Wikipedia

Jet airliner

(Redirected from Jetliners)
This article is about the aircraft. For other uses, see Jet Airliner (disambiguation).
"Jetliner" redirects here. For other uses, see jetliner (disambiguation).

A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have two or four jet engines; three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Airliners are commonly classified as either the large wide-body aircraft, medium narrow-body aircraft and smaller regional jet.

The Boeing 737 was for many years the most widespread jetliner
Sound of jet airliner overhead
The sound of a jet airliner passing overhead (starts at about 20 seconds)
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Most airliners today are powered by jet engines, because they are capable of safely operating at high speeds and generate sufficient thrust to power large-capacity aircraft. The first jetliners, introduced in the 1950s, used the simpler turbojet engine; these were quickly supplanted by designs using turbofans, which are quieter and more fuel-efficient.

History

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Early history

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The first airliners with turbojet propulsion were experimental conversions of the Avro Lancastrian piston-engined airliner, which were flown with several types of early jet engine, including the de Havilland Ghost and the Rolls-Royce Nene. They retained the two inboard piston engines, the jets being housed in the outboard nacelles. The first airliner with jet power only was the Nene-powered Vickers VC.1 Viking G-AJPH, which first flew on 6 April 1948.

The early jet airliners had much lower interior levels of noise and vibration than contemporary piston-engined aircraft, so much so that in 1947, after piloting a jet powered aircraft for the first time, Wing Commander Maurice A. Smith, editor of Flight magazine, said, "Piloting a jet aircraft has confirmed one opinion I had formed after flying as a passenger in the Lancastrian jet test beds, that few, if any, having flown in a jet-propelled transport, will wish to revert to the noise, vibration and attendant fatigue of an airscrew-propelled piston-engined aircraft"[1]

1950s

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The de Havilland Comet, the first purpose-built jet airliner
 
The Boeing 707, the first commercially successful jetliner

The first purpose-built jet airliner was the British de Havilland Comet which first flew in 1949 and entered service in 1952 with BOAC. It carried 36 passengers up to 2500 miles (4000 km) at a speed of 450mph (725 km/h). Serious structural problems arose not even two years after entering service and prompted several changes in design. The last original Comet was retrofitted in 1958.[2] Also developed in 1949 was the Avro Canada C102 Jetliner, which never reached production;[citation needed] however, the term jetliner came into use as a generic term for passenger jet aircraft.

These first jet airliners were followed some years later by the Sud Aviation Caravelle from France, the Tupolev Tu-104 from the Soviet Union (2nd in service), and the Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8 and Convair 880 from the United States. National prestige was attached to developing prototypes and bringing these early designs into service. There was also a strong nationalism in purchasing policy, so that US Boeing and Douglas aircraft became closely associated with Pan Am, while BOAC ordered British Comets.

Pan Am and BOAC, with the help of advertising agencies and their strong nautical traditions of command hierarchy and chain of command (retained from their days of operating flying boats), were quick to link the "speed of jets" with the safety and security of the "luxury of ocean liners" in the public's perception.

Aeroflot used Soviet Tupolevs, while Air France introduced French Caravelles. Commercial realities dictated exceptions, however, as few airlines could risk missing out on a superior product: American Airlines ordered the pioneering Comet (but later cancelled when the Comet ran into metal fatigue problems), Canadian, British and European airlines could not ignore the better operating economics of the Boeing 707 and the DC-8, while some American airlines ordered the Caravelle.

Boeing became the most successful of the early manufacturers. The KC-135 Stratotanker and military versions of the 707 remain operational, mostly as tankers or freighters. The basic configuration of the Boeing, Convair and Douglas aircraft jet airliner designs, with widely spaced podded engines underslung on pylons beneath a swept wing, proved to be the most common arrangement and was most easily compatible with the large-diameter high-bypass turbofan engines that subsequently prevailed for reasons of quietness and fuel efficiency.

Innovations

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The Pratt & Whitney JT3 turbojets powered the original Boeing 707 and DC-8 models; in the early 1960s the JT3 was modified into the JT3D low-bypass turbofan for long-range 707 and DC-8 variants.[3]

The de Havilland and Tupolev designs had engines incorporated within the wings next to the fuselage, a concept that endured only within military designs while the Caravelle pioneered engines mounted either side of the rear fuselage.

