February 9th: Maiden flight of the Boeing 747

The 747's maiden flight took place on this date in 1969. 10 things you may not know about Jumbo Jets:

1. A Boeing 747 is 19.4 metres high at the tail - about the height of a six storey building. Its wing span is greater than the length of a Space Shuttle.

2. It is made up of six million parts, which are manufactured in 33 different countries. Half of the parts are fasteners.

3. Boeing agreed to deliver the first 747 to Pan Am by the end of 1969. That meant they only had 28 months to design the aircraft, a third less than usual. The people who worked on it were given the nickname "The Incredibles" because they worked so fast.

4. Boeing did not have a plant large enough to build 747s, so they built a new one specially, near Everett in Washington. The prototype 747 was called City of Everett after the nearest town to the factory.

5. The first 747 to enter service with Pan Am was christened Clipper Victor by Pam Nixon, the then First Lady of the United States. Instead of champagne, red, white and blue water was sprayed on the aircraft. It was used on the New York to London route.

6. 747s are adaptable planes - it is possible to reconfigure the seating overnight if the airline wants more, or less first class seats. They were designed to be easily converted into cargo planes, as in 1969 it was believed that supersonic airliners such as Concorde would render them obsolete as passenger planes. 

7. The VC-25 variant is most commonly known as Air Force One, the US President's plane. In fact, there are two Air Force Ones. Two 747s were modified to carry the Space Shuttle. 

8. The First powered flight by the Wright Brothers could have taken place inside the economy section of a 474.

9. On a typical flight, passengers on a 747 eat five tons of Airline meals.

10. Retired 747s have been refitted as a restaurant and a hotel. The restaurant was made from the second 747 ever made, which had been taken apart and flown to South Korea. It was reassembled there and painted to look like Air Force One, and was used as a restaurant until about 2009. Meanwhile, in Stockholm, the "Jumbohostel" is a 747 converted into a hotel.