Interview with Joe Sutter (Father of the 747)

[Midnight Mike]

On the Boeing blog, there is an interview with Joe Sutter, the man behind the 1st 747...
http://www.boeing.com/randy/


Joe Sutter: Well, when we went out to talk to the airlines, they wanted a bigger airplane. And we talked to Pan Am, and I think we talked to British Airways, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, Qantas, a whole bunch of them. We went around the world with a brochure showing a 250, a 300, and a 350-passenger airplane. What size do you want? They all said 350. And that was sort of a shock. How do you build a 350-passenger airplane? My own people, when we went to the drawing board, said, what do we do now? They started drawing double-deckers, you know, one deck over another. The double-aisle concept wasn't invented at that time.


This is a pretty cool photo
http://www.boeing.com/randy/archives/ph ... _line.html (http://www.boeing.com/randy/archives/photos/everett_flight_line.html)

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[T-Bird76]

100 Years from now the 747 will still be the most graceful, most beautiful aircraft to ever take to flight. Great story from a true ledgend!

[FlyingColors]

Great story.

And even better photo!

God how I love those factory photos from long ago.

[mirrodie]

what an awesome photo! all the Pan Ams and TWA, insane!

[FlyingColors]

what an awesome photo! all the Pan Ams and TWA, insane!

Plus Jal, Lufty, Air France, BOAC and Northwest Orient too!

[moose135]

Great story, and a terrific photo, sure brings back memories!


100 Years from now the 747 will still be the most graceful, most beautiful aircraft to ever take to flight.

I don't know Tommy, the 747 is a great looking bird, but I guess you've never looked out the window and seen this view:

http://moose135.smugmug.com/photos/92039638-M.jpg

The White Rocket - scaring students since 1961 :D

[hiss srq]

T-38 GREAT BIRD!