Everything about Boeing 747-400f totally explained
The
Boeing 747-400 is the most recent version of the
Boeing 747 in service. The -400 series is the best selling and the most advanced model of the 747 family. The 747-400 is being replaced by the
Boeing 747-8, expected to enter service in 2010.
Design and development
The 747-400 was announced by
Boeing Commercial Airplanes in October 1985. Compared to the 747-300 the 747-400 has wing tip extensions and
winglets, and a
glass cockpit which dispensed with the need for a flight engineer. The 747-400 also improved on the -300 with tail fuel tanks, revised engines, an all-new interior, revised fuselage/wing fairings and newer in-flight entertainment. Like the 747-300, the passenger version of the 747-400 included the stretched upper deck (SUD) as a standard feature. The SUD was almost twice as long as the standard upper deck. It had previously been offered as a retrofit and first appeared on two Japanese 747-100 SR models. While the wingspan was increased, the overall weight of the wings was decreased due to the use of composites and aluminum alloys.
It was rolled out in January 1988 and first flew on
April 29,
1988. Certification was received on
January 10,
1989 with PW4000 engines,
May 18,
1989 with CF6-80C2s and
June 8,
1989 with RB211-524Gs. The first 747-400 was delivered to
Northwest Airlines on
January 26,
1989, with service entry on
February 9.
The extended range freighter (ERF) entered service in October 2002. The next month, the extended range (ER) passenger version entered service with
Qantas, the only airline ever to order the passenger version of the 747-400ER. Qantas uses the aircraft on its Melbourne-Los Angeles and Sydney-San Francisco flights, which are too long to operate using a standard 747-400.
The
Boeing Signature Interior was later made available on the 747-400, either as interior refitting on existing 747-400s or as a "fresh-from-installation" option on newer 747-400s and 747-400ERs. One example,
China Airlines's four newest Boeing 747-400s (tail number B-1821x), also the last four passenger 747-400s built, were newly built with Boeing Signature Interior. One of these (B-18210) has a hybrid livery, with China Airlines' tail and Boeing's fuselage liveries.
Production of the 747-400 passenger version officially ended on
March 15,
2007. Production of -400 freighters and -400ER freighters continues with thirty six yet to be delivered.
Variants
747-400
The 747-400 is an improved version of the 747-300 with increased wingspan, winglets, revised engines and a glass cockpit that removed the need for a flight engineer. The 747-400 passenger version features a stretched upper deck (SUD) like the 747-300 as a standard feature. In 1989, a
Qantas 747-400 flew non-stop from
London to
Sydney, a distance of 9,720
nmi (11,190 mi, 18,000 km) in 20 hours and 9 minutes, although this was a delivery flight with no passengers or freight aboard.
Production of the 747-400 passenger version officially ceased on
March 15,
2007. The last four -400s on order were canceled by
Philippine Airlines (which switched to the
777-300ER). The last to order the -400 was
China Airlines in November 2002, with the last passenger 747-400 constructed in 2005 and delivered in April of that year.
747-400F
The 747-400F (Freighter) is an all freight version which uses the fuselage design of the 747-200F. The aircraft's first flight was on
May 4,
1993 and it entered service with
Cargolux Airlines on
November 17,
1993. Major customers include
Atlas Air,
Cargolux,
China Airlines,
Korean Air,
Nippon Cargo Airlines,
Polar Air Cargo, and
Singapore Airlines. The -400F can be easily distinguished from the passenger -400 by its shorter upper-deck hump.
The
United States Air Force has purchased seven 747-400Fs to act as "Airborne Laser" carriers, designated
YAL-1A. The aircraft are heavily modified to carry a nose mounted turret and
Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) equipment.
In March 2007, Boeing had orders for eighteen 747-400F aircraft yet to be completed.
747-400D
The 747-400D (Domestic) is a high density seating model developed for short-haul domestic Japanese flights. The aircraft is capable of seating a maximum of 568 passengers in a 3-class configuration or 660 passengers in a single-class configuration. The -400D lacks the wing tip extensions and winglets included on other variants, allowing for increased number of takeoffs and landings by lowering wing stresses. The benefits of winglets would be minimal on short routes. The -400D may be converted to the long range version when needed.
The 747-400 Domestic first flew on
March 18,
1991 and entered service with
Japan Airlines on
October 22,
1991. The last was delivered to
All Nippon Airways in
December 1995. The LCF has a bulging fuselage similar to that of the
Super Guppy or
Airbus Beluga cargo planes used for transporting wings and fuselage sections. The conversion, designed by Boeing engineers from
Puget Sound,
Moscow and
Canoga Park, and Gamesa Aeronautica in Spain, is carried out in
Taiwan by a subsidiary of the
Evergreen Group. Boeing has purchased three former
China Airlines aircraft and converted two of them and the third one is currently being modified.
