1000 Passengers On A 747 - Boeing Dreamlifter Passenger Version

The Boeing 747 is Boeing's biggest plane - or is it? Turns out, Boeing has a bigger aircraft called the Boeing Dreamlifter. Created for the express purpose to transport Boeing 787 parts, this platform holds the most interior space of any Boeing aircraft
So why don't we put some passengers in it? After all, with more space than even the proposed Boeing 747X, this plane would change the landscape of aviation and commercial freight forever - let us dive into it.
The Boeing Dreamlifter, proper name, the Boeing 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), is an engineering marvel. Created from the shell of a Boeing 747-400, the dreamlifter has a greatly expanded internal cargo area that can carry entire plane fulsages across the great American continent, from smaller Boeing 737s up to Boeing 787 Dreamliners - especially those that can't fit on rail or trucks. Boeing uses them to link its international production line from Japan and Italy to North Charleston and Washington.
It is essentially the Boeing equivalent of the Airbus Beluga. Fascinatingly, unlike Airbus, these aircraft are not built from scratch but rather from existing conversions. The four Dreamlifters that exist are from Air China, China Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines - Boeing acquired the 747-400s and converted them to Taiwan, hence why all of them come from Asia.
The Boeing 747 dream lifter nearly has all the same specifications as the 747-400, slightly longer by 1 meter, or 3 or so feet. It is taller, however, at 21.54 meters or 70 feet and 8 inches and is wider at 8.38 meters, 27 feet and 6 inches, approx 2 meters more than the 747-400. This gives us a total empty space of 65,000 cubic feet (1,840 m³).
If the upper level has a width of 838 cm, and the average seat is 17 inches across or 43 cm, then we can fit a total of 16 seats across, factoring in twin aisles. Now that's quite complicated as it would mean a configuration of 5 - 6 - 5 which is unrealistic, but we could fit in a third row in exchange for an extra seat and end up with 4 - 4 - 4 - 4. Brutal, but not outrageous. A more realistic option would be a 3 - 4 - 4 - 3, giving room for the bulkhead.
At 45 rows of passengers on the upper deck, this would be 14 x 45 or 630 passengers.
But what about the lower deck? The lower level has the same width as a Boeing 747, and thus, we can assume the same configuration of 3-4-3 across with 17 inches of width. Now for the rows, the plane likewise has a similar lower level and we can assume around 45 rows, giving us 450 passengers on the lower deck if all economy.
In combination, this is just over a thousand passengers, or 1070 souls.
There would likely be room for business class passengers. Looking at how Lufthansa laid out its 747-400 series, they reduced the economy down to 308 and 53 business class seats on the lower deck. Bringing out a new realistic total, with two classes, to 811. Still insane and still bigger than the A380!
The great thing about the 747 Dreamlifter as it actually has the existing power of the 747-400 and is a preferred aircraft for cargo operations. With these four engines, the aircraft has a range of 4,200 nmi (4,800 mi; 7,800 km) fully loaded with a maximum payload capacity is 250,000 lb (113,400 kg)
811 passengers, divided roughly 50/50 would be 83.5 kg per person, for a total of 67,718.5 tonnes, or 149.2 thousand pounds. That's half our weight gone from the maximum payload. With the other half we need to include luggage, say 20kg per person, so 16,220 kg or 35,000 pounds. Giving us only 29.4 thousand kilos for the rest of the plane - bulkhead, seats, toilets, entertainment systems, food, beverages - it all adds up.
There are other issues.
First of all, the main cabin is totally unpressurized. As in, everyone on board would be freezing in flight and wouldn't be able to breath in flight.
That being said, there are some unsung advantages of this plane. For one, at airports this aircraft could simply open up its tail when at the gate and allow many passengers to board and leave instantly.
It is also possible that the plane could be turned into a combi aircraft and used for passengers on the top deck, and cargo on the bottom deck - a tantalizing prospect for airlines in 2021 who require commercial freight to survive. After all the Boeing 747-400 was actually used as a Combi aircraft by KLM for many years for its trans-Caribbean routes from Europe.
Overall, the Dreamlifter really just shows us how flexible the actual 747 platform is. It is incredible that not only have we have multiple generations of passenger 747s, but also all these insane wacky designs like the 747 missile carrier and the 747 dreamlifter. Its for these reasons that while we might be saying goodbye to trijets, goodbye to the A380, the 747 queen of the skies will be sticking around for a bit longer yet.

