1. Boeing 747 By Ryan Bush

2. What is it? • The Boeing 747 is a widebody commercial airliner, often referred to by the nickname Jumbo Jet. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft,and was the first widebody ever produced. Manufactured by Boeing's Commercial Airplane unit in the United States, the original version of the 747 was two and a half times the size of the Boeing 707,one of the common large commercial aircraft of the 1960s. First flown commercially in 1970, the 747 held the passenger capacity record for 37 years.

3. How does it fly? • A plane flies by the aerodynamic shapes on the plane. The wings are shaped so that high pressure is made above the wing so the air has to move faster causing lift. • Flaps are mounted on the end of the wing. These slow the plane down for landing bo extending down and up. • Aileron work on the wings by extending either down or up. These make the plane bank to the left or right. • Elevators are also flaps that extend up or down to make the plane go up or down. These are mounted at the back of the plane. • The rudder is also a flap that moves from left to right. This makes the plane turn left or right.

4. Interesting Facts • A 747-400 has six million parts, half of which are fasteners. • A 747-400 has 171 miles (274 km) of wiring and 5 miles (8 km) of tubing. • The 747-400 has 16 main landing gear tires and two nose landing gear tires. • Seventy-five thousand engineering drawings were used to produce the first 747. • The first 747 completed more than 15,000 hours of wind-tunnel testing. • The 747-400ER range is approximately 7,713 nautical miles (14,297 km). • The diameter of the 747 engine cowling is 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m). • Four World War I vintage JN4-D "Jenny" airplanes could be lined up on each of the Boeing 747 wings. • A 747-400 consists of 147,000 pounds (66,150 kg) of high-strength aluminum.

5. Some photos