Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
Boeing · United States · first flew 1947 · airliner
The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was a large double-deck piston-powered long-range airliner that offered a pressurised lower-deck lounge, making it one of the most luxurious propeller-driven transports of its era. It was derived from the B-29 Superfortress bomber lineage.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Double-bubble fuselage cross-section with lower lounge deck |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Double-bubble fuselage cross-section with lower lounge deck
- Four large Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major radials
- Distinctive wide body for a piston airliner
Identify by the very wide, rounded double-bubble fuselage, four large radial engines in prominent nacelles on a low straight wing, and the single tail. The portly fuselage cross-section is unique among piston airliners.
Specifications
- The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser has a length of 35.8 m (117 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 43.05 m (141 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 603 km/h (375 mph).
- Typical crew: 5.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Entering commercial service with Pan American World Airways in 1949, the Stratocruiser served premium transatlantic and transpacific routes for carriers including BOAC, Northwest, and United. Its complex Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major engines were powerful but maintenance-intensive.
Variants
Military derivatives include the C-97 Stratofreighter and the KC-97 tanker family; the Aero Spacelines Super Guppy and Pregnant Guppy were radical conversions of Stratocruiser airframes used to transport NASA rocket components.
Where you'll see it
Replaced by jet airliners in the early 1960s; no airworthy examples remain, though several are preserved in museums. BOAC operated them on prestigious Empire routes.
Related aircraft
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet
- Boeing B-50 Superfortress
- Boeing L-15 Scout
- Boeing KB-29
- Airspeed Ambassador
- Convair 240
- Convair CV-240 family
- Convair 110
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