[@ChakkyCharizard]

Having seen these things in person, up close (I live near the Everett factory), I fully grasp just how *large* they actually are...A passenger version would be completely ridiculous to look at and I'D LOVE IT.

[@Cruminum]

I wanna go to America for one reason. I don’t care what other stuff are in America JUST the dreamlifter. I’ve never seen one. (I’m Australian)

[@davehenson3588]

I built the wings for the 1st one till I left in august 2020

[@ep55563]

lucky!

[@vladersek5302]

@@davehenson3588 how was it working for Boeing?

[@davehenson3588]

@@vladersek5302 very hard on my body. I was in the fuel tank of the 777 then moved to wings on 737 and the 747 climbing in those wings everyday was a killer.

[@Brilliance792]

"lets put some people in it" "everyone on board would be freezing and wouldnt be able to breathe"

[@NaenaeGaming]

Boeing has already proven that that’s not an issue they care about, or to put it kindly, they like providing passengers with a lot of fresh air and a once in a life time skydiving experience over the pacific!

[@MrTheFSXFAN]

@Sean Abram nah, wont work. look at the A380

[@commerce-usa]

Would be interesting to see if the fuselage geometry would tolerate pressurization well.

[@CSSBTGaming]

"...but then in the USA there are 24 hour buffets and their child soda size is the size of a child..." lol

[@Dweller415]

😂😂😂 As an American I would have to agree.

[@borkedboards5639]

@@Dweller415 same

[@enriksouls6636]

I too bear witness to these facts and can attest so.

[@Joshua_N-A]

I thought everything's bigger in Russia.

[@lufthansa009]

Waht waht the fa*** 😂😂😂😂

[@sls12III]

A380: I'm bigger than the 747! Dreamlifter: Are you sure about that?

[@Tobu9105F]

Isn't the 747 400lcf the same thing as the 744 normal Just that they increased the hump size

[@jemand8462]

A380: yes I am.

[@jenobrentsimbajon3408]

airbus beluga:ehm ehm ehm

[@Tobu9105F]

@@jenobrentsimbajon3408 747 400lcf:haha you cannot become a passenger aircraft

[@tegarandikash]

@@jenobrentsimbajon3408 well, beluga is big in term of size, but it can't handle much weight

[@hexhawk2216]

I would really love to see a video turning a massive plane into a private jet meant for like four people

[@ut2k4wikichici]

A flying mansion would be cool as shit

[@spaceace1006]

That would be awesome!!

[@rodrigonogueiramota4433]

"1000 passengers on a 747" Ryanair: ONLY 1000? pfffff. let´s put 5000 passengers and charge 10 euros to use the toilets

[@ATIMELINEOFAVIATION]

oh ya would do well on short routes; no need range anyways just ask the passengers to bring their own fuel tanks, or charge them for one

[@1mol831]

Maybe Ryanair should operate a cruiser instead, the aircraft won't even take off.

[@sebastiaomendonca1477]

they basically thought "lets smooth out the bump by adding another, bigger bump"

[@emanuellopez6147]

Yup😂

[@thatguyalex2835]

Might as well be a triple decker at this point. :)

[@user-xq2fz5tz9t]

I wouldn't be surprised if Boeing designers have hunchbacks.

