This mid-1950s black-and-white Boeing internal film reviews the full-scale test program on the tear-resistant fuselage structure on the Boeing Model 707, internally known as Operation Guillotine. This testing was to prevent the same accidents that had befallen the in-flight break-ups of the de Havilland DH 106 Comet in 1953. The 707 made its first flight July 15, 1954. A Boeing 707 flies overhead (:22-:57). A fuselage explodes during a controlled pressure test. A full-scale 707 fuselage is installed on a steel jig to form a pressure chamber. Gauges and dials are installed and sealed. Results are recorded on a photographic siligraph (:58-2:19). An illustration of the basic design is shown. The results of the first crack propagation tests show the chamber top is blown open. A graph is shown illustrating its cause (2:20-3:27). An illustration of the shear tie design is shown. Crack propagation tests show some local damage. An aluminum sheet is riveted over the cracks before the next test was conducted. Blades are dropped in the center of the panel, causing catastrophic failure. The damaged fuselage is shown (3:28-5:38). An illustration of the strap design is shown. The guillotine blades are dropped again, and they pass through (5:39-6:46). An illustration of the 4th fuselage panel configuration is shown with the new improvements learned as a result of the first three tests. Spot welding was substituted for rivets in part of the panel, which is shown. Saw cuts made did not propagate through the straps or the contiguous skin. A series of seven blade drops are shown penetrating the panel without causing the structural integrity to fail (6:47-9:14). The final illustration is of the 707 tear resistant structure that incorporated all of the added tested features (9:15-9:58). A Boeing 707 flies over (9:59-10:08).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com