The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial 707-120 first flew on December 20, 1957.Pan Am began regular 707 service on October 26, 1958.With versions produced until 1979, the 707 is a swept wing quadjet with podded engines. Its larger fuselage cross-section allowed six-abreast economy seating, retained in the later 720, 727, 737, and 757 models.
Although it was not the first commercial jetliner in service, the 707 was the first to be widespread, and is often credited with beginning the Jet Age. It dominated passenger air-transport in the 1960s, and remained common through the 1970s, on domestic, transcontinental, and transatlantic flights, as well as cargo and military applications. It established Boeing as a dominant airliner manufacturer with its 7x7 series.The initial, 145-foot-long (44 m) 707-120 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines.The shortened, long-range 707-138 and the more powerful 707-220 entered service in 1959.The longer-range, heavier 707-300/400 series has larger wings and is stretched slightly by 8 feet (2.4 m).Powered by Pratt & Whitney JT4A turbojets, the 707-320 entered service in 1959, and the 707-420 with Rolls-Royce Conway turbofans in 1960.