[@thatguyalex2835]

@@user-xq2fz5tz9t Lol... Hours of toiling over schematics and such. So, probably yes

[@Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman]

@@user-xq2fz5tz9t 😂

[@tobiascalvert3757]

I work at the Boeing factory on 777's. I saw first of these planes when it was in the factory. When it was still colored primer green, some people nicknamed it 'the flying pickle.'. After it had the basic white paint, it was nicknamed by some, it limited company, the flying suppository! The hinges for the rear hatch are as big as a truck!

[@thatguyalex2835]

That is pretty cool sir. :)

[@dotcinematics]

What do you have to say about Boeing’s quality control issues today?

[@tobiascalvert3757]

@@dotcinematics I think you're talking about the recent door plug incident. I can't speak for the company, but my own personal opinion is that the build schedule for the 737's is too rapid. Things get missed. I think for the same reason we have so many recalls on new cars

[@dotcinematics]

@@tobiascalvert3757 totally agree

[@tariqahmad1371]

I’m American and I find the American jokes really funny! Keep up the good work!

[@thecat0767]

Haha gun go brrrrrr

[@gabrielb9010]

"Yeah i think Ryanair can Fit a few 1000 peapole in there" -Cit Swiss001 in one of his video

[@commerce-usa]

And they might even consider flying it with a 10,000 foot flight ceiling to avoid using all that heavy pressurization equipment. 🤣

[@Sticknub]

peapole

[@rtheytwins]

People*

[@aquincum9482]

Yeah, plus a duty free shop and 5 fast-food restaurants

[@seahydra3108]

Ryanair : "(Heavy breathing)"

[@DownundaThunda]

"Could just open up it's tail." I think for a passenger airliner, they would need to seal the tail and make it unable to open. Which could save some weight on the aircraft itself. It wouldn't neeed strong re-enforced hinges or the hydraulic system to power the opening and closing of the tail. Nor would it need locks.

[@Fightre_Flighte]

That would absolutely reduce weight drastically.

[@kdrapertrucker]

And redesign the entire fuselage since currently only the flighted k is pressurized.

[@Fightre_Flighte]

@@kdrapertrucker Not necessarily. They could add really small panels, or just run some sealant, along the inside, for a positive pressure fit, so it can't just get blown off. Other than that and making a new bulkhead for the tail to seal the rear end, most of the "redesign" would involve the task of making a second (and third) floor.

[@lesparker7949]

The 747 must never go!

[@BM2065_]

Still amazing like every episode. Love the content

[@knoxx5553]

Four 747's combined into one dreamlifter doubed 'DEVASTATOR'

[@vgames1543]

As our global population keeps growing, such big aircraft concepts become ever more appealing.

[@Kiskaloo]

Boeing also uses Dreamlifters now to ship 767 Section 41 (cockpit/forward fuselage) units from Spirit in Wichita to Everett (Spirit makes Section 41 for the 787 in Wichita, as well).

[@randomdeadpool]

6:12 Recently I was in America for the 1st time and I asked my self "why 10 dollars for a shake?" Then I got a 1.5L Super Jumbo XL shake and it took me an hour to drink all of that

[@00crashtest]

And don't forget they drive around in those huge Tahoe and Expedition SUVs with similarly oversized cupholders to fir their drinks.

[@randomdeadpool]

@@00crashtest Yeah XD

[@Brtt4849]

@@00crashtest and blast their music

[@saltbeltupstateny4857]

$10.00 for a shake?!? Been all over this great land, never spent that amount, not even in NYC🥤

[@randomdeadpool]

@@saltbeltupstateny4857 It was bigger than Texas XD

[@spittymcgee4171]

their child soda size is the of a child lmao

[@Mr-man_png]

The Dreamlifter seems perfect for Long Hauls, that is if ur flying from AKL - LAX, stop at HNL, and ur good to go from there!

[@commerce-usa]

Would be way cool to have forward facing glass on the upper deck. Something of a tip of the hat to a design cue of the Olds Vista Cruiser wagon of the 1970s for those old enough to remember.

