Boeing 747SP

Development

The idea for the 747SP came from a request by Pan Am for a 747 variant capable of carrying a full payload non-stop on its longest route between New York and Tehran. Joined with Pan Am's request was Iran Air; their joint interest was for a high-capacity airliner capable of covering Pan Am's New York–Middle Eastern routes and Iran Air's planned New York-Tehran route (New York to Tehran was the longest non-stop commercial flight in the world for a short time). The aircraft was launched with Pan Am's first order in 1973, and the first example was delivered in 1976.

A shorter derivative of the 747-100, the SP was developed to target two market requirements. which in its standard form was too large for many routes. Until the arrival of the 767, Boeing lacked a mid-sized wide-body to compete in this segment. The second market requirement was an aircraft suitable for the ultra-long-range routes emerging in the mid-1970s following the joint request. These routes needed not only longer range but also higher cruising speeds. Boeing could not afford to develop an all-new design, instead opting to shorten the 747 and optimize it for speed and range, at the expense of capacity.

Originally designated 747SB for "short body", it was later nicknamed "Sutter's balloon" by employees after 747 chief engineer Joe Sutter. Boeing later changed the production designation to 747SP for "special performance", reflecting the aircraft's greater range and higher cruising speed. Pan Am then made the first flight of the 747SP on April 25, 1976, making a nonstop flight from New York to Tokyo.

The 747SP was the longest-range airliner available until the 747-400 entered service in 1989. Despite its technical achievements, the SP never sold as well as Boeing hoped.

Design

Apart from having a significantly shorter fuselage and one fewer cabin door per side, the 747SP differs from other 747 variants in having simplified flaps and a taller vertical tail to counteract the decrease in yaw moment-arm from the shortened fuselage. The 747SP uses single-piece flaps on the trailing edges, rather than the smaller triple-slotted flaps of standard 747s.

The SP could accommodate 230 passengers in a 3-class cabin or 331 (303 economy, 28 business) in a 2-class cabin, and a maximum of 400 passengers in one class.

Variants

From 2007 until 2022, a specially modified 747SP was used as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) astronomical observatory, Astronomers took data and controlled the instrument from within the normally pressurized cabin. Originally delivered to Pan Am and named "Clipper Lindbergh", the name was displayed in script on the port side of the aircraft.

In September 2022, SOFIA ceased operations after the conclusion of its final mission. The retirement was made both on the grounds of cost and suitability for the requirements of the decade to come. The aircraft was later flown to the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, to be put on public display.

Operators

Deliveries

Forty-five 747SP aircraft were built between 1974 and 1987. The production line was ended in 1982 but reopened in 1987 to fulfill an order for the Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight.

Current operators

, there are just two Boeing 747SPs remaining in active service, both operating as testbed aircraft for engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada. Eighteen more aircraft are stored or otherwise preserved. The remaining aircraft were either scrapped, otherwise destroyed, or abandoned. In 2016, the last 747SP in commercial service flew from Tehran to Mumbai before being withdrawn from service after 40 years by Iran Air. In 2020, the last aircraft in governmental use was stored by the Royal Flight of Oman.

Former operators

This list also includes organizations that used the aircraft temporarily, besides main operators. ; Africa

• ---

  • Cameroon Airlines

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  • Kinshasa Airways

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  • Air Malawi

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  • Royal Air Maroc

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  • Air Mauritius

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  • LAM Mozambique Airlines

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  • Air Namibia

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  • Alliance Air

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  • Avia Airlines
  • South African Airways
  • Trek Airways

; America

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  • Aerolíneas Argentinas

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  • American Airlines
  • Braniff International Airways
  • Global Peace Ambassadors
  • Las Vegas Sands
  • Pan Am
  • Trans World Airlines
  • United Airlines

; Asia

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  • Bahrain Royal Flight

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  • His Majesty The Sultan's Flight

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  • Iran Air

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  • Iraqi Airways

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  • Kazakhstan Airlines

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  • Middle East Airlines

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  • Royal Flight of Oman

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  • Air China
  • Civil Aviation Administration of China

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  • Qatar Airways
  • Qatar Amiri Flight

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  • China Airlines
  • Mandarin Airlines

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  • Korean Air

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  • Saudia

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  • Syrian Air

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  • Tajik Air

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  • Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight
  • Dubai Royal Air Wing

