Boeing 247

The first Boeing 247 made its initial flight in 1933. It was 50 percent faster than its competitors, with its sleek, low-wing, all-metal construction; retractable landing gear; and supercharged, air-cooled engines mounted on the wings. It is labeled the first modern airliner, and revolutionized air transportation.  This innovative design inspired the creation of a new generation of commercial airliners, beginning with the Douglas DC-2. Later versions pioneered the use of controllable-pitch propellers and wing de-icer boots.
75 Boeing 247s were built, there are four survivors:
  • c/n 1699, CF-JRQ - on display in Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa. Donated to the museum in 1967 by California Standard Oil of Calgary, Alberta.
  • c/n 1722, N18E - on display in the National Museum of Science and Industry, Wroughton, UK
  • c/n 1729, N13347 - Still airworthy, - on display in the Museum of Flight Restoration Center, Paine Field, Snohomish County, Washington, USA.
  • c/n 1953, NC13369 / NR257Y - on display in the National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C., USA, the first production 247-D. It was used by Col. Roscoe Turner and Clyde Pangborn in the famous 1934 England-to-Australia International Air Derby, better known as the MacRobertson Race. It placed third overall and second in the transport category (the race was won by a British DH 88 Comet). To highlight the most interesting aspects of this 247's career, the aircraft is displayed with two sets of markings: with United Air Lines colors and registration as NC13369 on its right fuselage and wing and as NR257Y with MacRobertson Air Race markings on its left side. The original gray anodized aluminum finish of the 247 was badly weatherworn, and it was necessary to repaint it in a colour as near to the original as possible. Fortunately, the two engine cowlings and the vertical tail surface were in relatively good condition, and they were left in their original unpainted anodized finish. (see photo)

Sources
  • Oakes Claudia e.a.: Aircraft of the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1991
  • http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19540069000
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_247