1960s

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The 1960s jet airliners include the BAC One-Eleven and Douglas DC-9 twinjets; Boeing 727, Hawker Siddeley Trident and Tupolev Tu-154 trijets; and the paired multi-engined Ilyushin Il-62, and Vickers VC10.[4] The world-renowned supersonic Concorde first flew in 1969 but proved to be an economical disaster. Only 14 ever entered service, and the last Concorde was retired in 2003.[5]

Innovations

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The Tupolev Tu-144, the first supersonic jet airliner

The 1960s jet airliners were known for the advancement of the more economical turbofan technology, which passes air around the engine core instead of through it.[5] Jet airliners that entered service in the 1960s were powered by slim, low-bypass turbofan engines, many aircraft used the rear-engined, T-tail configuration, such as the BAC One-Eleven, Boeing 737, and Douglas DC-9 twinjets; Boeing 727, Hawker Siddeley Trident, Tupolev Tu-154 trijets; and the paired multi-engined Ilyushin Il-62, and Vickers VC10. The rear-engined T-tail arrangement is still used for jetliners with a maximum takeoff weight of less than 50 tons.[4]

As of April 2023, 15,591 Boeing 737s have been ordered and 11,395 delivered, and it remains the most produced jet aircraft.

Other 1960s developments, such as rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO), water-injection, and afterburners (also known as reheat) used on supersonic jetliners (SSTs) such as Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144, have been superseded.

1970s

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The Boeing 747, the first widebody jet airliner

The 1970s jet airliners introduced wide-body (twin-aisle) craft and high-bypass turbofan engines.[6] Pan Am and Boeing "again opened a new era in commercial aviation" when the first Boeing 747 entered service in January 1970, marking the debut of the high-bypass turbofan which lowered operating costs,[7] and the initial models which could seat up to 400 passengers earned it the nickname "Jumbo Jet". The Boeing 747 revolutionized air travel by making commercial air travel more affordable as ticket prices fell and airlines improved their pricing practices.[5] Other wide-body designs included the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar trijets, smaller than the Boeing 747 but capable of flying similar long-range routes from airports with shorter runways. There was also the market debut of the European consortium Airbus, whose first aircraft was the twinjet Airbus A300.[8]

1980s

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The Boeing 767, designed to compete the Airbus A300

In 1978, Boeing unveiled the twin-engine Boeing 757 to replace its 727, and the wide body twin-engine 767 to challenge the Airbus A300.[9][10][11] The mid-size 757 and 767 launched to market success, due in part to 1980s extended-range twin-engine operational performance standards (ETOPS) regulations governing transoceanic twinjet operations.[12] These regulations allowed twin-engine airliners to make ocean crossings at up to three hours' distance from emergency diversionary airports.[13] Under ETOPS rules, airlines began operating the 767 on long-distance overseas routes that did not require the capacity of larger airliners.[12][14][15]

1990s

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The Airbus A320 is the first fly-by-wire jetliner

By the late 1980s, DC-10 and L-1011 models were approaching retirement age, prompting manufacturers to develop replacement designs.[16] McDonnell Douglas started working on the MD-11, a stretched and upgraded successor of the DC-10.[16] Airbus, thanks to the success of its A320 family, developed the medium-range A330 twinjet and the related long-range A340 quad-jet.[16] In 1988, Boeing began developing what would be the 777 twinjet,[17] using the twin-engine configuration given past design successes, projected engine developments, and reduced-cost benefits.[18][19] In addition, Boeing also released a major update on their 747, the 747-400.

Present day

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The Boeing 787, the first mainly composite jetliner

The most modern airliners are characterized by increased use of composite materials, high-bypass ratio turbofan engines, and more advanced digital flight systems. Examples of the latest widebody airliners are the Airbus A380 (first flight in 2005), Boeing 787 (first flight in 2009) and Airbus A350 (first flight in 2013). These improvements allowed longer ranges and lower cost of transportation per passenger. Sukhoi Superjet 100 and Airbus A220 (formerly Bombardier CSeries) are examples of narrowbodies with similar level of technological advancements.

