Boeing 747 Trijet
Concept art for the unbuilt three-engined Boeing 747.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Boeing studied the development of a shorter 747 with three-engines to compete with the smaller L-1011 TriStar and DC-10. The 747 trijet would have had more payload, range and passenger capacity. The center engine would have been fitted in the tail with an S-duct intake similar to the L-1011's. However, engineering studies showed that a total redesign of the 747 wing would be necessary. Maintaining the same 747 handling characteristics would be important to minimize pilot retraining. Boeing decided instead to pursue a shortened four-engine 747 that resulted in the 747SP. In the 1990s, the Boeing 777, a long range twinjet airliner smaller than the 747-400 entered service in the market where the 747-300 had been targeted.
More in Photo Album
Photo Album
Photographs of every major Boeing 747 variant and special-mission jumbo, from airline service to the Dreamlifter, Air Force One and SOFIA.
Boeing 747-8 Photos
The Boeing 747-8 in pictures, from wing assembly and final construction through paint hangar roll-out to first flight.
747-400 Cargo
Japan Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-400F JA401J photographed on the ramp, showing the freighter's raised flight deck and nose door.
747-400D (Japan Airlines)
A Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400D, the high-density domestic variant built without the winglets fitted to other 747-400s.
747-8 Berths
Optional crew rest berths offered on the 747-8, tucked into the upper area of the cabin for long-haul operations.
747-8-Intercontinental forward fuselage
The first forward fuselage section of the 747-8 Intercontinental, delivered to Everett for final assembly.