The jet age · Airline service in 1958
The Boeing 707 helped establish jet passenger travel on a large scale. Pan American began international service with the type in October 1958. Higher cruising speeds changed expectations of journey times and helped make the jet airliner a familiar part of international transportation.
The earlier Boeing 367-80, known as the Dash 80, demonstrated the configuration from which Boeing developed the 707 and the KC-135 tanker. Those aircraft were distinct designs, but their shared background shows the connections between commercial and military aircraft development. The 707's swept wing and separately mounted engines became a recognizable image of the early jet age.
What to look for
- Swept wings and a conventional tail
- Four engines mounted in pods beneath the wings
- A long, narrow passenger fuselage