Boeing 747SP
Boeing · United States · first flew 1975 · airliner
Variant of the Boeing 747-400 — family overview.
The 747SP (Special Performance) was a shortened 747 designed for ultra-long-range operations, carrying fewer passengers over routes previously beyond any widebody's reach.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × turbofan, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Dramatically shorter fuselage at 56.3 m — 14 m shorter than standard 747, immediately obvious |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Dramatically shorter fuselage at 56.3 m — 14 m shorter than standard 747, immediately obvious
- Taller double-hinged rudder to compensate for the shorter fuselage moment arm
- Distinctive 'stubby' proportions with a large hump relative to fuselage length
The only 747 visibly shorter than a standard 747 — the fuselage is so compact that the hump looks disproportionately large; the taller double-hinged rudder is unique to this variant.
Specifications
- The Boeing 747SP has a length of 56.3 m (185 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 59.6 m (196 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 988 km/h (614 mph).
- Typical crew: 3 flight crew.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Pan Am launched the SP in April 1976 on New York–Tokyo non-stop service. Only 45 were built; it set numerous range records and became a favourite for VIP and government operations. South African Airways used it for the Johannesburg–London route around the African bulge over the Atlantic when apartheid-era overflight bans closed the direct routes — the very reason SAA needed its range.
Variants
No production sub-variants; several converted to VIP/government transports.
Where you'll see it
The last commercial passenger services ended in the early 2000s; a few remain as VIP and research aircraft.
Related aircraft
- Boeing 747-400
- Boeing 747-100
- Boeing 747-200
- Boeing 747-300
- Boeing 747-400BDSF
- Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (Dreamlifter)
- Boeing AH-64 Apache
- Boeing E-3A Sentry
- E-3 Sentry (AWACS)
- Boeing T-43A
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