Freighters have been an important part of the success story of the Boeing 747. In the November 2017 issue of Aviation News David Wills examined the variants and conversions that have taken to the skies
Over a quarter of the world’s in-service widebody freighters are Boeing 747s. In the middle of this year more than 260 747 freighters were in commercial service, comprising 71 -8Fs, 152 subtypes of the -400F/BCF, 35 extended-range -400ERFs, all four Large Cargo Freighters (LCFs) and a single -300SF. In addition, up to a dozen -200F/SFs could be operational.
Freight was integral to the design of the 747. Boeing was one of several firms that conducted studies in the mid-1960s for the USAF’s CX-Heavy Logistics System, from which the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy strategic transport was conceived. This work provided a starting point when Juan Trippe, the legendary President of Pan American World Airways (‘Pan Am’), asked Boeing to design an airliner to carry twice the number of passengers of the 707. Boeing allocated Joe Sutter to manage the design team responsible for the new airliner, given the model number 747.
Of concern to Boeing was the possible short sales window for the 747. The age of the supersonic airliner was drawing near; develop…
