Created by Boeing to promote the new 707 Stratoliner, which at the time had not yet flown commercially, this vintage film shows the airplane’s revolutionary cabin design. A mock-up of the cabin (apparently built a bit roomier than the actual aircraft by designer TEAGUE) was unveiled in New York City in 1956. The mock-up appears throughout the film.
The cost of the mock-up was about $500,000, and included overhead service units, seatback trays, and target reading lights. The New York Times’ Richard Witkin compared the cabin to the “reception room of a high-stepping ad agency”.
Not surprisingly, the public’s fascination with the new jet was so intense that meals were even served to “passenger” visitors aboard the mock-up using the innovative meal trays. The removable interior panels, which are washable as well, are also shown, as well as the aircraft lounge (a feature that apparently made it into a few aircraft).
The prototype Boeing 707 aircraft, with its distinctive earth-tone paint scheme, is shown in the film taking off from Boeing field and flying over Washington State.
Development of the Stratoliner began in the 1950s with the race to capture the commercial airline market. The plane boasted all the latest luxuries, such as reading lights, flight attendant call buttons, and emergency oxygen masks.
The Boeing 707 is a mid-sized, long-range, narrow-body, four-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes from 1958 to 1979. Its name is commonly pronounced as “seven oh seven”. Versions of the aircraft have a capacity from 140 to 219 passengers and a range of 2,500 to 5,750 nautical miles (4,630 to 10,650 km).
Developed as Boeing’s first jet airliner, the 707 is a swept-wing design with podded engines. Although it was not the first jetliner in service, the 707 was the first to be commercially successful. Dominating passenger air transport in the 1960s and remaining common through the 1970s, the 707 is generally credited with ushering in the Jet Age.It established Boeing as one of the largest manufacturers of passenger aircraft, and led to the later series of airliners with “7×7” designations. The later 720, 727, 737, and 757 share elements of the 707’s fuselage design.
The 707 was developed from the Boeing 367-80, a prototype jet first flown in 1954. A larger fuselage cross-section and other modifications resulted in the initial-production 707-120, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines, which first flew on December 20, 1957. Pan American World Airways began regular 707 service on October 26, 1958. Later derivatives included the shortened long-range 707-138 and the stretched 707-320, both of which entered service in 1959. A smaller short-range variant, the 720, was introduced in 1960. The 707-420, a version of the stretched 707 with Rolls-Royce Conway turbofans, debuted in 1960, while Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofans debuted on the 707-120B and 707-320B models in 1961 and 1962, respectively.
The 707 has been used on domestic, transcontinental, and transatlantic flights, and for cargo and military applications. A convertible passenger-freighter model, the 707-320C, entered service in 1963, and passenger 707s have been modified to freighter configurations. Military derivatives include the E-3 Sentry airborne reconnaissance aircraft and the C-137 Stratoliner VIP transports. Boeing produced and delivered 1,011 airliners including the smaller 720 series; over 800 military versions were also produced. Ten Boeing 707s were in commercial service in July 2013.
Teague is a global design consultancy headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Established in 1926 by Walter Dorwin Teague, Teague is known for its design contributions through the disciplines of product design, interaction design, environmental design, and mechanical design. The privately held company is particularly recognized for its work in aviation and consumer goods, with clients such as The Boeing Company, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung and Panasonic.
Teague’s early role in consumer culture is most popularly associated with designs such as the first Polaroid camera, the UPS truck, Texaco service stations, and the Pringles Chips canister; while Xbox and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner headline Teague’s post-2000 design work.
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 and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
