Why Does The Boeing 747 Have A Hump?

The Boeing 747 shape is so iconic that many have forgotten the origin of how it got its hump. Why does the 747 have a large hump at the front, and how does this affect the aircraft in flight?
Link to article: simpleflying.com/boeing-747-h...
Video source links:
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Pan Am Boeing 707 1959 • VHS-Rip Pan Am Boeing ...
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[@williamrussell2542]

My favorite plane is the 747 my grandfather flew it

[@Internetsfinest1]

Cool

[@dylantyler4163]

Ultimately the military chose the Lockheed design *shows Boeing B52*

[@ScottRothsroth0616]

Lol.

[@captaindusty4884]

The winner for the CX-HLS (heavy logistics system) competition was the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy for reference

[@PlanesAndGames732]

That's a testbed B-52 with the C-5 engines. Anyway...

[@stefannocker8308]

I like the videos they put up, if you dislike them, why are you watching?

[@PlanesAndGames732]

@@stefannocker8308 And who said he's not liking?

[@SunnyShiny1]

Yes, when travelling on C Class, I always select seat on the upper deck. Less passengers to share the toilet, and more quiet comparing with the lower deck. The B 747-400ER upper deck is the best.

[@1rtricky]

I’ve been fortunate enough to fly the B747 in the upper deck. This may sound silly but upon landing I always noticed how smooth it would feel being there as in the lower. The tranquility as well as if you were in some private club. 😇 ✈️

[@JaakkoHeikura]

I've never been on a 747. It was actually on the fall of 2018 when I saw a 747 for the first time in real life. As someone who loves aviation, that moment was incredible. It was a KLM 747 at the Schiphol airport

[@khalidbashir4017]

Was able to fly from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia on a Saudi-747 in 2015 🥰

[@cameraman655]

0:18 That is a DC-8, not a 707...1:14 and it is Juan Trippe (TRIP!, not Trippy).

[@thomasdoherty503]

I've flown on the 747 a bunch. My favorite was sitting "upstairs" in the hump, while returning from a vacation in Hawaii to my home near San Francisco. On the climb out I saw a nuclear sub leaving Pearl Harbor, plowing through the water on the surface. Very cool. I would love to fly upstairs again someday... (Richard Branson are you listening? A lot of us want to fly in the hump!)

[@nolongerusing7430]

1:32 That damn smile.

[@mclarenwings3158]

OLD IS GOLD ! Airbus A380 ended within 2 decades, but Boeing 747, still a king of sky !

[@PilotStudd]

Queen of the sky^^ 😂😂

[@mclarenwings3158]

@@PilotStudd true😀

[@FredBloggsTheThird]

There aren't going to be that many of them around for much longer, a fair few airlines that were planning to scrap in the coming years and bringing plans forward.

[@PilotStudd]

arkid77 sadly that’s the truth, cargo 747s are holding strong

[@user-zr9hu3tf1y]

Obviously it has a hump so it can store water, duh

[@SebWilkes]

and even then, Camel's humps store fat xD

[@911HRW]

I treated my wife to Business class last December in the hump with BA to Miami. It was a fantastic experience for us both and something we’ll always remember

[@akshatpandey4788]

The 747 was designed as a large successor for the 707 00:20 shows a Dc-8**

[@zenixlo]

Could you do a video on Boeing planes and their airbus equivalents e.g. 737 a320

[@f-btsc9944]

Cool video 👍

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

Thanks for the feedback. - TB

[@golfbbqandwatches]

I was able to fly in the hump a couple of times. The best trip was flying QF business class LHR-HKG-MEL back in December 2011 on a 747-400ER. I had been away working in Europe for 6 months, I had a premium economy ticket and got the upgrade to Business on points. Had the exit row, so much space it wasn’t funny. Had 2 seats to myself from LHR-HKG and the cabin wasn’t full. It was a memorable trip and a great home coming

[@LeeAirVideos]

I remember flying in the upper deck of the 747-200 belonging to BA, Qantas and Singapore airlines back in the 1970’s. BA and Qantas used theirs for lounges and a bar area; on night flights Singapore airlines made up beds which first class customers could use.

[@tommyhayes3508]

Lots of memories as a kid on these planes

[@richardgreen5602]

Loved it on the Air France 747 CDG-LAX

[@JJMin65]

Yes.... sat in upper deck 1st class seat from Honolulu to Guam in the 1990’s.... also visited an upper deck 1st class lounge on a transatlantic flight in the 1980’s. Tower Air in the later 1990’s as well Newark to SFO.

[@nikomylnikov4540]

I was on the upper deck once when i was little, but i do not remember much, we were not supposed to be there, but we came early to the plane and there were some extra seats so they gave them to us

[@albomaa]

2:43 Yeeah I’ve been in the cockpit

[@anonymouswriter448]

That's not impressive almost everyone has been in a cockpit of a plane.

[@airtexaco]

When I was in the Air Force, we flew down to Sydney and they parked us (KC-10) near their 747-400 maintenance hangars. We walked over and asked if they minded us looking around (about a month before 9-11) and they let us. Gorgeous aircraft. Now that they are almost all gone, my dream of flying one will probably never happen. Same thing with the A380.