The A380 was discontinued in 2019 and the last plane was delivered to Emirates in 2021. Airbus began designing it in the 90s with the expectation that airlines would be moving many people between large hubs with just one flight. Their focus was on building a very large plane with a conventional metal airframe and engines to supersede the Boeing 747. However, airlines started to operate more direct, point-to-point flights between smaller cities which made twin engine jets more attractive and economical to operate.[20] For comparison, Boeing took a different approach and started development of the 787 in 2003 with a new composite frame and more fuel-efficient engines. This would prove to be the smarter choice as the lighter airframe paired with two next generation engines (Trent 1000 and GEnx) was much less costly to operate then the quad engine A380. The final blow to the A380 program came when Emirates cancelled a major order in 2018 and left Airbus without enough demand to continue production. It cancelled the program after realizing it would never recoup the €25 billon ($30 billion) spent on research and development.[21] In all, 251 A380s were produced for and flown by 14 airlines.[22] As of June 2023, Boeing has produced 1,054 787s for 34 airlines and has 592 unfulfilled orders.[23]

Timeline

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Jet airliner deliveries timeline
3 Embraer ERJ family
328JET
4 Tu-104 Tu-124 Tupolev Tu-134
Yakovlev Yak-40
Bombardier CRJ Bombardier CRJ700 series
Embraer E-Jet family E-Jet E2
seats
/row 		1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
5 de Havilland Comet
Sud Aviation Caravelle
CV-880/990
BAC One-Eleven Rombac
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 MD-90 Boeing 717
Fokker F28 Fellowship F100 (F70: 94-97)
British Aerospace 146
Antonov An-148/158
Sukhoi Superjet 100
Comac ARJ21
A220
6 Boeing 707 (Boeing 720: 60-67)
Douglas DC-8
Tupolev Tu-154
Boeing 727
Hawker Siddeley Trident
Vickers VC10
Ilyushin Il-62
Boeing 737 Original Boeing 737 Classic Boeing 737 NG 737 MAX
Yakovlev Yak-42
Boeing 757
Airbus A320 family A320neo
Tupolev Tu-204
Comac C919
seats
/row 		1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
7 Boeing 767
8 Airbus A300 (Airbus A310: 83–98)
Airbus A340
Airbus A330 A330neo
8/9 Boeing 787
9 McDonnell Douglas DC-10 MD-11
Lockheed L-1011
Ilyushin Il-86 Ilyushin Il-96
Airbus A350
9/10 Boeing 777
10 Boeing 747 (Boeing 747SP: 76-82) Boeing 747-400 747-8
Airbus A380
  = Twinjet   = Trijet   = Quadjet Overline: high wing italics: buried engines bold: rear engines none: underwing engines
  = Airbus   = Boeing   = British   = Douglas   = Embraer   = Russian

