Have you ever been curious to know what does “B 7” in beginning of Boeing aircrafts mean?
If you ask someone this question, they’ll answer that’s how it is !! Many think it is just a number and not a hidden code inside it. But actually, it is complex – the name has meaning behind it.
This question was hidden by Boeing like a secret. As the world became more open, the entire world finally knew why every single commercial Boeing aircraft starts with a 7 and ends with a 7.
(Image credit to boeing.com and a2zblog.in)
The History-Boeing
Before the Second World War, such aircraft as the Model 40, the first Boeing aircraft that carried passengers, the Model 80, the first American plane built to carry passengers, represented in the commercial sky.
At the time, the Seattle-based manufacturer built mostly military aircraft – that was the company’s bread and butter.
Starting with the 707 in the 1950s, Boeing has decades of developing popular jetliners with catchy-sounding numerical designations under its belt.
The theory behind numbers.
There are a handful of interesting theories that have surfaced regarding Boeing’s numbering system.
Another, perhaps slightly more optimistic, idea is that 707 represented the number of passengers it carried.
This presumably stems from Airbus having named its A300 after its approximate capacity (which, in reality, went as high as 345). However, this was not the case for the Boeing 707. Even at its exit limit, the largest variant (707-320C) held just 219 passengers.
(Image credit to boeing.com | a2zblog.in )
The first aircraft to bear the number 7 at the start was the 367-80. While it does sound confusing at first, but the prototype for Boeing’s first was called the 367-80. After a successful period of test flights, it assigned the number 700 to the model, as it had a jet engine.
END NOTE:
So, to sum up, Why do Boeing models start with a 7? The engineering division dedicated the number 700 to jet-engined aircraft. Boeing‘s marketing division realized that the name 700 for their first jet aircraft would sound boring, so they suggested the name to be the 707, which had quite a nice ring to it.
Therefore, as it stands, the only number free is 797, which has long been rumored to be a new middle-market aircraft. Beyond that, it has no more numbers that will fit in with its current trend.
So next time you hear some announcement 7xx is about to land-Now you know that it is Boeing. And also the reason why it is called so !!
Have a safe and exploring journey!
Also read “Why is it A 3 in ever Airbus aircraft?”
Click: https://a2zblog.in/why-is-it-a-3-in-beginning-of-every-airbus-aircraft/
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