 km/h
Max ceiling	13,716 m
Range	13,149 km
Takeoff run	3,170 m at max takeoff weight
Landing run	2,121 m at max landing weight

The rest of the -200 family

The -200 was built in four main forms: this passenger -200B, the -200F freighter, the -200C convertible and the -200M Combi. Together they total 393 aircraft, making the -200 the second most numerous 747 generation after the -400.