| Commercial aviation began in January of 1914. The first scheduled passenger flight operated between Saint Petersburg and Tampa, Florida. Commercial aviation developed slowly during the next 30 years. Technology that was created because of the demands of the U.S. post office, and the two world wars aided in the advancement of airliners for passenger travel. These technologies included air-cooled engines, pressurized cabins, and instrument flying. Instrument flying became practical in 1929, when Elmer Sperry perfected the artificial horizon and directional gyro.
In 1933, Boeing introduced the model 247 which was the first truly modern airliner. This airliner was an all-metal, low-winged monoplane. (a single winged palne) It had retractable landing gear, an insulated cabin, and room for ten passengers. United Airlines ordered 60 of these planes which tied up Boeing's production line.
Trans World Airlines wanted to purchase planes and did not want to wait for Boeing to finish producing United's order, so they approached airplane manufacturer Donald Douglas. He created the DC-1, then the DC-2, and finally the DC-3, which became the most successful propeller plane in history. The DC-3 carried 21 passengers, and had 1000 horsepower engines. It could travel across the country in less than 24 hours, although it had to stop many times for fuel. The DC-3 dominated commercial aviation in the 1930's.
Boeing created the next major breakthrough in 1940 with its Model 307 Stratoliner. This airplane was the pressurized brother of the B-17 bomber. The Stratoliner could carry 33 passengers at altitudes of 20,000 ft. and at speeds of 200 m.p.h.
In 1941, when the US entered World War II, there were only about 300 planes in airline service. Airplane production reached a rate of nearly 50,000 by the end of the war. A large number of aircraft designs that were used during the war to carry troops and cargo, became available to airlines after the war ended. Planes like the Douglas DC-6 and Lockheed Constellation, which were used in the war, were now carrying passengers on transcontinental and transatlantic flight.
Technological advancement during the war, such as the jet engine, revolutionized commercial air transportation in the late 1950s. The first commercial jet was Britain's DeHavilland Comet. This plane arrived in 1952 and was a 550 m.p.h., four engine jet. The Comet fatally crashed twice due to structural problems, and was grounded.
This complication gave Boeing and Douglas time to design and manufacture the 707 and DC-8. Pan American World Airways was the first airline to use the 707 in October of 1958. This jet allowed passengers to travel from New York City to London, England, in less than 8 hours. The 707 carried 141 passengers up to 6000 miles. The DC-8 could carry 258 passengers 4500 miles.
After the big four-engine 707's and DC-8's had established themselves, airlines wanted smaller shorter range jets. Boeing produced the two-engine 737 and the three engine 727. The 737 can carry about 200 people around 3500 miles and is still manufactured today. The 737 became the most popular airliner ever. Anyone who has flown in the last twenty years has probably been aboard a 737. The 737 became so popular because of its fuel efficiency, speed, passenger room, and the ability to fly higher than most aircraft in its class, making for a smoother flight. The 727 also became one of the best-selling airliners when orders passed the 1,000 mark in September 1972. Today, only the Boeing 737 has surpassed that total. To compete with the 737's and 727's, Douglas produced the two engine DC-9. The DC-9 could carry up to 170 and travel up 1,850 miles.
The 1960's was the age of the jumbo jet. Boeing, McDonnel Douglas, and Lockheed all produced wide-body jets. Boeing developed the 747. The latest model of the 747 can fly up to 524 passengers about 8,400 miles. McDonnel Douglas built a smaller, three-engine jet called the DC-10, which is now being produced as an updated version called the MD-11 The MD-11 can carry up to 410 passengers 7,630 miles. Lockheed built the L-1011 Tristar. This was a three engine jet that completed with the DC-10. The L-1011 tristar is no longer in production since Lockheed no longer manufactures commercial airliners.
In the 1980's McDonnel Douglas introduced the twin engine MD-80 family. The MD-80 can carry up to 172 passengers up to 2,700 miles. Boeing introduced the narrow-body 757 and wide-body 767 twin-engine jets. The 757 is environmentally friendly; it is quiet and fuel-efficient, and meets strict worldwide standards for engine emissions. It can carry up to 289 passengers up to 4520 miles. The 767 can carry 269 passengers up to 6615 miles. During the late 1970's, Airbus introduced the A300 wide-body, twin-engine jet. In the 80's and 90's, Airbus introduced the slightly smaller A310 twin-engine jet, and the narrow body A320 twin engine jet. The A320 can carry 150 passengers 300 miles and is very similar to the 737. Airbus also introduce the larger A340 four-engine jet for longer routes which can carry 380 passengers 8,500 miles. In 1995 Boeing introduced the 777 wide-body, twin-engine jet that can carry 394 passengers 7,695 miles. The Boeing 777 is the first jetliner to be 100 percent digitally designed using three-dimensional computer design programs. The 777 has one of the most spacious passenger cabins ever developed. It also has one of the most advanced avionics system and cockpit ever developed for an airliner. On Feb. 15, 1996, the 777 was named winner of the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association. The award honored the 777 as top aeronautical achievement of 1995.
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Cockpit Change
The cockpit changed dramatically from the early days of the DC-3 to the new models of the 747. The biggest change was from all-analog, to all-digital gauges. With the development of computers, better navigation and flight monitor systems were placed in the cockpit.
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