On September 30, 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the custom-built Everett Plant, the world's largest building by volume. In April 1966, Pan Am ordered 25 Boeing 747-100 aircraft, and in late 1966, Pratt & Whitney agreed to develop the JT9D engine, a high-bypass turbofan. In 1965, Joe Sutter left the 737 development program to design the 747.
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 19.Īfter introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet 2 + 1⁄ 2 times its size, to reduce its seat cost by 30%.