Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is the most numerous generation of the Boeing 747. It combined the 747-300's stretched upper deck with a two-pilot glass flight deck, wingtip extensions and winglets, revised systems and a new generation of high-bypass engines. Boeing delivered 694 aircraft across passenger, combi, domestic and freighter versions between 1989 and 2009.[1][2]
Development
Boeing announced the 747-400 in October 1985 as a major update to the established 747 family. Airline requirements centred on greater range, lower crew and fuel costs, and commonality with existing 747 ground infrastructure. The design retained the basic fuselage and stretched upper deck of the 747-300 while replacing the three-person analogue flight deck with a two-pilot electronic cockpit.[3][4]
The first aircraft rolled out at Everett on 26 January 1988 and made its maiden flight on 29 April. The flight-test programme covered all three engine families. FAA certification of the Pratt & Whitney-powered version followed in January 1989, with General Electric and Rolls-Royce installations approved later that year.[3]
Boeing delivered the first 747-400 to Northwest Airlines on 26 January 1989. The aircraft, later registered N661US in airline service, entered service in February. It was eventually preserved by the Delta Flight Museum after operating for Northwest and Delta.[5][3]
Production expanded beyond the standard passenger aircraft to a combi, a high-cycle domestic model and purpose-built freighters. Boeing later added higher-weight Extended Range passenger and freighter versions. Production of the -400 generation ended in 2009 as the 747-8 replaced it on the line.[2]
Design
The 747-400 retains the 747's four-engine, twin-aisle main deck, partial upper deck and four-post main landing gear. Its principal visible changes from a 747-300 are the extended wingtips and six-foot winglets on most versions. The wing modifications increased span and reduced cruise drag.[4]
Flight deck and systems
Six large cathode-ray-tube displays replaced many electro-mechanical instruments and allowed the flight engineer's station to be removed. Centralised crew-alerting and systems controls reduced the normal flight crew from three to two. Later avionics and display retrofits vary between operators and individual aircraft.
The -400 introduced revised electrical, environmental, fuel-management and navigation systems. It retained conventional hydraulically powered flight controls rather than fly-by-wire. The FAA type certificate remains A20WE, but pilot differences and operator training requirements apply across 747 generations.[6]
Engines
Airlines could select the General Electric CF6-80C2, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce RB211-524G/H family on the standard passenger and freighter programme. Engine choice affected the model's customer suffix, weights, performance and maintenance commonality.
The 747-400ER and -400ERF were offered with the CF6-80C2. Engine marks and thrust ratings vary within each family and should be recorded from an individual airframe's technical documents rather than inferred from the airline name.[4][6]
Cabin and cargo
The passenger aircraft retained the stretched upper deck introduced on the 747-300. Boeing used 416 seats as a representative three-class layout in period programme material, but airline cabins ranged from low-density premium configurations to high-density leisure and domestic layouts.[2]
Purpose-built freighters have a shortened upper deck and an upward-opening nose cargo door, allowing long loads to be carried on the main deck. The 747-400M has a rear main-deck cargo door and passenger seating forward, while passenger-to-freighter conversions use a side cargo door and cannot gain the structural nose-loading feature of a factory freighter.[4]
Variants
747-400
The baseline passenger version is 70.66 metres long with a 64.44-metre wingspan. Boeing delivered 442. Three engine families and numerous airline-specific cabin, weight and fuel configurations were offered.[1][4]
747-400M Combi
The 747-400M, or Combi, carries passengers in the forward main-deck cabin and freight behind a movable partition. Its large side cargo door permits main-deck loading. Operators could alter the passenger/cargo split within approved configurations, subject to loading, smoke-detection and evacuation requirements. Sixty-one were delivered.[1]
747-400D
The 747-400D was designed for high-cycle Japanese domestic services. It omitted the standard winglets, used a shorter-span wingtip configuration and supported dense seating. Nineteen were delivered. Some were later modified for longer-range international use, so “-400D” in an original production record does not by itself describe the aircraft's later configuration.[1][4]
747-400F
The purpose-built 747-400F combines the short upper deck and nose door of earlier 747 freighters with -400 systems and engines. Boeing delivered 126. Its nose-loading capability and high main-deck volume made it a principal long-range heavy freighter.[1][7]
747-400ER and 747-400ERF
The 747-400ER passenger model introduced a higher maximum take-off weight and provisions for additional fuel tanks in the forward cargo hold. Only six passenger aircraft were delivered, all initially to Qantas. The 747-400ERF applied the higher-weight standard to the purpose-built freighter; forty were delivered.[1]
Converted and special-purpose aircraft
Passenger 747-400s have been converted to freighters under several programmes. These aircraft retain their original Boeing production model and MSN; “BCF” or another conversion designation records a post-production modification rather than an additional airframe.
Four former passenger 747-400s were enlarged into 747-400 Large Cargo Freighters, marketed as Dreamlifters, to transport 787 components. Their bulbous fuselage, hinged tail and specialised loading system make them operationally distinct from standard -400 freighters.
Specifications
| Characteristic | 747-400 passenger | 747-400ER passenger | 747-400F/ERF |
| Length | 70.66 m | 70.66 m | 70.66 m |
| Wingspan | 64.44 m | 64.44 m | 64.44 m |
| Height | 19.41 m | 19.41 m | 19.41 m |
| Representative three-class seating | 416 | 416 | — |
| Maximum take-off weight | up to 396.9 t | up to 412.8 t | up to 412.8 t |
| Typical published range | about 7,285 nmi | about 7,670 nmi | payload-dependent |
| Main-deck nose door | No | No | Yes on purpose-built freighters |
The values are manufacturer planning data. Actual payload-range capability depends on engine, weight option, auxiliary tanks, operating empty weight, cargo or passenger load, reserves and airport conditions.[4]
Production and deliveries
The 694 delivered aircraft comprise 442 baseline passenger 747-400s, 61 -400Ms, 19 -400Ds, 126 -400Fs, six -400ER passenger aircraft and 40 -400ERFs. Converted freighters and Dreamlifters are transformations of delivered airframes and do not increase that total.[1][8]
The -400 was the most numerous 747 generation. Boeing's 2009 annual report records the end of -400 production that year, after which only the 747-8 remained in production.[2]
Operational history
The 747-400 became a principal long-haul flagship for airlines including British Airways, Lufthansa, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and KLM. Its range and capacity supported dense intercontinental routes, while the -400D served high-frequency domestic sectors.[3]
Passenger use declined as airlines adopted long-range twin-engine aircraft and later four-engine types. Freight demand, nose-loading capability and conversion programmes kept many -400Fs, -400ERFs and converted aircraft in operation after most major passenger fleets retired the type.
Current registrations and status change frequently. A historic delivery source does not establish whether an airframe is active, stored, preserved or dismantled, and a passenger aircraft converted to freight should retain both its original production identity and dated conversion record.
Related pages
Sources
Boeing 2009 annual report — Boeing
FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet A20WE — Federal Aviation Administration
Boeing 747 production list — howmany.travel
Boeing 747 production list — Planespotters.net