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  • Yemenia

; Europe

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  • Corsair International
  • Union de Transports Aériens

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  • Air Atlanta Icelandic

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  • Luxair

; Oceania

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  • Australia Asia Airlines
  • Qantas

Records

There were three significant commercial around-the-world record-setting flights flown by 747SP: two operated by Pan Am and the other operated by United Airlines with the aircraft being "loaned" to Friendship Foundation, in order to raise money for the foundation. Those flights are:

• Liberty Bell Express—Flown from New York/JFK May 1–3, 1976. 2 stopovers at Palam Airport, New Delhi and Tokyo-Haneda Airport. The round-the-world flight took 46 hours and 26 minutes over 23,137 miles.
• Pan Am Flight 50—to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pan Am. Flown October 28–30, 1977 from San Francisco, with a time duration of 54 hours, 7 minutes, 12 seconds. 3 stopovers at Heathrow Airport, Cape Town and Auckland. Flight 50 flew over both the North Pole and the South Pole.
• Friendship One—Flown January 29–31, 1988 from Seattle, to raise funds for Friendship Foundation. Two stopovers were made, at Athens and Taipei. The record lasted less than a month, as it was beaten by a Gulfstream IV. The round-the-world flight took 35 hours and 54 minutes over 23,125 miles.
• In 1976 a Boeing 747SP (ZS-SPA) of South African Airways was flown non-stop from the Boeing Company factory in Seattle to Cape Town during its delivery flight. This was a world record for an un-refueled commercial aircraft, this record was held for over a decade.

Incidents and accidents

• On February 19, 1985, China Airlines Flight 006, a 747SP-09 (aircraft registration N4522V) with 274 passengers and crew on a flight from Chiang Kai-shek Airport to Los Angeles suffered an inflight failure on engine number four. While the flight crew attempted to restore power the aircraft rolled to the right and started a steep descent from the cruising altitude of 41,000 feet, pulling 4.8 G and 5.1 G on two occasions. The captain managed to stabilize the aircraft at 9,500 feet and the aircraft diverted to San Francisco which was 550 km away. Two passengers were injured and the aircraft suffered major structural damage.
• On October 5, 1998, a South African Airways Boeing 747SP-44 (ZS-SPF) operated by LAM Mozambique Airlines suffered an engine failure shortly after take-off from Maputo International Airport, Mozambique. The no. 3 engine suffered an uncontained failure – flying debris caused damage to the no. 4 engine and the wing. A fire broke out that couldn't be extinguished immediately, forcing an emergency landing. All 66 people on board survived. As a result, the aircraft was withdrawn from service and scrapped.
• On January 15, 2004, Iran Air Flight 800, a 747SP-86 (aircraft registration EP-IAC), faced hydraulic malfunction shortly after takeoff from Beijing Capital International Airport, the aircraft made an emergency landing, but the front landing gear collapsed. All people on board survived with no injuries.
• During the Yemeni Civil War, a 747SP owned by the President of Yemen, 7O-YMN, was struck by gunfire on March 19, 2015. Subsequent photographs show that the aircraft was then completely destroyed by fire afterward.
• On August 27, 2020, a Las Vegas Sands Boeing 747SP-21 (VQ-BMS) was damaged beyond repair during Hurricane Laura while undergoing maintenance. The right-hand wing fractured and the wing of another aircraft, believed to be BBJ N836BA, cut through the forward fuselage.

Aircraft on display

• An ex-South African Airways 747SP nicknamed "Maluti" is on static display at Rand Airport in South Africa, where it is maintained by the South African Airways Museum Society.
• NASA 747SP N747NA, SOFIA (ex-Pan Am Clipper Lindbergh) is preserved at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Specifications (Boeing 747SP with JT9D-7J engines)

|prime units?=imp General characteristics

|max takeoff weight kg= |max takeoff weight lb=700000 |max takeoff weight note=

• Max landing weight: 450000 lb
• Max zero fuel weight: 410000 lb Powerplant -- Performance --

|never exceed speed kmh= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed kts= |never exceed speed note= |minimum control speed kmh= |minimum control speed mph= |minimum control speed kts= |minimum control speed note= |wing loading kg/m2= |wing loading lb/sqft= |fuel consumption kg/km= |fuel consumption lb/mi= |thrust/weight=

• Takeoff distance: 9250 ft at max takeoff weight
• Landing distance: 5250 ft at max landing weight

References

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