UP , UP AND AWAY : A LOOK INTO TWA ’ S FLEET
BOEING 707
Developed as Boeing ’ s first jet airliner , the 707 had a swept-wing design with podded engines . Though not the first jetliner in service , it was the first to be commercially successful . TWA put it on its flagship San Francisco-New York route on March 20 , 1959 . Its travel time of five-and-one-half hours eastbound — and an hour longer westbound — was less than half that of the prop planes .
DOUGLAS DC-9
TWA ’ s first DC-9s were officially DC-9-14s and DC-9-15s . The ‘ Little 9 ’ was a real performer , with a max weight of slightly more than 90,000lb and two Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines pushing it with a combined thrust of 28,000lb .
PROCTOR-LIVESEY-THOMAS COLLECTION
BOEING 747 CLASSIC
TWA took delivery of its first Boeing 747 on December 31 , 1969 , and put them into service on February 25 , 1970 . The following month , the airline opened Flight Wing One at New York JFK , the first terminal built expressly to accommodate the 747 and other wide-body aircraft . It had seven passenger gates with the capacity to handle four 747s and three 707s simultaneously .
THE BOEING COMPANY
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