[@priyankasolanki5510]

My favorite plane is the 747.

[@AluminumOxide]

someone should make KSP mods like this! fill the seats of a realistic 747 concept with hundreds of kerbals!

[@thatguyalex2835]

Agreed. Someone made a 747 in KSP, I think. :)

[@thecrazeecow1682]

I saw the dreamlifter on a regular basis in Anchorage. Quite a sight.

[@USSR.T-90A]

Me as a Malaysian, i never know that one of the B747 Dreamlifter was from Malaysia airline B747-400. I'm so proud of my country.

[@sovietcomrade6949]

Then why the Russian name?

[@opono7384]

@@sovietcomrade6949 boeing 747 dreamlifter doesnt even sound russian ☺☺😙😙😙😙

[@TigerChamp99]

Thank you for making this video

[@patmo131]

I saw one of these in Charleston, SC last week. It was huge! By the way, I’ve yet to see a 24 hour buffet in America, not even in Las Vegas.

[@natebeach]

I agree. WHERE in America is there a 24 hour buffet?!?! 🙄 Especially, since Covid hit!... Walmart doesn't even stay open 24 hours anymore! This guy's an idiot. 🤦

[@fahmirblx]

Also mind you, the Dreamlifter's wing also lacked the winglets. You could slap them back in.

[@trevfenn]

You don't think that maybe they were removed for a reason? Put them back and you bring the problem they caused back. I'll let you research it.

[@invernessaviation]

You deserve more subs!

[@TechReview2000]

keep making awesome videos! - Very informative and entertaining

[@jasonthomas9364]

That would be a crowded flight with those wings sitting in there for the 787

[@PutthiDara]

Every morning from where I live in Marysville it’s near PAE where my dad works and I just see dreamlifters and planes that are being in testing fly around my house

[@Carhill]

More like Beluga 747... That thing is chonky.

[@Fightre_Flighte]

Super guppy? Try the hyper guppy!

[@laffey.chan_]

Thicc 747

[@lawrencegatt4515]

Love ❤️ your wonderful videos big Boeing Fan from Oz 🇦🇺.

[@haakonht]

Good stuff, you only missed the additional insulation, noise protection, overhead storage compartments, air condition, seats, interior walls, equipment for FA's, emergency exits, oxygen masks, life vests, IFE-related equipment, kitchen, lavatories and the needed range increase to make it competitive with the A380. You can estimate about the same equipment weight as the weight of an average person for every single seat you want to cram into that plane with the additional necessities to make it a competitive product - You can 1.5x that if you want a range increase on the plane as well. The 747-400 has a MTOW of 410 tons, the A380 has an MTOW of 650+ tons.

[@thefunnywatermelon2983]

Thanks for using concept I highly appreciate it!

[@alexanderrichardson484]

Being a pilot by flying and landing the Boeing 747 400, Dreamlifter and A380 planes in every country all over the world is one of my biggest dream jobs ever!

[@annetteslife]

That would be a dream for me to go onto the Boeing Dreamliner

[@knoxx5553]

They should put a movie theater and a skymall in one of these things

[@AnkitKumar-fo2iz]

6:15 😂 what a line

[@skull3374]

Excellent work and i learn something new thanks Found and Explained!

[@robertorafaelvazquezvazque2376]

Excellent video! As usual

[@cleonwallace6040]

Love it already

[@williamkeyser1977]

Yeah! That's all we need! The titanic of the skies!

[@thomasaffolter4386]

I live in Seattle so I frequently see this thing flying around town. It is one weird asset looking plane lol

[@MohammedKhaled-ju7gy]

“Child soda size the size of a child” Lmao

[@pnwwags1818]

ive stood under these things and you really dont understand its size till you do, its insane

[@austinhughes6852]

The 747 is like the Swiss Army knife of planes.

[@rocko44444444]

Just wondering how to evacuate this plane within 90 sec timeframe limit.