Comparison

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Regional jets
Model Deliveries Built Seats
/row		 1-class
seats		 Wing
(m²)		 MTOW
(t)		 Engines Range
(nmi)
SE 210 Caravelle 1959-1972 282 5 90-131 147 43.5-58 2 × Avon/JT8D 890–1,800
BAC One-Eleven 1965-1989 244 5 89-119 91-95.8 35.6-47.4 2 × Spey 720-1,621
Yakovlev Yak-40 1968–1981 1,011 4 32 70 15.5 3 × AI-25 970
Fokker F28 1969–1987 241 5 65-85 76.4-79 29.5-33.1 2 × Spey 900-1,550
Tupolev Tu-134 1970–1989 852 4 72–84 127.3 47 2 × D-30 1,000–1,600
BAe 146 1983–2001 387 5 70–112 77.3 38.1-44.2 4 × ALF 502 1,800-2,090
Fokker 100/70 1988–1997 330 5 79-122 93.5 39.9-45.8 2 × Tay 1,323-1,841
CRJ100/200 1992–2006 1,021 4 50 48.4 24 2 × GE CF34 1,650–1,700
Embraer ERJ 1997–2020 1,231 3 37–50 51.2 20-24.1 2 × AE 3007 1,650–2,000
Dornier 328JET 1999–2002 110 3 30–33 40 15.7 2 × PW300 1,480
CRJ700/900/1000 2001-2020 924 4 78-104 70.6-77.4 34-41.6 2 × GE CF34 1,378-1,622
Embraer E-Jet 2004-now 1,671 4 72-116 72.7-92.5 38.6-52.3 2 × GE CF34 2,150-2,450
Antonov An-148/158 2009-now 47 5 85-99 87.3 43.7 2 × D-436 1,300-2,400
Sukhoi SSJ100 2011-now 172 5 108 83.8 45.9-49.5 2 × SaM146 1,646-2,472
Comac ARJ21 2015-now 45 5 90-105 79.9 43.5-47.2 2 × GE CF34 1,800-2,000
Single aisle jet airliners
Model Deliveries Built Seats
/row		 1-class
seats		 Wing
(m²)		 MTOW
(t)		 Engines Range
(nmi)
de Havilland Comet 1952-1964 114 5 99 187-197 50-71 4 × Ghost/Avon 1,300-2,802
Boeing 707/720 1958-1978 1019 6 156-194 226-283 104-151.5 4 × JT3C/4A/3D/RB.80 2,800-5,000
Douglas DC-8 1959-1972 556 6 177-259 234 124-161 4 × JT3C/4A/3D/RB.80 3,760-5,200
Convair 880/990 1960-1963 102 5 110-149 190-209 83.7-115 4 × GE CJ805 2,472-3,302
Tupolev Tu-154 1962-2006 1,026 6 180 201.5 98-104 3 × NK-8/D-30 1,300-2,850
Boeing 727 1964-1984 1,832 6 125-155 153 76.7-95.1 3 × JT8D 1,900-2,550
HS Trident 1964-1978 116 6 101-180 126-136 48.5-68 3 × Spey 1,170-2,350
Vickers VC10 1964-1970 54 6 151 265 152 4 × RB.80 Conway 5,080
Douglas DC-9 1965–1982 976 5 90-135 86.8-93 41.1-54.9 2 × JT8D 1,200-1,500
Ilyushin Il-62 1967-1995 292 6 186 280 165 4 × D-30 5,400
Boeing 737 Original 1968-1988 1,144 6 103-130 91 50-58.1 2 × JT8D 1,540-2,600
Yakovlev Yak-42 1980-2003 185 6 120 150 57.5 3 × D-36 2,200
MDD MD-80 1980–1999 1,191 5 130-155 112 63.5-72.6 2 × JT8D-200 1,800-2,900
Boeing 757 1983–2004 1,050 6 221-280 185 115.7-123.8 2 × RB211/PW2000 3,400-3,915
Boeing 737 Classic 1984–2000 1,988 6 122-168 91 60.6–68 2 × CFM56 2,060–2,375
Airbus A320ceo 1988–now 8,073 6 117-199 124-128 68-93.5 2 × CFM56/V2500/PW6000 3,100-3,750
MD-90/B717 1995–2006 272 5 117-163 93-112 54.9-75.3 2 × BR715/V2500 1,430-2,237
Tupolev Tu-204 1996–now 86 6 156-215 184 103-111 2 × PS-90/RB211 2,500-3,600
Boeing 737NG 1997-now 7,065 6 123-215 124.6 65.5–85.1 2 × CFM56 2,935–3,010
Airbus A220 2016-now 342 5 120-150 112 63.1-69.9 2 × PW1000G 3,350-3,400
Airbus A320neo 2016-now 1,499 6 160-240 124-128 75.5-97 2 × CFM LEAP/PW1000G 3,500-4,000
Boeing 737MAX 2017-now 387 6 153-204 127 80.3–88.3 2 × CFM LEAP 3,300–3,850
Embraer E-Jet E2 2018-now 114 4 88-146 103 44.8-61.5 2 × PW1000G 2,017-2,850


