Why does the 747 have a hump

In future versions of the Boeing , the design of the upper deck would stretch to include first-class seats and onboard lounge. What do you think of this? Have you ever been to the hump of a Boeing ? Let us know your stories below. Journalist - Working in news media for over a decade with outlets including 9News and the Discovery Channel, Nick is an airline marketing specialist with a Masters level education.

Working closely with AirAsia, Virgin Australia, Turkish Airlines and others, Nick provides unique insight and analysis on a variety of aviation topics.

Based in Sydney, Australia. Nicholas Cummins Journalist - Working in news media for over a decade with outlets including 9News and the Discovery Channel, Nick is an airline marketing specialist with a Masters level education.

More great Simple Flying content:. However, there were plenty of airline executives who were skeptical about the commercial viability of such a large jet. The launch customer of the was scheduled to be Pan American World Airways, which would go on to operate almost 75 s. This in turn created a real problem in terms of where to put the cockpit.

Having the cockpit on a hinged nose carried a number of safety risks, and it made no sense to bend all the wires to and from the cockpit each time the nose was opened and closed. Boeing decided to raise the cockpit above the nose cone, and — in order to maximize the planes aerodynamic efficiency — the hump was born. Later versions of the would extend the hump further back on the plane, creating more room for premium cabin seats in the upper deck.

Of course Juan Trippe was wrong, and the ended up being a resounding success, with over 1, produced in the last 50 years. Many airlines choose to operate both passenger and cargo versions of the plane, but you might even find a hybrid still flying today.

If the Queen of the Skies is still on your bucket list, you can still catch a ride on this aviation legend using points or miles. You might want to book that trip sooner rather than later, however, as airlines retire their fleet of s. For the latest travel news, deals and points and miles tips please subscribe to The Points Guy daily email newsletter.

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Many of the credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy. And a nose that would open and close would be an impossible place for the cockpit. For one thing, having all the wiring and control cables between the cockpit and the plane bending back and forth as the nose opened and closed would have been a very bad idea.

So the cockpit was put up behind the nose. To make room for the cockpit, and to keep the plane maximally aerodynamic, there had to be a hump. Later versions of the extended the hump farther back and made room for more first-class seats.

Feedloader Clickability I never really understood how colossal that behemoth plane, the , is until I stood next to the front landing gear and looked up. So what's up with that camelback hump on a ?