Spenser Jay P. - 747: creating the worlds first jumbo jet and other adventures from a life in action

I was born in Seattle in 1921 and grew up thrilled by aviation. My friends all wanted to fly airplanes but I set my heart on designing them. The futuristic flying machines I sketched as a boy would carry passengers in safety and comfort to the far continents, conquering oceans in a single flight.

Little did I know I would grow up to realize these dreams. Starting at Boeing right after World War II, I participated in the design of this great U.S. companys pioneering 707 and other early jets. After two decades of work, the opportunity came my way to lead the team designing the new Boeing 747. It was the most challenging and thrilling job in the world.

Until recently, I have resisted telling my story because by its nature it is not a one-person tale. In fact, every single one of the 4,500 talented Boeing people who reported to me contributed to this legendary airplane, which is theirs as much as mine. We did it together in a collaboration unlike any other.

Others have already written about the development of the 747, which is the worlds first twin-aisle or widebody airplane. While I assisted the authors of those worthy efforts, people have long told me it wasnt enough. If I didnt write about the 747 from my own perspective, they claimed, much of the real story might be lost.

My hesitation crumbled when they pointed out that telling my story might inspire youngsters who dream of getting into the airplane design business just as I did so many decades ago. Im happy to say that these arguments, and the prospect of another opportunity to extend well-deserved credit to others, at last tilted the scales in favor of my embarking on this project.

The 747 has a unique majesty. Passengers love it and so do pilots, but its what this airplane has done for humanity thats significant. Since the first 747 entered service in 1970, the world 747 fleet has transported more than 3.5 billion passengersthe equivalent of more than half the worlds populationa distance of more than 35 billion statute miles (56 billion kilometers), which is the equivalent of 75,000 trips to the Moon and back.

Travel to far lands probably springs to mind when you think of the 747. So might short-haul shuttle flights if you live in Japan. But the 747 is also the workhorse of global air freight. In fact, almost half the worlds goods that are shipped by air fly aboard 747 freighters. These cargo-hauling 747s bring us consumer electronics, perishable foodstuffs, fresh-cut flowers, and a host of other high-value cargoes.

But more than passengers and cargo take flight aboard 747s. These hardworking jets also carry ideas, human energy, and cultural perspectives that broaden our horizons and enrich us all. In this sense, they are aerial ambassadors that draw the world together and promote understanding.

As of this writing, the 747 has been in production for well over three decades. The 747-400an improved version introduced in 1989gave rise to todays 747 family, and tomorrows is now on the horizon. After two abortive starts preempted by shifting market conditions, Boeing is now developing the 747-8, a second major 747 derivative that could see production of this famous airliner continue for several more decades. If so, newer and more efficient versions of the worlds most recognizable jetliner will continue to serve humanity for at least another half century.

The main focus of this book is the latter half of the 1960s, when I led the engineering team that created the 747. I served as part of this amazing industrial effort from the beginning, guiding the 747 through its definition, design, testing, certification, and debut in service.

Of course, telling the tale of the 747 requires that I also tell you about myself. I ask you to bear with me while I delve into my childhood, education, and service in World War II. I assure you that I do so sparingly and with the specific intent of showing how these earlier chapters in my life were formative, and what lessons I drew from them that stood me in good stead in my career.

I hasten to add that this is the story of the 747 as I remember it. Human memory is fallible, as Im reminded when friends say, Hey Joe, the way you tell it isnt quite the way I recall it. I have checked my facts as best I can; I also imposed on many others to perform rigorous reviews of my manuscript.

The latter 1960s were heady days. It was an audacious time in U.S. history, and the same can do attitude that put men on the Moon also infused and inspired each person on my 747 team.

The 747 was launched when Boeing was overcommitted on too many fronts. Boeings leaders literally bet the company on this airplane and we came perilously close to losing the gamble. If the 747 jetliners success seems inevitable in retrospect, it certainly didnt at the time.

It is a source of continuing pleasure for me that for many decades now 747 jumbo jets have safely and reliably connected the farthest-flung regions of the world. Im proud of what Boeing accomplished with this airplane. Im also proud to see that the traditions of product excellence, technical innovation, and market leadership continue to define Boeing today.

Above all, Im grateful for having led The Incredibles, an unforgettable bunch of men and women who pulled a rhinoceros-sized rabbit out of Boeings hat at a time when failure would have spelled disaster. It was an honor and a privilege.

May this book bring fond memories to those who were there and insight and enjoyment to everyone else.

Joe Sutter

Seattle, Washington

October 2005

T he 747 flew for the first time on February 9, 1969. It was a cold winters day and a highly emotional one for me. Wed had to create this huge new jet so rapidly that its design phase was shorter than that of just about any jetliner before or since. Every challenge had seemed as outsize as the 747 itself. So it was only when I saw the worlds first jumbo jet in the air that I knew my team had done itwed created a real airplane.

I couldnt have done it without my late wife, Nancy. When Id come home beaten down with problems for which there seemed no solution, Nancy was always there to help lift me out of the dumps. Intelligent, beautiful, full of humor and life, she shared the burden of the 747s development.

She felt the pressure of our communitys hopes and fears. Does your husband know what hes doing? her doubting friends would ask. Do you think that big thing hes designing will actually fly ? Of course, they were only giving voice to the question on everybodys mind in Seattle in the late 1960s, but it still left Nancy feeling none too great.

On the morning before that first flight, I sensed Nancy needed me to reassure her that our big airliner would fly. I promised her it would. Whats more, I added confidently, Ill show you just where itll leave the ground.

I bundled her into a Boeing station wagon and drove us out to the calculated unstick point along the snow-fringed runway. Kid, you stand right here, I said, letting her out on dry grass a hundred yards off, and as that airplane goes by, youll see its wheels lift off the ground right in front of you.

With a muted whine entirely different from the flaring hiss that jetliners made back then, the prototype 747 taxied to the distant threshold. The pilots completed their last checks, the engines spooled up, and that huge airplane accelerated down the runway.

Before Nancys eyes, a jetliner two and a half times bigger than anything then in service broke ground and surged skyward, effortlessly carrying away with it the weight of the world.

When I picked Nancy up, she was crying. Oh Joe, she exclaimed, tears of relief running down her cheeks, it took off just where you said it would!