Boeing 720

what is it?

The Boeing 720 is a retired American narrow-body airliner produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Announced in July 1957 as a 707 derivative for shorter flights from shorter runways, the 720 first flew on November 23, 1959. Its type certificate was issued on June 30, 1960, and it entered service with United Airlines on July 5, 1960.

🔎How to recognise it: 4 jet engines · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 39.9 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 740 km/htop speed
• range 5,186 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 137passengers
• size 104 tmax take-off weight
• built 154made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 67 years ago, in 1959.
• 🏎️Top speed is 5.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 39.9 m: about 9 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 17 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 5,186 km: 29× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1959-11-23

introduced

1960

retired

2012

status

retired

number built

154

role

boeing 707

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Boeing Commercial Airplanes

engines

4× Pratt & Whitney JT3C-7

crew

3

passengers

137

length

41.5 m

wingspan

39.9 m

height

12.6 m

max take-off weight

104 t

top speed

740 km/h

range

5,186 km

ceiling

12,802 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

ICAO code

B720

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family