Boeing 307 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boeing 307 / C-75 |
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| A Boeing 307 at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center | |
| Role | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| First flight | 31 December 1938 |
| Introduction | 8 July 1940 |
| Retired | 1975 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | TWA Pan Am United States Army Air Forces |
| Number built | 10 |
| Unit cost | $315,000 (in 1937) |
| Developed from | Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress |
The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner was an airliner which was made by Boeing. It was the first airliner to have a pressurized cabin. This meant that the Boeing 307 could fly at 20,000 ft (6,000 m), which is above most weather. If the plane was at 14,700 ft (4,480 m), it would be like 8,000 ft (2,440 m) inside the cabin. The Model 307 carried five crew and 33 passengers. The cabin was nearly 12 ft (3.6 m) across. It was the first plane which took off from land to have a flight engineer.
Contents
Development and design
In 1935 Boeing designed an airliner with four engines. It was based on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. This airliner was called the Model 307. It had the same wings, tail, rudder, landing gear and engines as the B-17C. However, the middle of the plane was a circle. Its diameter was 138 in (351 cm). It was designed so that the plane could be pressurized.
The first order was made in 1937 by Pan American Airways. Pan Am then ordered more. Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) ordered five. Boeing then started making the plane.
C-75
When the U.S. joined World War II in December 1941, it was thought to be a luxury to fly. The war meant that government and military officers needed to fly long distances. Planes like Pan Am's 14 flying boats and TWA's five Boeing 307s were used for this. More fuel tanks were added to allow it to fly further. Military Boeing 307s were called C-75s. Before World War II stopped them being made, 10 307s had been made for airlines. TWA flew between New York and Los Angeles for 18 months until the Army bought their planes. TWA changed their 307s to C-75s in January 1942. These were the only American planes which could cross the Atlantic with cargo until the Douglas C-54 Skymaster was made in November 1942.
C-75s had the pressurization equipment removed to make the plane lighter. Some seats were taken off, and some other changes were made. Five 212.5 U.S. gal (804 L; 177 imp gal) fuel tanks were put onto the plane. The landing gear was made stronger and the maximum take-off weight was made bigger (from 45,000 to 56,000 lb (20,400 to 25,400 kg)). The outside was painted olive drab.
History
The first Boeing 307 Stratoliner flew from Boeing Field, Seattle on December 31, 1938. However, it crashed on March 18, 1939, while KLM was looking at it.
The first delivery was made to Howard Hughes. He bought one Boeing 307 to fly around the world. He wanted to do it faster than he did before. Hughes' Boeing Stratoliner had more fuel tanks. It was ready to go, but then Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, so Howard Hughes did not make his flight. This 307 had its extra fuel tanks taken off. It also had more powerful engines added. It was supposed to be a "flying penthouse" for Hughes, but it was not used a lot. It was eventually sold.
Pam Am started getting its Boeing 307s in March 1940. TWA got its first 307 in April. TWA used its 307s to fly from Los Angeles to New York. Pan Am's flew from Miami to Latin America. Ten 307s were made. Three were given to Pan Am (named Clipper Flying Cloud, Clipper Comet, and Clipper Rainbow) and five to TWA (named Comanche, Cherokee, Zuni, Navajo, and Apache). One went to Howard Hughes. The first 307 crashed.
After the United States joined World War II, Pan Am kept flying its planes to Central and South America, but the Army Air Force was in charge of them. TWA's Boeing 307s were sold to the U.S. government. They were called Boeing C-75 and used by the United States Army Air Forces.
The U. S. Army gave the five C-75s back to TWA in 1944. TWA sent them back to Boeing to be rebuilt. Boeing replaced the wings and put in more powerful engines. The electrics were replaced with electrics from the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. After these changes, the 307 could carry 38 passengers. TWA switched to the Lockheed Constellation, but the 307s were used until April, 1951.
TWA sold its Stratoliners to Aigle Azur.
C-75
The C-75 flew two main routes: Washington, D.C. to Cairo and New York to Scotland. They sometimes flew from Gander, Newfoundland to Prestwick, Scotland and between Natal, Brazil and Accra, Ghana. After July 1942, they could stop to refuel at Ascension Island. I
Different types of Boeing 307
- 307
- had Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G102 engines and five crew
- 307B
- had Wright Cyclone GR-1820-G105A engines and seven crew
- C-75
- Boeing 307s used by the U.S. military
Users
Civilians
- Royal Air Laos
- Howard Hughes bought one aircraft.
