This Day in Aviation History
July 8th, 1947
First flight of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
 
The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was a large long-range airliner developed from the C-97 Stratofreighter military transport, a derivative of the B-29 Superfortress. The Stratocruiser’s first flight was on July 8, 1947. Its design was advanced for its day, its innovative features included two passenger decks and a pressurized cabin, a relatively new feature to transport aircraft. It could carry up to 100 passengers on the main deck plus 14 in the lower deck lounge; typical seating was for 63 or 84 passengers or 28 berthed and five seated passengers.
 
The Stratocruiser was larger than the Douglas DC-6 and Lockheed Constellation and cost more to buy and operate. Its reliability was poor, chiefly due to problems with the four 28-cylinder Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major radial engines and their four-blade propellers. Only 55 Model 377s were built for airlines, along with the single prototype…..
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Boeing 377 Stratocruiser: http://gstv.us/1CZtJdN
 
YouTube, Pan Am Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Promo Film – 1950: http://gstv.us/1CZtJuk
 
If you enjoy the “This Day in Aviation History” collection, you may enjoy some of these other collections from Gazing Skyward TV: http://gstv.us/GSTVcollections
 
Photo from: http://gstv.us/29uWKa6
 
#avgeek #Boeing #Stratocruiser #airliner #USA #aviation #history #fb