It all started on October 26, 1958, when the North American pioneer Pan Am made the company's first transatlantic jet flight between New York and Paris. For everyone, it was a novelty that was really well received, crossing the North Atlantic had never been so practical, comfortable and fast.
Before the era of the turbojet engine (and later the turbofan), transatlantic trips took around 18 hours in aircraft with piston engines that were cramped, noisy and that shook a lot to the point of causing discomfort to their engers and all of this was improving with introduction of jets that were quieter, and relatively more economical compared to other engines that flew at higher altitudes, when compared to internal combustion engines.
The Boeing 707 was not the first jet aircraft destined for the civil market, before it two other models had already made history in aviation, and one entered the market in the same period as the North American, the French Caravelle, but the first of all was the Comet, a British man from the de Havilland company who, due to structural problems, did not have as safe and successful a career as expected.
Soon after, the socialist side showed its first enger jet aircraft, the TU-104, which was based a lot on the Comet design, but as in the same period of the beginning of the jet era the world lived in the middle of a cold war, for companies for capitalist countries to buy anything from the Soviet Union was almost an offence. The French, on the other hand, presented their aircraft on May 27, 1955, the SudAviation Caravelle, which was an almost direct competitor to the Dash 80.
The Dash 80's stardom began on its first demonstration flight on July 15, 1954, when it took off from Renton Field south of the US state of Seattle and flew for approximately 3 hours and 48 minutes towards Baltimore, located in Maryland.
During one of the first demonstration flights, test pilot Tex Jonhson, made radical maneuvers with the plane leaving everyone on the ground impressed with the potential of the aircraft, with the exception of the company's president who at the time was William M. Allen who almost had a “heart attack”, but it made it seem that everything had been planned for those interested in the model who watched with him the birth of a legendary airplane.
Due to the unfortunate Comet accidents, Boeing and its competitors learned that the design of each window on jet aircraft should be round or oval, not square as previously designed, and that they should change some design items that were present. in the aircraft, such as the engines on the inside of the wing.
Unlike the British, the French managed to manufacture an aircraft that could compete directly with the Americans, but due to its low range compared to the 707 and DC-8, the number of engers it carried ended up becoming more viable for short trips. distance.
The 707 revolution was able to open a new segment of exploration for Boeing, from a company that made military planes, to the largest manufacturer of enger planes in the world, suring even Douglas, its biggest rival at the time, and which years would later be purchased by Boeing (already living under the McDonnell Douglas name), moreover, no other aircraft would be as widely seen and purchased on a global level as the “entrance” jet of the North American Boeing, which in a short period of time would transform the legendary Constellation in old-fashioned and even out-of-date equipment.
Factors that helped in its success was its high cruising speed, which was approximately 920km/h. On flights, it carried over 110 engers divided into two classes, within a radius of 5 to 9 thousand kilometers, which may vary depending on the version. And apart from the success in engers, the 707 also entered the cargo market with flying colors, which over time became more and more comprehensive. Years after its launch, the seven zero seven became the first jet-powered Air Force One (US presidential aircraft).
Today, the main aircraft of the company from Seattle have taken advantage of the teachings left by the “sucatões”, an affectionate nickname gained here in Brazil after a few years of operation as a presidential aircraft by the FAB. It may not seem like it, but the 727 and 737 are based on the 707 and both were successful in Boeing's portfolio for decades. Helping even more in the history of civil aviation, with the 727 that was derived from its older brother, the aircraft that would come to compete directly with the Douglas Dc-9 and the Caravelle, soon after would come another aircraft that did and continues to write history as the best-selling model of all time, the best seller 737, which is more suitable for short-haul and lower-demand routes.
In addition to being a forerunner in the jet family at Boeing, the 707 was a historic icon that greatly helped the world to be what it is today, connecting people and objects in a matter of hours, being one of the main protagonists of a global event that today is called globalization.
We could not forget, a takeoff straight from the cockpit:
Going back in time with a Pan Am promo from 1958:
