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The Airliner World Book of the Boeing 737
Without question, the Boeing 747 has changed the face of commercial air travel almost beyond measure. Since its entry into service in 1970, well over 1,000 have been built in a succession of more capable variants. Today, the Boeing 747 remains the mainstay of the world's long-haul airlines and it can be credited with opening up low-cost air travel to millions of people during the past 32 years. The Airliner World Book of the Boeing 747 includes details, specifications, line drawings and operators lists for every variant of the famous Jumbo Jet. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 colour photographs, it tells the story of one of the most remarkable airliners ever built.
- GenresAviation
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 14, 2018
First published in 2003, The Airliner World Book of the Boeing 737 is a very large format publication telling the history of this famous airliner up to the date of publication. A few of the more than 260 photos are of the early days, but most are relelatively recent high quality colour pics with detailed captions, often telling a brief history of the aircraft featured. Chapters are arranged by different types, ie Prototypes, -100, -200, -500 etc, together with sections about the different airline or military customers and engine types. The very large format makes for cumbersome reading or storage, but also allows quality photos to be reproduced in a decent size that reflects their true potential. Excellent.
March 23, 2013
A King-Sized Overview of a King-Sized Airliner
A review by Daniel L. Berek
When I first saw this book, my reaction was the same when I saw my first Boeing 747 (when the plane was still brand-new) - Wow! That thing is huge! That is probably the main weakness of the book; it will require a tall space on one's bookshelf. The publisher should have gone for a smaller format, say something like 12 by 9 inches and made it a little thicker. Now, one would expect an overview to be just that, an overview. In this respect, however, "The Airliner World Book of the Boeing 747," exceeded my expectations. There is a chapter for every major variant of the big fellow, the -100, SR, SP, -200, -300, and -400. Only the newest version, the -800 is not included, but that variant had not yet flown when the book was published in 2002; nevertheless, this book is more up to date than most others on the Boeing 747, a good thing to keep in mind.
Each variant includes good, detailed text, outlining the development, history, and sub-variants of each type, both later variants and modifications to existing airframes, along with a table of specifications and a list of airlines that operate or had flown the type and nice three-view drawing that remind readers of those found in the old "Observer's Aircraft" series - at least those of us old enough to remember those precious handbooks. Mr. Nicholls also deserves kudos for including many quality pictures of the aircraft in a variety of schemes, including some that are quite rare (including interesting hybrid schemes); that alone will make the book worth purchasing to many enthusiasts. The chapter on the -100 could have been more detailed, to include the reason for Boeing to offer the side cargo door option to Sabena, creating the Combi version. Nicholls, however, does describe the lesser-known -100B version. For the -200 version, Nicholls does an admirable job, but he does fall into the trap of the way of distinguishing a -100 versus a -200 is the number of upper-deck windows (it isn't). Can't any aviation writer get this right?
And there is more. There is a nice chapter on the construction of the Boeing 747, along with chapters on engines and engine development, flight decks and interiors (yes!), aircraft in airline service, and hull losses. The chapter on future variants is right in some places and a little off in others but, then again, who can predict the future. Overall, what you get is a feast of pictures - unusual ones, not the more common stock footage found elsewhere, and a text that goes beyond what one would expect in an overview. It's a fun book to read. Almost as much fun as riding in the real thing.
A review by Daniel L. Berek
When I first saw this book, my reaction was the same when I saw my first Boeing 747 (when the plane was still brand-new) - Wow! That thing is huge! That is probably the main weakness of the book; it will require a tall space on one's bookshelf. The publisher should have gone for a smaller format, say something like 12 by 9 inches and made it a little thicker. Now, one would expect an overview to be just that, an overview. In this respect, however, "The Airliner World Book of the Boeing 747," exceeded my expectations. There is a chapter for every major variant of the big fellow, the -100, SR, SP, -200, -300, and -400. Only the newest version, the -800 is not included, but that variant had not yet flown when the book was published in 2002; nevertheless, this book is more up to date than most others on the Boeing 747, a good thing to keep in mind.
Each variant includes good, detailed text, outlining the development, history, and sub-variants of each type, both later variants and modifications to existing airframes, along with a table of specifications and a list of airlines that operate or had flown the type and nice three-view drawing that remind readers of those found in the old "Observer's Aircraft" series - at least those of us old enough to remember those precious handbooks. Mr. Nicholls also deserves kudos for including many quality pictures of the aircraft in a variety of schemes, including some that are quite rare (including interesting hybrid schemes); that alone will make the book worth purchasing to many enthusiasts. The chapter on the -100 could have been more detailed, to include the reason for Boeing to offer the side cargo door option to Sabena, creating the Combi version. Nicholls, however, does describe the lesser-known -100B version. For the -200 version, Nicholls does an admirable job, but he does fall into the trap of the way of distinguishing a -100 versus a -200 is the number of upper-deck windows (it isn't). Can't any aviation writer get this right?
And there is more. There is a nice chapter on the construction of the Boeing 747, along with chapters on engines and engine development, flight decks and interiors (yes!), aircraft in airline service, and hull losses. The chapter on future variants is right in some places and a little off in others but, then again, who can predict the future. Overall, what you get is a feast of pictures - unusual ones, not the more common stock footage found elsewhere, and a text that goes beyond what one would expect in an overview. It's a fun book to read. Almost as much fun as riding in the real thing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews