1970's

1970’s

By the 70’s the public could afford air travel and for that reason, airline’s needed bigger jets. Wide Body Aircraft was born. Major manufacturers were in a race in the late 60’s to develop a jumbo jet. The 747 won that race, and sold many units, but many airlines needed jumbo jets that were smaller than the 747, but bigger than the 707. McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed went to work to build these planes. McDonnell Douglas made the DC-10. Lockheed made the   L-1011 TriStar. DC-10’s sold well, but the L-1011 sold only 250 units. A new European manufacturer, Airbus produced A300 in 1972. It sold exceptionally for a first model.

The Competitors

Boeing 747

The 747 is a very memorable aircraft. It was the biggest passenger aircraft for thirty seven years and can be recognized by is “hump” created by the upper deck. After the introduction by Pan Am, many orders came in. Due to high demand, many variants were designed over the years.  Now, a new type of 747 is in production. However, a new type of superjumbo must be created eventually. Boeing has it on the list of planes that need to be replaced.

McDonnell Douglas DC-10

The DC-10 was very popular when it was introduced by American Airlines. However, a non-fatal near crash occurred in 1972, but McDonnell Douglas never repaired the plane and a fatal accident occurred in 1974. The problem was fixed and DC-10’s regained their safety record, unlike some other aircraft. In the late 80’s, a new type of DC-10 was introduced, named the MD-11.

Lockheed L-1011 TriStar

The L-1011 was well known when it was introduced in 1972. It started to sell but later, sales calmed down. After the L-1011 was finished production, Lockheed withdrew from the passenger aircraft business due to the below target sales. Only 250 of the aircraft were produced. Now, barely any are left in the air.

Airbus A300

In Europe, British, French and German governments decided to build a aircraft to compete with American manufacturers. Many airlines bought A300’s and it grew in popularity. The flight crew went from three to two. This helped sales slightly. The building of the plane created Airbus, and helped create a series of successful airliners.

747

DC-10

L-1011

A300