The PlusSized Pioneer:

The story of the Boeing 747

Competition to introduce the new airliner into service was erce. But Pan Am became the rst airline to put the 747 into service. e inaugural ight occurred on January 22, 1970, with a route from JFK International to London Heathrow. Although technical di culties grounded the original aircra , a second 747 christened as the “Clipper Young America” made the historic journey. One month later, Trans World Airlines (TWA), introduced scheduled service for their own 747s. ey also introduced the rst terminal specially designed to accommodate e idea for the 747 got started a er Boeing lost a major military contract in 1963. ey set out to build a large airliner to take advantage of the high-bypass engine designed for their proposed military jet, the C-5A. e purpose of the new airliner was to meet demand created by the surge of air-passenger tra c and crowded skies. purchasing 25 747-100s to add to their eet. Pan Am was also heavily involved with assisting in the development of the JT9D engine that would be used. of the year. of the biggest air disasters involving the 747 occurred on March 27, 1977.

Airlines would also be adding the 747 to their eet.

The proposed design for the jet came in three con gurations: all passenger, all cargo, and a convertible passenger/ freight model. Sized at 231 feet long, with a wingspan of 195 feet, it is the largest currently operating passenger jet, and the heaviest jet manufactured in the United States. Initial designs called for a twin deck to increase passenger capacity, but Boeing found that it was impossible to evacuate the decks within the recommended time frame in an emergency. e single, main deck design was nalized in 1965.

Center. A er the end of the Space Shuttle Program, the 747 with the designation NASA 905 ferried Discovery, Enterprise and Endeavour to their forever museum homes, where they are still currently on display for the public.

On that of ight. e program was canceled in 2011, and in 2012 the YAL-1 was own to the USAF “boneyard” in Pima, Arizona. e very last of the 747s rolled o the line on December 6, 2022, to ll an order for Atlas Air as a freighter plane.

NASA acquired and modi ed two 747s in 1976 to be used for carrying their Space Shuttles, denoted as Shuttle day, at Los Rodeos Airport, two passenger 747s collided on the runway, killing everyone on board KLM Flight 4805 and most on Pan Am Flight 1736. Only 61 people survived. It was determined the cause of the disaster stemmed from a series of unfortunate events, starting with a bomb going o at Gran Canaria Airport that diverted ights to Los Rodeos, and ending with the KLM 747 attempting a takeo with Pan Am’s 747 still on the runway, concealed by fog. With 583 overall fatalities, it remains the deadliest accident in aviation history.

In order to transport the necessary components for the assembly of the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing announced it would be designing and using a specialized 747 known as the Dreamli er. e Dreamli er had a similar bulging fuselage concept to the Super Guppy, Airbus Beluga and Beluga XL, and served similar functions. e rst of the modi ed 747s rolled o the line in 2006 and entered service in 2008. One of its most notable ights was when one arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, delivering 500,000 masks for school teachers and students during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, as a joint relief e ort between Boeing, the state of Utah, and several major companies and carriers.

Candice Kingery Marketing Director, Sodexo at ERAU

Jonathan Schroder, a student at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, was recently named one of nineteen randomly selected winners in Sodexo’s “Dishing Out Dreams Sweepstakes” as part of its fall resident dining promotion series.

is national prize sweepstakes gave students across the United States the chance to win one of nineteen $500 donations. ese donations are made in their name to a food-related charity of their choice. Jonathan selected Anchor Ridge from North Wilkesboro, NC as his charity bene ciary. In addition to the donation, Jonathan will receive a $575 Best Buy gi card to use toward a choice of a tablet.

Featured at more than 600 Sodexo-managed colleges and universities nationwide, Sodexo’s fall resident dining promotion series included several enjoyable events for students in addition to the Dishing Out Dreams Sweepstakes. Two core dining showcase events, GrEAT Expeditions and Imagine at!, were lled with palate and planet-pleasing options, fantasyinspired mash-ups and more!

In addition to initiatives happening nationwide, Sodexo is interested in having YOU be involved with their services on our campus. e Culinary Council is a group of students who advocate for students’ dining needs, and anyone can join. e Council assists with event marketing, planning, and execution, and even gets rst-hand previews of new menu items and other programs before they roll out to the general student body. Visit their Instagram page @erau_eats for more information.