NASA Quest > Aerospace Team Online

COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT

In this section you will find several significant commercial aircraft representing the transformation of commercial air travel from an adventure in the 1920s, to a safe and reliable form of major air transportation in the 1970s, to the higher performance commercial aircraft of the present and near future. To develop new aircraft concepts and designs, or improve performance, aeronautical research is needed to feed the aircraft technology base. Sometimes it may take several years before research results are incorporated into a design. Each aircraft shown has benefited from aeronautical research conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).

The Ford 4-AT and 5-AT, nicknamed the Tin Goose, was a popular transport airplane in the late 1920's and early 1930s. More than 100 Tri-Motors were produced. Admiral Richard Byrd's first flight to the South Pole in a Tri-Motor on November 28-29, 1929, was one of the Tri-Motor's most famous flights. The corrugated aluminum skin construction of the 1930s and the use of three motors was the Tri-Motor's most noticeable feature. It used an adaptation of a wing contour and ring cowlings, developed by NACA, around the engines to improve the airflow characteristics.

Over 10,000 DC-3s were manufactured between 1935 and 1946. Today, approximately 2,000 are still flying throughout the world. This exceptionally sturdy aircraft, designed to carry 21 passengers, brought new standards of comfort, reliability, safety, and lower operating costs to the airline industry. Along with serving the airlines, the DC-3 was used extensively during World War II as a military cargo, troop, and troop glider tow transport. The low-drag engine cowling design, developed by NACA, was used on the DC-3.

The Constellation was built as the first large transport aircraft with a pressurized cabin and coast-to-coast range. The prototype "Connie" first flew in January 1943. Over 850 Constellations were made, some capable of carrying a maximum of 91 passengers. The Constellation marked the end of the great period of piston engine airliners. This airplane used NACA's aerodynamic drag reduction experimental research results and its low-drag engine cowling design.

The 747 is known as the first wide-body jet airliner, and the largest ever built for commercial use. The challenge in its design was the Boeing 747 scale-up of the aircraft. The first flight test was in February 1969, and its first airline service was in January 1970. There are over a dozen types of the 1970s 747 aircraft, and to date, over 1,000 747s have been manufactured. The 747 typically seats 420 passengers and has a maximum flight range of 13,390 km (8,320 miles). NASA's research in high bypass jet engines, low-drag nacelles, swept-wing, modern wing airfoils, noise reduction, transonic aerodynamics and structural research was used in its design.

The MD-11 is currently in service as a passenger and cargo carrier. It has a maximum range of 13,355 km (8,300 miles), and typically seats 323 passengers. Its first flight for airline service was in 1992. A total of 147 have been produced. NASA's research in winglet design supercritical airfoils, digital electronic controls, numerous engine design improvements, high-lift systems, and transonic aerodynamics and structural concepts contributed to its design.

The 777 is the first aircraft designed completely by computer technology, and Boeing is working collaboratively with foreign industrial Boeing 777 companies on this venture. The first test flight was in June 1994, and United Airlines was the first to take delivery of a 777 in May 1995. Over 300 orders have now been placed by airlines from around the world. The 777 typically seats 305 passengers and has a maximum range of 13,667 km (8,493 miles). The 777 benefited from several NASA research efforts including: digital flight controls, the glass cockpit, quiet engine nacelles, aerodynamic design codes, flight management systems, graphite-epoxy structures, and transonic supercritical airfoils.

Since 1988, NASA and several aerospace industry partners have been conducting research for a High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). It will be the first supersonic commercial aircraft produced in the United States, and is currently projected to enter into service in 2006. The HSCT is being designed for a maximum range of 12,037 km (7,480 miles), 300 passengers, and flight speeds up to Mach 2.4. NASA's highest near-term priorities for HSCT technology development includes high-temperature, light-weight composite structural materials, high-temperature metals, low-speed high-lift aerodynamics, variable engine cycles, low-emission engine combustors, and engine noise suppressors.

Back to Learning Resources