[@captain2775]

My 2 favorite planes are the 747 and 777 I also have never been on a Boeing plane

[@TheDeve]

Lol

[@MrRic2103]

Flew the bubble with virgin great flight

[@theairportsleeper8307]

I flew twice with the 747 but never the upper deck

[@f-btsc9944]

Sad

[@theairportsleeper8307]

@@f-btsc9944 but one time I flew at the first row of the 747 and actually it was my first flights ever, it was unforgetable flight

[@r23w]

So can all 747s regardless of passenger/cargo configuration be easily reconfigured to open their nose?

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

No, only those that are built with the nose door at the Boeing factory will have it. It's not possible to retrofit it. - TB

[@realcanadianrailfan110]

Trippe originally wanted a plane that was basically 2 707's on top of each other, like a double deck 707. Boeing came up with the widebody 747.

[@Kuricang31]

Funny story about the upper deck doors (srs. 300 and 400 etc). In the case of the long upper deck, both doors are tenth of an inch out of door centre line design (inexcusably). At the absolute limits of design tolerance. This was discovered around shop set six after a thorough investigation due to doors ill-fitting. Boeing would not correct the tooling due to a.) tight production schedule when found, b.) when things settled down a bit, seen as an unnecessary cost. BTW Northrop built the entire fuselage in 27 big bits from set 1

[@meb31700]

Pity the lack of attention to details the first 737s had the engines underneath the wing and not the more modern 737-300 shown in the first clips. As a Boeing Engineer I worked on the SUD (Stretched Upper Deck) project and it had to stop before the wing due to aerodynamic interference. Not much thought given to the full stretch. A B52 is shown instead of the Lockheed Galaxy which won the competition. Very few pictures of the 747-100 shown where the short upper deck is very pronounced.

[@MasterHackerPenny]

Even i didnt have the chance to ride a 747, My hopes for the queen are still here. A plane with a special place in my heart even i wasnt born on her first flight. Hoping to apply for Cargo airlines and be a pilot of a 747!

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

Fingers crossed for you! - TB

[@arigould2777]

yes

[@henkmorrison3256]

All I can remember I was on 2 747 upper decks one is a Boeing 747-200 and the other a Boeing 747SP. No lounge tho 😞. Note if you are not use to small steps you are not going to make friends with the iconic spiral staircase believe me

[@yarmouthiow]

I was lucky enough to fly upper deck Club Class BA Singapore to London as a boy on a 300

[@cgjk26]

The biggest plane I've traveled in was the a332 😂, good Video tho

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

Thanks for the feedback! - TB

[@cgjk26]

@@SimpleFlyingNews 😇☺️

[@shriv55]

I've stayed in B747 that was converted into a hotel. The upper deck has the best views.

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

The one in Stockholm? It's on my todo list! - TB

[@PilotStudd]

The most important reason is that it makes it the queen of the skies 😂😂. I love this channel, so much effort is put into it. Hopefully aviation will be back to normal soon. You’ve inspired me to start my own aviation KZbin channel, I’d love some feedback and interaction if anyone has time. Stay safe all those at Simply Flying and to those reading this. ✈️👍 We’ll meet in the skies again

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

Thanks for the feedback Pilot Studd. Take care yourself. - TB

[@tuggaonthehudson]

This has already been answers, It's so for the inter nation freight united to become available for the plane, and that is were the crew had to be.

[@McLadenLLC]

i never flew 747 nor a380... think the chances are slipping in my life... i did fly on 77W, 788 and A359. would be interested to fly a220 if there's a chance. but on the other hand, single isle long haul like 321XLR in my imagination would not be good since flight is too long, and when it comes to comfort, wide body always feels better than narrow one (even if the same seat pitch and width).

[@Furwani]

Water

[@johniii8147]

You got to the real reason it has a hump at the end it’s because it was designed to be a military aircraft and converted to passenger that’s the reason it’s a simple as that

[@noodle_cupkk9598]

I been on the 747 3 times but I never been on the upper deck

[@jetaddicted]

Wanna be jealous? I’ve tried all the emergency escape devices on the humps, be them the cockpit’s upper head exit, the older versions’s right side slide, whit that super heavy device you had to push outside, and the automatic ones on the -400 version. In any case sliding down is fun as hell. Also got to sleep up there a few times, we even had a pillow fight once, on an empty leg😁

[@bobboberson2024]

Nice B-52 thrown in for fun. Lol...

[@ambergris5705]

I feel like I'm the only person in the world that doesn't like the hump. I just don't like that its cockpit is that high, it makes a humongous nose, and a plane that looks disdainful. Although it's very recognisable.

[@notbillnye8536]

Coby Explanes did this topic better

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

Feel free to watch their video instead then :) - TB

[@youssefa_yt5951]

No, I haven't flide in a Boeing 747.

[@Dontwatchthischannel]

Because it's the 747 Duh...

[@alfieslater7162]

9th

[@jetaddicted]

Oh come on! Stop rationalizing. We all know why the 747 has a hump; To shelter its captain’s ego.

[@ykaplun6947]

You're getting really sloppy... As mentioned the Pan Am acft pictured is a DC8, not a B707!

[@SimpleFlyingNews]

Thanks for the feedback. - TB