747: Creating the World's First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation

Ever fly in a Boeing 747? Ever wonder how a Boeing 747 actually flies? Then if you are remotely interested in the most successful jumbo jet of all time, read this book. Joe Sutter was the man responsible for it's long and troubled birth, but once it took off it became a smash and now over 40 years later it's still the Queen of the skies. A great read about a great plane.

The people who put ideas into reality mostly never get a mention and this is a good book that helps shine a bit of light on the process behind creating and building the 747. Joe mentions a few problems that needed solving and I guess I would've liked a bit more on the technicalities but nevertheless a good read and I recommend it.

My husband was keen on this book. It arrived in great condition and we are happy with our purchase. Thanks

Pretty good book. Not as good as "Wide Body" though

Interesting book although with something of an "America's best" slant

Entertaining read and a great insight into Joe Sutter himself and the aviation industry in the 60s.

The first ever telling of the story of the Jumbo Jet from the man who oversaw its design - Joe Sutter. It's a fascinating transport back in time to the mid 1960s - a time when anything seemed possible - a time when America was pushing the boundaries trying to get Man on the Moon and fly the common airline passenger faster than the speed of sound. What Sutter also reveals is that the embryonic 747 faced the same probing questions as the Airbus A380 faces today; "is it TOO big?", "how can it be operated at a profit?", or "is it just an oversized white elephant?".Joe Sutter guides the reader through the political minefield that had to be negotiated to answer these questions, and how he had to fight at every turn with his bosses to get resources, money and credibility within Boeing in order to release a product that many considered would be dead within a few years - at the same time dealing with some of the larger-than-life individuals at both his own company, and the 747's launch customer Pan Am. The story is surrounded by good narratives on Sutter's pre-747 career cutting his teeth on earlier models such as the 707 and 737, and how he has contributed to pretty much every Boeing product to the present day right up to the 787 Dreamliner.If the book has a weakness, there is just a little bit too much Boeing back-slapping from time to time. Sutter is keen to praise the technical achievements of every Boeing aeroplane ever designed, but is reluctant to concede that other, equally as worthy contributions to airliner technology have been made by other manufacturers.Nevertheless this book is a must for any aviation enthusiast.

was hoping for a bit more detail on the design and challenges of developing the 747, but it sort of glossed over them. the only part that went into detail was engine issues. i managed to read the book on a 747 flight back from chicago to frankfurt and i didn't once look around me to reference anything said. it was a nice read, but not the book i was expecting. the maiden flight was covered more in the intro when he described where he sat his wife. i'm not a petrol head, but the level this gave disappointed me. oh, and i found the references to concorde rather disparaging. sutter's view that this was a simple design, couldn't fly very far, too few passengers blah blah, and the boeing titanium SST much better. pity it never flew for us to compare such a masterly american marvel...ahem.