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Top Ten Industry Changing Airliners
By miller22 | September 26, 2007
To go from the Wright Flyer to the Space Shuttle in 78 years is a technological accomplishment rarely matched in history. The achievements of the ME-262, B52, and the Stealth Bomber are obvious milestones in aviation history, but what about the airlines specifically? What airliners have most changed the airline industry?
I’m a big fan of top ten lists, hence the format of this article, but first some rules.
The rules are simple: it must be a passenger airliner, and it must have changed the airline industry; positively or negatively.
#10 - de Havilland Comet
The fact that the Comet was the first commercial jet airliner to reach production, and the first jet to cross the Atlantic seem the obvious reasons to include it in the top ten, but its effects on the airline industry have come more from its failures than its successes. Plagued by crashes in its early years, the Comet introduced the industry to such problems as turbojet compressor stalls, metal fatigue, and dangerous pilot technique differences between propeller and jet aircraft. Most importantly, however, was the knowledge gained which led to the change from square to rounded windows. Several crashes that grounded the Comet were attributed to the enormous stresses created by the corners of the Comet’s square windows. While de Havilland was ultimately unable to overcome the stigma of the Comet as an unsafe airplane, the lessons learned were invaluable to the industry. For this reason the De Havilland Comet is considered on of the most important pioneers in safe jet airliner transportation.
#9 - Pan Am’s “Flying Clippers”
The ability to cross the Pacific by air is largely taken for granted today, but in 1935 the “Flying Clippers” revolutionized the industry by connecting Asia to America by air. The original Clipper was a Sikorsky S-42, but Pan Am soon included the Martin M-130 and Boeing 314 flying boats into their fleets. The Martin M-130 was the first to fly a trans-pacific passenger and mail route, which was quickly joined by the bigger and faster Boeing 314 in 1938. With a maximum passenger load of 68 passengers by day, and 36 by night, the Clippers introduced the world to true international travel, albeit at a very hefty price.
#8 - Vickers Viscount
Not an aircraft most would expect to find on this list, the Vickers Viscount was first developed in 1948 as a technological leader in engine technology. Originally designed to hold four Rolls Royce Tay turbojet engines, the Viscount designers ultimately decided to use the more economical Rolls Royce Dart turboprop engines. The Viscount entered service at the dawn of the turbojet era, and found itself in competition with the faster aircraft. Despite this, the Viscount established itself as the most successful turbine aircraft in the early 1950’s, and was widely popular with passengers. When the Boeing 707 finally entered service in 1958, the Viscount very successfully moved itself from the technologically advance niche to the economically savvy niche. This mentality of economy over speed and range effectively created a new category of aircraft that led to several very successful models, including the Electra, Saab 340, and the new Dash-8 Q400. Even through the regional jet revolution, the turboprop has maintained its position as an economical method of short-range transportation. The Viscount’s role as a pioneer in this easily earns itself a spot at number 8 on our list.
#7 - Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde
The supersonic revolution that the Concorde was supposed to trigger never happened. In fact, on the surface, the Concorde changed the industry very little. But as you look deeper, there was a significant reaction by the airlines to prepare for this next generation that never happened. For the carriers that operated the aircraft, (Air France and British Airways most notably along with some others through various agreements) the Concorde proved very uneconomical. A total of 20 Concordes were built, of which six were development aircraft, and 14 were in commercial service until the crash of F-BTSC in Paris on July 25, 2000, yet the Paris crash and ultimate grounding of the fleet in 2003 did not end the airlines’ visions for supersonic transports. Until the announcement of the 787, Boeing had been working on their version of an SST, and Airbus has yet to close their project to replace the Concorde. Regardless of the relatively small ripple the Concorde made in terms of aircraft numbers, the paradigm shift from faster to more economical was definitely prolonged by this supersonic transport, and while its effects are largely unquantifiable, it is difficult to deny the Concorde as one of the industry’s most defining aircraft.
#6 - Boeing 727
Once the flying public became comfortable flying on the new 707 and DC-8 long-range jet aircraft, passengers started demanding jet-like comfort on shorter-range flights as well. In response to this, Boeing developed the 727 with its three Pratt & Whitney JT8-D turbofan engines. Beating Douglas to the punch (again), Boeing successfully built the first economical short-range jet to be produced in large numbers. While one could make a very compelling argument that the 737 was the most successful airliner of all time and should be included on this list, it was still working off of the idea of short-range turbine economics pioneered by the 727. Add in the aerodynamic firsts the 727 brought, including leading edge flaps and slats, and the 727 proves itself as the defining aircraft of its class.