[@allenseeallendo5844]

Imagine waiting for 1000 people to get there bags from overhead. It would be longer than most flights.

[@MrSquareart]

Great video. Interesting to watch.

[@ThePowerofJames]

someone send this to Kelsey at 74 Gear who flies this monster on the regular!

[@mikes-bmedic5484]

Kelsey would say it how it is. One of my favourite KZbinrs

[@Koromadic2]

Me: woahhhhh. Ryanair: 3 Decks? Make it into 500 decks!

[@chillonion536]

i subbed because ur content is fantastic

[@yanirarodriguezportez152]

this plane looks like if a 747 ate a Big Mac 20 times per day

[@xvillin]

I was up in the E&E bay in one of those when an earthquake struck. It was windy so I just thought it was really windy when everything was shaking around.

[@lucatraveler8185]

Did you consider the fuel weight calculating the total weight? I didn't understand that part at all

[@cds1110]

Im here and is this future of plane or im in youtube wow that plane was so cool

[@portuguesnomundo]

Nice video

[@nigggggsf8118]

sounds like a flight attendant's worst nightmare

[@rashadarbab2769]

Here in the USA their child sofa size is the size of a child. That got me crying.

[@excitedbox5705]

Where do you find these child sofas? I don't have a child yet but I am doing interviews. ;)

[@rashadarbab2769]

@@excitedbox5705 soda. Doesn’t seem to be a word my autocorrect knows.

[@TigerChamp99]

Awesome!

[@paogene1288]

Now, imagine this. A Boeing Dreamlifter combined with the Super Guppy.

[@Fightre_Flighte]

Wait... The Boeing dream lifter isn't basically already a hyper guppy? I'm interested now.

[@nhutran86]

There has already been a 747 that carried 1000 people with no seets no luggage and just people on board

[@ArcXDZ]

Hi! What is the music you used in the beginning?

[@SHARPSPEED]

Okay, the transition at 2:33 was pretty good.

[@threeparots1]

Also similar to the swing tail Canadian CL-44-O conversion.

[@equisnrolly]

Hey f&e I know ur busy bro but idk if you’ve ever spoken about the TR-3 series military aircraft that are the black triangle ‘ufos’

[@jouniairplanevideos]

perfect, were can i buy them?

[@rodolfoayalajr.8589]

Great 👍 video.

[@themoonz3928]

The dreamlifter passenger version could fulfill the C-5 galaxy's passenger purpose to fly cars for business or just for an option for passengers to bring their own cars to other countries

[@pontuswendt2486]

AMAZINGNES!!!

[@andrewthacker114]

Good clip thanks

[@FoundAndExplained]

You are welcome Andrew

[@VRtechman]

Those 24 hour buffets are only in Gambling establishments! 🤨 And during a Covid they probably close at 10pm! 🥵

[@Vespuchian]

I still think a better 'cargo-to-passenger' conversion would be a bespoke passenger fuselage using the An-225's wings and tail, resulting in a plane that looks like scaled-down Deck III (also seen on this channel) Sure it'd probably still need a modified airport gate just for the colossal wingspan, but the passenger space would actually accommodate passengers. Then again, tarmac-only loading would allow multiple doors to be used in parallel, greatly speeding up boarding/unboarding by going from the front and back and/or both sides in parallel.

[@CRAZYHORSE19682003]

If the plane could carry 900 people how many stewardesses do you think it would need to service the passengers?

[@ZafarIqbal-cj4xz]

EXCELLENT

[@_-edison-_3165]

epic plane

[@ScottysAir]

Wow! Very interesting! Lots of people who flying on 747. Surely you can’t be serious!

[@xKrown]

Once we figure out how to make a dual boarding ramp, or maybe a triple, we can use these huge planes. I feel like taking away the door mechanisms and doors and replacing them with pressurization equipment would be feasible with a 2 side boarding procedure on 2 levels maybe for speed purposes.