- Pan Am got three aircraft.
- TWA got five aircraft.
Military
- Haitan Air Force
Boeing 307s which still exist
The only Boeing 307 Stratoliner which still exists is at the Smithsonian Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. On March 28, 2002, this plane was damaged a lot when it ditched in Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington. That was its last flight before it went to the Smithsonian.
The main part of Howard Hughes' 307 also still exists, but it is now a house boat.
Details (Boeing 307)
Data from Jane's AWA 1942 (apart from wing area and loading)
General characteristics
- Crew: 5
- Capacity: 38 passengers in daytime, 25 at night
- Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.6 m)
- Wingspan: 107 ft 0 in (32.63 m)
- Height: 20 ft 9.5 in (6.33 m)
- Wing area: 1,486 ft² (138.0 m²)
- Empty weight: 30,000 lb (13,608 kg)
- Loaded weight: 45,000 lb (20,420 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × Wright GR-1820-G102, 1,100 hp (820 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 241 mph at 6,000 ft (387 km/h at 1,830 m)
- Cruise speed: 215 mph at 10,000 ft (344 km/h at 3,050 m)
- Range: 1,750 mi (2,820 km)
- Service ceiling: 23,300 ft (7,110 m)
- Wing loading: 28 lb/ft² (138 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.098 hp/lb (160 W/kg)
Related pages
- Aircraft related to this one
Images for kids
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Boeing S-307 Stratoliner production line - note the early B-17s to the rear
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Prototype Model 307 NX19901 with the small tail as initially designed, and which caused its loss.
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Wreck of the prototype, NX19901
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TWA Boeing SA-307B NC19905 on May 17, 1940 after the engines iced up and it made a forced landing
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TWA Boeing SA-307B NC19907 'Zuni' 402 landing with slotted flaps lowered, prewar
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Pan Am Boeing S-307 Stratoliner NC19902 Clipper Rainbow with blanking plates installed on engines to prevent engine over-cooling
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Newly graduated Hostesses lined up in front of Zuni, TWA's Stratoliner NC19907, in early to mid-1940.
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42-88623 Cherokee loading up following conversion to C-75 standard
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Prototype of the S-307, with the small tail used initially on the first three examples built.
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Ex-Pan Am Inter-American Inc. Boeing S-307 Strato-Clipper N19903 after returning to the US from Haiti, before being bought by the Smithsonian.
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T&WA Boeing SA-307B Cherokee as built.
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Boeing 307 prototype from above, showing off the wing and tail planform
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TWA Boeing SA-307B NC19905 Comanche undersides, showing off just how wide the 11.5 ft (3.5 m) fuselage was. The external arms for the slotted flaps are visible here, as are the hatches on the underside through which baggage was loaded.
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Map of 1940 TWA Boeing 307 routes
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USAAF C-75 42-88624 Comanche in wartime camouflage
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Boeing C-75 ICD primary wartime transatlantic routes after July 1942, when the airfield as Ascension Island shortened the South Atlantic crossing. Bluie Two and Eight were added in 1942 as diversionary airfields in case excessive headwinds were encountered in the North Atlantic. When conditions allowed it, usually on summer eastbound crossings, direct flights were sometimes made between Gander and Prestwick.
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TWA Boeing SA-307B-1 N19909 'Navajo' fleet number 404, as it appeared when offering coach class seating only, and showing the rearward location of the higher aspect ratio B-17G tailplane, whose hinges were now lined up with the rudder hinge.
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Lineup of all three Pan Am Strato-Clippers
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Aerovias Ecuatorianas C.A. (AREA) Boeing S-307 Strato-Clipper HC 004
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Aigle Azur Extrême-Orient Boeing S-307 Strato-Clipper F-BHHR in New York just before delivery
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Aigle Azur Boeing SA-307B-1 F-BELV on the ramp
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Airnautic Boeing SA-307B-1 F-BELY
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Boeing SA-307B-1 Stratoliner F-BELX, likely while with Cambodia Air Commercial
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SA-307B-1 F-BELU with the CIC/ICC
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Pan Am Boeing S-307 Strato-Clipper NC19910 Clipper Comet
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TWA Stratoliner pre-war, at Chicago airport
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Quaker City Airways Boeing S-307 Stratoliner N75385
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UAT Aeromaritime Boeing SA-307B-1 F-BELV
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Restored ex-Pan Am Stratoliner NC19903 displayed in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
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Boeing SA-307B Stratoliner 3-view drawing
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See also
In Spanish: Boeing 307 para niños