#5 - Airbus A320
For years, Douglas and Boeing fought for control of the commercial skies. Smaller manufacturers including Lockheed, Vickers, Fokker, and de Havilland produced their own successful aircraft, but none could rival the big two. In 1972, another of these small manufacturers emerged with the announcement of a new wide-body twinjet, the A300. Airbus enjoyed moderate success with the A300 and A310, but it wasn’t until the A320 that Airbus became a serious threat to Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas. The A320 reshaped the competitive look of the industry, with Douglas eventually becoming the casualty after the buyout by Boeing in 1997. The catalyst for the continued success of Airbus through the A330, and A340 series, the A320 was the first serious competition to Boeing, and as a result Airbus surpassed Boeing in aircraft sales in 2003. With the A318, A319, and A321 variants, the A320 series became the most common fleet type which continued in the design of the A330 and A340 projects. This has had its affects across the industry as Boeing and other manufacturers have scrambled to match the fleet commonality Airbus has been able to provide.
#4 - Canadair CRJ
There have been several attempts at building a passenger jet with less than 100 seats, but economics largely proved these attempts unsuccessful. The BAe-146, Fokker 28, and DC-9-10 found small amounts of success, but it wasn’t until Canadair stretched their Challenger business jet to the CRJ that regional jets took off. In 1992 the CRJ entered production, and by 2000 had drastically changed the look of airline route structures. No longer were regional airlines confined to 300 mile routes or less in small turboprops, the regional jets allowed flights for 50 passengers up to 1,200 miles. Further stretched into the CRJ-700 and CRJ-900, the CRJ connected cities to multiple hubs, and increased the non-stop service to countless markets. Embraer entered their version of the regional jet into service in 1996, but it was the CRJ that paved the way for Regional Jet success, mostly in the U.S.
#3 - Boeing 747
In the wake of the supersonic transport revolution with the Concorde, Boeing had sunk all of their resources into building the largest transport aircraft of its time. The 747-100 launched in 1970 under the philosophy that lower costs per seat would be the driving force in the future. Having forecast only 400 of the jumbo jets, Boeing has delivered over 1,300 of the 747-400 version 37 years after its original design. The initial impact to the airline industry was obvious as capacity rose and fares plummeted. The 747 has been blamed for several airlines demise as the low unit cost to operate enticed too many orders at the expense of ticket prices. The airlines adjusted, and the hub-and-spoke network was adopted largely to counter the huge capacity increases of the 747. Deployed in almost exclusively long-haul international and freighter roles today, the 747’s effect on the airline industry has been profound.
#2 - Boeing 707
Boeing has had a history of betting everything on aircraft developments. Before this huge risk was taken on the 747, Boeing took a chance with a new type of aircraft engine, the turbojet. The 707 was rolled out in the midst of the Comet crashes in 1954. Having learned from the mistakes at de Havilland, the 707 became the world’s first undeniably successful passenger turbojet aircraft. Passengers flocked to the 707’s comfort and reliability, and Boeing’s lead over the DC-8 gave them an advantage in jets they’d enjoy until the launch of the A320. The 707 reinvented the international aviation scene, making it virtually impossible for anything but jets to compete. With the launch of the 707, the airline industry became predominantly jet focused, and would remain that way through present times.
#1 - Douglas DC-3
During the 1920’s and 1930’s, air travel was mainly reserved for mail, and those willing to pay top dollar. Not until 1935, when Douglas improved upon their DC-2 to build the legendary DC-3, was there a passenger-only aircraft that could sustain itself financially. In competition with the Boeing 247, Douglas established their dominance in piston aircraft with the DC-3. Suddenly, transcontinental flight was possible in as little as 15 hours with only three fuel stops. No other aircraft could rival this, and the passengers took notice. Still flying in varying capacities today, the DC-3 has been long recognized as the pioneer of the profitable airline business. What other airliner could top our list as the most industry changing airliner than the one that created the airline industry?
Topics: Top Tens |