[@Saa42808]

In my opinion it would be daunting task to certify it for the passengers once built.🤓

[@rambultruesdell3412]

A dreamlifter 747 double decked for 1070 maximum souls on board would weigh many more tons and would need more wing, landing gear, and fuel. Good concept 👍👍

[@airashkiran4376]

❤️❤️❤️ beautiful video ❤️❤️❤️

[@justinperry8988]

Don't forget about the weight of the fuel that you would need to have a decent range.

[@futonclutch5040]

Could you fit 3 decks in a theoretical passenger version of the Dreamlifter? Just to beat Airbus.

[@davidosaje4100]

Could you do a video on Rockwell's Star-Raker?

[@FoundAndExplained]

I'll consider it! Let me do some research!

[@andrewday3206]

The Boeing 747-8 was designed to operate within the same facilities as the 747-400, the aircraft the Dreamlifter is based on. The 747-8 has a higher maximum take-off weight adding over 100,000 additional pounds gross take-off weight over the 747-400. The GEnX engines of the 747-8 are 15% more efficient than the CF6 used on the 747-400 and the wing is also more efficient. This means using the wings and engines of the 747-8 (both models share the same wing-root), at the same stated range, the maximum payload would be 350,000 - 400,000 pounds. This may be enough to produce a Dreamlifter as a passenger variant. The only reason the Dreamlifter was not based on the 747-8 was used 747-400’s are cheaper than a newer 747-8.

[@antr7493]

Weren't you going to release a "How to buy a aircraft video" ?

[@chrisb9960]

You do realize that they are no longer taking orders for the 747 don’t you? They are only manufacturing aircraft that are much more fuel economical. Additionally, there are FAA regulations on how long you can take to evaluate in the even of an emergency. BTW - The 747 aircraft on passenger flights are rarely over 75% occupancy.

[@Happymali10]

"Why don't we do it for passenger operation?" *Looks at the miserably failed A380* "Oh right, that's why."

[@lqf72l96]

MANS ROASTING AMERICANS EVERY TIME HE HAS THE CHANCE LOL

[@HellenicWolf]

LAUGHED WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT AMERICAN FAST FOOD MEAL SIZES. #GOOD_AUSSIE_HUMOR

[@amargoun]

The ideal mix Is the 747-8 with a length similar to the 400 model and an upper deck taken from the B777. It doesn't need so much width and heigth as the Dreamliner. The main deck (or bottom deck for passengers) would be similar to the 744 Combi (cargo between 4 and 5 doors) in order to have enough space for baggage and cargo. Option of wingtips as the new B777X Simpler, not so tall, less weight, more efficient. Why not try a video with my idea?

[@erojerisiz1571]

iirc someone did some research about the 747's upper deck stretches and concluded that for max efficiency the hump has to end at the center, right around where the wings are, which is why Boeing stretched the fuselage for the 8i if that wasn't the case I'm sure the later 747s would retain the original length but the upper deck would go all the way to the back PS speaking of efficiency, why don't the dreamlifers have wingtips?

[@nickgabe1]

Lol as an American we love consistently both in our buffets and our fat jokes.

[@muhammadraza9163]

That will be good that this cargo plane will develop into a Passenger plane.

[@grouchydropbear3981]

Can you imagine trying to board or deboard 1,000 passengers? Not to mention that the emergency evacuation times would not accommodate 1,000 passengers! Can you imagine 1,000 people waiting at a boarding gate?

[@unglaubichuberlieber8048]

1000 wow...funeral homes will be VERY HAPPY+_GRATEFUL FOR boeing's "contribution"

[@krystalbrooks6869]

One of the KZbin channels I'm on is about a 747 pilot. He flys the 747 Dreamlifter. His channel is called 74 gear.

[@beckiverson1531]

C O C A I N E

[@jamardurrant4487]

Someone get this guy a job as a plane modeler