Engineering Marvel: What Makes The Boeing 747 So Special? | Engineering Giants | Progress

My grandfather was born in 1901 before the first airplane flight. The last airplane he flew on was a 747 and he was in awe. All the things he saw for the first time in his life. Radio, Television, Telephone, Cars, refrigerators, microwaves, records, 8-track, and the list goes on. Before the Titanic sank and world war I.

I was cabin crew on 747s BA back in the 1970s. Wonderful aircraft .. and so solid it was like working in a hotel. Perhaps some people are not aware that crew are rostered to work a particular position on the aircraft. Each position has a specific function .. the 'B' position looked after mothers and babies and had to complete an in-flight report for the cabin services officer and back at base; some crew were rostered to work the galleys, and they had the responsibility of ensuring that the meals weee heated on a staggered basis so they didn't get cold while crew in the cabin were serving the first tranche of passengers. Meal service was quite a military operation. The drinks trolleys had first to be moved to the very back and very front of the economy cabin, with a crew member behind them. Positioned after the drinks trolley was a crew member with a trolley for tea and coffee, then following that was a crew member in charge of the meal trolleys. We moved forward toward the centre of the economy cabin like a waggon train until we met with the wagon train moving backward from the top of economy. Everyone knew where they should be, and it was a nightmare if a passenger needed to leave their seat to go to the toilet. All the trolleys had to be rolled back to their original positions to allow him/her to pass. There was always a constant drive to serve drinks, then meals then coffee before the duty-free was ready to be rolled out. The chief steward in economy (under the rank of the cabin services officer) would be constantly pushing for the crew to speed up the service so all the dirty trays and empty glasses could be cleared up and stashed in the galley so the movie could be screened. I think many people assume it's an easy job, but it's extremely demanding because crew working international flights are constantly jet-lagged and not really recovered from their previous flight. It's pretty non-stop, answering call bells etc. During the night the worst part was trying to stay awake and alert while the hours passed slowly .. the constant drone of the engines was very soporific. We had to pass a medical every 6 months as well as pass a written test on safety equipment on the aircraft (location of the various types of fire extinguishers, oxygen masks for crew, etc etc). If you failed you were grounded. I could wrote a lot more but I'm exhausted just typing this much.

I fly internationally frequently. I am so grateful knowing how much attention and care is given to flight safety, technical servicing, the many many checks by experts. Incredible! Thank you for this peace of mind!

I remember when there was only one Boeing Plant. It was on Lake Union in Seattle, Washington! My next-door neighbor Mrs. Evans who we called Grandma Evans hand painted the lettering on the planes. Boeing sent a bus to Black Diamond to pick up all the people who worked at Boeing. The planes that flew over Black Diamond that I remember were the B-27 and the B-29. This was when I was a very young school kid! I am now 86 years old as of January 3rd, 2023. Ah, the good old days!

There's just something about boarding a 747 that you don't get with most other aircraft nowadays. I remember flying on the 747-400 as a child and even then, I could sense it was something special. Everything about it was unique: the way it towered over everything, the distinctive hump at the front of the plane, the winglets that set it apart from even other planes from the same family, it was an aircraft like no other. I rarely fly nowadays and I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to fly on the Queen of the Skies again.

This is my favorite documentary. First time I saw it was 10 years ago. And it’s the one that started my love for aviation.

As an aspiring female aerospace engineer I loved seeing the ladies I hope to one day be just like them ❤️❤️

It's clear these people LOVE they job and that brings a lot of comfort. Great documentary, very good that British Airways allowed us to see how they work, very transparent of them. I got to see stuff that I never saw before in a 747, thanks!

The 747 800 can fly the globe without stopping to refuel. Preferred to fly from LA to Sydney Australia😊😊

That's Teamwork and Fantastic Crew on Servicing that 747 , So Proud of their work.

The queen of the sky, the best at all times, unbelievable machine build and designed in 6o's, thank you BOIENG THANK YOU USA

Wonderful documentary. So many things that can go wrong and so much effort by the dedicated highly skilled engineers to keep this magnificent machine flying! Thanks for the amazing video!

Thank you for a fantastic documentary. Interesting from start to finish! I flew a British Airways 747 back in the 80s. A beautiful machine!

What a wonderful machine. I’ve been flying in them since the beginning. No other plane ✈️ has ever been as amazing. I couldn’t afford the Concorde.

When I was deployed overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan. We went Commercially with Delta, AA and KLM B777. I loved those aircraft. I hope they are still flying or at a minimum as a cargo flying.

Love this aeroplane. I have had the honour of flying 100,200.300,400.-8 and SP. Interesting that this popped up on my feed as today I do my last flight on this amazing a/c. Thank you Boeing for taking care of me. In a carrier spanning 28 years it’s never let me down.

As far back as i can remember the 747 has always fascinated me. Its design, look, profile is simply the most beautiful machine to me that man has ever created. To this day when i see a 747 i just stare with wonderment and soak in its elegance.

When we were told it's impossible, we knew it's the right way to be done. - that's the famous quote for the Boeing 747 Mr. Joe Sutter - the so-called father of the Boeing 747 had said about it during the creation and construction of the Boeing 747 - the one and only Queen of the Sky - the most iconic and most majestic aircraft ever! May he fly with his Boeing 747 forever in heaven! - I love and miss you so much Joe! Lovely greetings from Sarah!

My neck hurts from shaking my head in amazement throughout this whole video...of all the things humanity has achieved ..flight is possibly the most amazing imo at least and the 747 remains my favorite as it's been for the last 31 years stretching back to when I was 6 and my grandfather(an army pilot) first caught my attention with his many stories and lessons in aviation.. nothing has topped the 747 for me and if I ever make it to captain one I figure I'll probably think to myself "youre never going to top this" I love the documentary..thanx for all u guys(and gals) hard work..seeing that crack reminded me of Japan 123 and if they had people like u guys working on their plane that atrocity would have never happened... thanx again for the upload and with Brits on deck u Most definitely got my like and sub

The 747 lovely that. Everything a fellow would want to know. Thank you British Airways for sharing. The thing that surprised me a bit was the voice and data recorders are essentially based on 8 track type tape handling configurations. That or Radio Station type cart tapes. I like the idea of semiconductor storage since there are no moving parts. Just hope they can insulate the black \ orange box sold state electronics from fire, thermals and pressure excesses. Kudos to everyone that helps keep this massive machine flying safely. God Bless you all and all the work you do.