A Plan B Takes Flight And Saves An Aviation Titan
What is the golden ticket? THE BIG IDEA that will turn into a money machine? This is exactly what many entrepreneurs (and established business) pursue — that one big thing. When Boeing developed its 747 airliner, its fate was tied to its success. Or failure. As we know from history, the 747 has been a phenomenal success. It first flew in 1969 and has outlasted airlines such as Pan Am (we will see this name again). It easy to imagine that the 747 was the primary focus of Boeing at the time of its development.
It wasn’t. It was not even close. It was a distant number two project at Boeing.
Number one? That was Boeing’s attempt to compete with the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic airliner. Boeing’s plane was called the SST (Supersonic Transport). It was planned to become the aircraft maker’s golden goose.
Heard of it? No? That is because it was cancelled in 1971. This is the problem when a golden goose dies. It often kills its company.
While Boeing decided to try to create a competitor to Concorde, the idea of what was to become the 747 was brought to them from outside the company. The idea for a large jet aircraft came from the president of Pan Am, Juan Trippe.
When worked commenced on the 747 it was not “THE” project to be working on. When the SST was cancelled, it became Boeing’s one chance to survive.
After signing a contract with Pan Am, Boeing agreed to deliver a plane in 28 months for flight testing. The first 747 entered service in 1970. This was at a time without the technical tools we have today to design an airplane. In comparison, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner began development in the 1990's. It first flew in 2009.
While both SST and 747 were huge projects, 747 was Boeing’s PLAN B that saved the company. It became a golden goose that spread its wings and has revolutionized air travel for nearly fifty years.
To learn more about the 747 story, watch 747: The Jumbo Revolution on Smithsonian Channel.
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