The jumbo jet. An iconic passenger plane capable of carrying hundreds of people along with all their luggage. There are so many questions we could ask: how do they fly; how do they accelerate so quickly; but today we answer one of the most fascinating of all: how is such a feat of engineering built in the first place?

First to coin the term ‘jumbo jet’ was the 747, the work of American aviation giant Boeing. With the heightened demand for air travel in 1965, engineer Joe Sutter temporarily abandoned the development of the 737 airliner, in order to concentrate on the larger 747.

This long range, wide bodied craft went on to become the first twin aisle airliner, with a standard 3-4-3 configuration. Just 3 years later, on September 30 1968, the first 747 rolled out of the custom built Everett plant, with the first flight taking place on February 9 1969. Market leader Pan American World Airways subsequently placed an order for 25 747-100 variants, the first iteration of this jumbo jet, entering service on January 22 1970.

How The Boeing 747 Is Built