Widebody jet airliners
Model Deliveries Built Seats
/row		 Typ.
seats		 Wing
(m²)		 MTOW
(t)		 Engines Range
(nmi)
Airbus A300/Airbus A310 1974–2007 816 8 220-247 219-260 144-172 2 × JT9D/PW4000/CF6 2,900-5,150
Boeing 767 1982-now 1,200 7 214-296 283-291 143-204 2 × JT9D/PW4000/CF6/RB211 3,900-6,590
Lockheed L-1011 1972–1984 250 9 246-256 321-329 200-231 3 × RB211 4,250-6,090
Airbus A330/Airbus A330neo 1994-now 1,506 8 246-300 362 233-251 2 × PW4000/CF6/Trent 700-Trent 7000 6,350-8,150
Boeing 787 2011-now 992 8/9 242-330 377 228-254 2 × GEnx/Trent 1000 6,430-7,635
Ilyushin Il-86/Il-96 1980-now 136 9 263-386 300-350 215-270 4 × NK-86-PS-90/PW2000 2,700-6,900
Douglas DC-10/MD-11 1971-2000 586 9 270-323 339 195-286 3 × JT9D/PW4000/CF6 3,500-6,725
Airbus A350 2015-now 398 9 315-369 442-464 280-316 2 × Trent XWB 8,100-8,700
Boeing 777 1995-now 1,649 9/10 313-396 428-437 247-351 2 × PW4000/Trent 800/GE90 5,240-8,555
Airbus A340 1993–2011 377 8 250-370 363-437 275-380 4 × CFM56/Trent 500 6,700-9,000
B747/747SP/747-400/747-8 1970-2022 1,558 10 276-467 511-554 318-448 4 × JT9D/PW4000/CF6/RB211-GEnx 4,620-7,730
Airbus A380 2007-2021 243 11 575 845 575 4 × Trent 900/GP7200 8,000

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "1947 | 2080 | Flight Archive". Flightglobal.com. 1947-11-27. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  2. ^ "Last Comet 1 | Comet - The World's First Jet Airliner | Comet - The World's First Jet Airliner | Archive Exhibitions | Exhibitions & Displays | Research". RAF Museum. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  3. ^ "The First Generation of Jet Airliners". America by Air (exhibit). National Air and Space Museum. 2007. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b Kroo, Ilan (January 19, 2006). "Engine Placement". AA241 Introduction to Aircraft Design: Synthesis and Analysis. Stanford University. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Walter James Boyne. "History of flight - Jet Engine Revolution, Airline Reliability, and Industry Advances". Britannica. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  6. ^ Wells & Rodrigues 2004, p. 146
  7. ^ "Aviation Technology - America by Air". si.edu. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  8. ^ "The Era of Wide-Body Airliners - America by Air". si.edu. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  9. ^ "The 1980s Generation". Time. August 14, 1978. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2008.
  10. ^ Weiner, Eric (December 19, 1990). "New Boeing Airliner Shaped by the Airlines". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  11. ^ Eden 2008, pp. 98, 102–103
  12. ^ a b Eden 2008, pp. 99–104
  13. ^ Norris & Wagner 1999, p. 128
  14. ^ Yenne 2002, p. 33
  15. ^ Eden 2008, p. 112
  16. ^ a b c Norris & Wagner 1999, p. 126
  17. ^ Norris & Wagner 1996, pp. 9–14
  18. ^ Norris & Wagner 1999, p. 129
  19. ^ Norris & Wagner 1999, p. 127
  20. ^ "4 years after cancelation, is the A380 making a comeback? - AeroTime". 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  21. ^ "What Went Wrong With The Airbus A380? | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  22. ^ Prisco, Jacopo (2022-07-11). "Why the A380 superjumbo is staging a comeback". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  23. ^ "Boeing: Commercial". www.boeing.com. Retrieved 2023-06-07.

Works cited

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  • Eden, Paul, ed. (2008). Civil Aircraft Today: The World's Most Successful Commercial Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84509-324-2.
  • Norris, Guy; Wagner, Mark (1999). Modern Boeing Jetliners. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Imprint. ISBN 0-7603-0717-2.
  • Norris, Guy; Wagner, Mark (1996). Boeing 777. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-7603-0091-7.
  • Wells, Alexander T.; Rodrigues, Clarence C. (2004). Commercial Aviation Safety. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 0-07-141742-7.
  • Yenne, Bill (2002). Inside Boeing: Building the 777. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-1251-6.
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