Delivery times will be reduced from up to 30 days to as low as a day with the 747 LCF. The Large Cargo Freighter can hold three times the volume of a 747-400F freighter.
Evergreen International Airlines, which is unrelated to the Evergreen Group, is the operator of the LCF fleet.
The LCF isn't a Boeing production model and won't be sold to any customers or see any airliner operation. It will be for Boeing's exclusive use.
Current operators
Total Passenger Aircraft in service: 493
Passenger
(sorted by number of 747 in fleet, then by name of operator) (engine)
Cargo
(sorted by number of 747 in fleet, then by name of operator)
Cathay Pacific Cargo (25) (RB211/PW4056)
China Airlines Cargo (21) (CF6)
Korean Air Cargo (19) (PW4056)
Singapore Airlines Cargo (16) (PW4056)
Cargolux (13) (RB211/CF6)
Asiana Cargo (8) (CF6)
Dragonair Cargo (8) (PW4056)
Malaysia Airlines Cargo (6)
UPS (7) (CF6)
Polar Air Cargo (6) (CF6)
Air China Cargo (5) (PW4056)
Air France Cargo (5) (CF6)
Atlas Air (5) (CF6)
Emirates SkyCargo (4) (CF6)
EVA Air Cargo (3) (CF6)
Global Supply Systems (3) (CF6)
Jade Cargo International (3) (CF6)
JAL Cargo (3) (CF6)
KLM Cargo (3) (CF6)
China Southern Cargo (2) (CF6)
Great Wall Airlines (2) (PW4056)
Martinair Cargo (2) (PW4056)
Nippon Cargo Airlines (2) (PW4056)
TNT Airways (2) (CF6)
China Cargo Airlines (1) (CF6)
Other use
(sorted by number of 747 in fleet, then by name of operator)
Boeing (3)** (PW4056)
Dubai Air Wing (2) (PW4056/CF6)
Japan Air Self-Defense Force (2) (CF6)
Kingdom Aircraft Leasing (1) (PW4056)
Royal Flight of Oman (1) (CF6)
Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight (1) (PW4056)
Government of Brunei (1) (CF6)
Government of Kuwait (1) (CF6)
Government of Saudi Arabia (1) (CF6)
United States Air Force (1) (CF6)
Bahrain Amiri Flight (1)
Specifications
| Model |
747-400 |
747-400ER |
| Cockpit Crew |
Two |
| Seating capacity |
416 (3-class) |
| Length |
231 ft 10 in (70.6 m) |
| Wingspan |
211 ft 5 in (64.4 m) |
| Height |
63 ft 8 in (19.4 m) |
| Weight empty |
393,263 lb
(178,756 kg) |
361,640 lb
(164,382 kg) |
| Maximum take-off weight |
875,000 lb
(396,890 kg) |
910,000 lb
(412,775 kg) |
| Cruising speed |
Mach 0.85
(491 kt, 910 km/h) |
Mach 0.855
(493 kt, 913 km/h) |
| Maximum speed |
Mach 0.92
(590 kt, 1093 km/h) |
| Takeoff run at MTOW |
(3,018 m) |
(3,090 m) |
| Range fully loaded |
7,260 NM
(13,450 km) |
7,670 NM
(14,205 km) |
| Max. fuel capacity |
57,285 US gal (216,840 L) |
63,705 US gal (241,140 L) |
| Engine models (x 4) |
PW 4062
GE CF6-80C2B5F
RR RB211-524H |
PW 4062
GE CF6-80C2B5F |
| Engine thrust (x 4) |
63,300 lbf PW
62,100 lbf GE
59,500 lbf RR |
63,300 lbf PW
62,100 lbf GE |
Sources: (External Link
), (External Link)
Incidents
All Nippon Airways Flight 61: On July 23, 1999, a man hijacked the 747-481D airliner bound for New Chitose Airport near Sapporo, Hokkaidō from Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). The man killed the pilot. Other crew members restrained him, and the airliner landed safely.
Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a 747-412 flying on a Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei route rammed into construction equipment On 31 October 2000, while attempting to take off from a closed runway at Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, caught fire and was destroyed, killing 79 passengers and three crew members. The accident prompted the airline to change the flight number of this route from 006 to 030 and to remove the "Tropical Megatop" livery on the accident aircraft's sister ship.
Japan Airlines Flight 907: On January 31, 2001, Flight 907, a Boeing 747-446D bound for Naha International Airport from Tokyo International Airport, nearly collided with another Japan Airlines aircraft. The Boeing 747 for Flight 907 suddenly dived and avoided a DC-10. See 2001 Japan Airlines mid-air incident
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