Boeing 307

Infobox Aircraft
name=Boeing 307
type=Airliner
manufacturer=Boeing


caption=A restored Boeing 307 ex-Pan Am on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
designer=
first flight= 31 December 1938
introduced= 8 July 1940
retired=1970s
number built= 10
status=
primary user=TWA
more users=Pan Am
unit cost=$315,000 (in 1937 when ordered) [ [http://www.aviation-history.com/boeing/307.html "Boeing 307 Stratoliner" entry at "The Aviation History Online Museum" website] ]
developed from= Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
variants with their own articles= Boeing C-75

The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner was the first commercial transport aircraft with a pressurized cabin. This feature allowed the plane to cruise at an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,000 m), well above weather disturbances. The Model 307 had capacity for a crew of five and 33 passengers. The cabin was nearly 12 feet across. It was the first plane to include a flight engineer as a crew member.

Operational history

A total of 10 Stratoliners were built. The first flight was on December 31, 1938. Boeing 307 prototype NX 19901 crashed on March 18, 1939 during a test flight. By 1940 it was flying routes between Los Angeles and New York, as well as to locations in Latin America. Multi-millionaire Howard Hughes purchased a model for his personal use, and had it transformed into a luxurious "flying penthouse". This plane was later sold to oil tycoon Glenn McCarthy in 1949. [ [http://www.1940airterminal.org/houstonaviationtimeline.htm "Houston's Aviation History Timeline" at "The 1940 Air Terminal Museum" website] ]

Haiti and the United States have used the 307 in military operations.

Operators

Civilian operators

;FRA
*Aigle Azur bought in 1951 ex-TWA aircraft with new engines and wings replaced with B-17G ones.;flag|Laos|1952
*Air Laos received ex-Agile Azur aircraft.;flag|United States|1912
*Pan Am received 3 aircraft.
*TWA received 5 aircraft.
*Howard Hughes bought 1 aircraft.

Military operators

;HAI
*Haitan Air Force;flag|United States|1912
*United States Army Air Force operated Boeing 307s designated as C-75

urvivors

The only surviving Boeing Model 307 (NC19903), operated by Pan Am, is preserved in flying condition at the Smithsonian Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. On March 28, 2002 this particular aircraft was subject to a dramatic crash in which it ditched into Elliott Bay in Seattle, Wash., on what was to be its last flight before heading to the Smithsonian. [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/64484_main29.shtml "4 escape injury as historic Stratoliner ditches in Elliott Bay" article at the "Seattle Post-Intelligencer"] ] Despite the incident, it has again been restored and is now on display.

The fuselage of Howard Hughes' personal 307 survives, although it has been converted into a boat. [http://planeboats.com]

pecifications (Boeing 307)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=Boeing: History [cite web
url=http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/stratoliner.html
title=History: Model 307 Stratoliner
last=
first=
date=
accessdate=2007-03-14
work=
publisher=Boeing]
crew=5, including two pilots and flight engineer
capacity=33 passengers
length main= 74 ft 4 in
length alt= 22.66 m
span main= 107 ft 0 in
span alt= 32.61 m
height main= 20 ft 10 in
height alt= 6.34 m
area main= 1,486 ft²
area alt= 138.0 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 30,000 lb
empty weight alt= 13,608 kg
loaded weight main= 42,000 lb
loaded weight alt= 19,050 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main=
thrust alt=
thrust original=
afterburning thrust main=
afterburning thrust alt=
engine (prop)=Wright GR-1820 radials
type of prop=
number of props=4
power main= 900 hp
power alt= 671 kW
power original=

max speed main=222 mph
max speed alt= 357 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main=2,390 mi
range alt= 3,846 km
ceiling main= 26,200 ft
ceiling alt= 7,985 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main= 28 lb/ft²
loading alt= 138 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.09 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 140 W/kg
more performance=

armament=

avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* B-17 Flying Fortress
* Boeing C-75
* Boeing 377 Stratocruiser

similar aircraft=
* Douglas DC-4
* C-46 Commando

lists=

see also=

References

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omZSyCFWejI Video] Courtesy of [http://www.youtube.com/user/Bomberguy Bomberguy] Aviation Historian