Everything about Stratocruiser totally explained
The
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was a luxurious long range postwar airliner with 4 piston engines. It was a civilian version of the
C-97 Stratofreighter.
Design
Like the C-97, the 377 was developed towards the end of
World War II by adapting an enlarged upper fuselage onto the lower fuselage and wings which were essentially the same as the
B-50 Superfortress, the high performance evolution of the
B-29 Superfortress bomber. The 377 was larger and longer ranged than the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-7, with nonstop transatlantic range, but the
P&W R-4360 Wasp Major engines proved uneconomical, with production ending in 1950.
6600 cubic feet of interior space was provided by the “inverted-figure-8” doubledeck fuselage design. It offered seating of over 100 passengers, or sleeping berths for up to 28 berthed and five seated passengers. It first flew on
July 8,
1947. It had the speed and range to span ocean routes, enabling flying from New York to Hawaii in less than twenty four hours.
Pressurization (previously introduced on the previous Boeing Stratocruiser and also designed into the B-29) allowed breathing sea-level while at an altitude of 15,500 feet. At 25,000 passengers enjoyed a “cabin altitude” of only 5500 feet
Service
Despite serious design flaws and a marginal service record, the Stratocruiser was one of the most luxurious post-war propeller airliners. Extremely complex and expensive, only 56 were built as airliners. Another 60 of this design were built as
C-97 military transports, but the majority were built as 816
KC-97 tankers.
The Stratocruiser served as flagships on the Atlantic and Hawaii runs until forced out of service by the 1960s, when it had been made obsolete by the coming of the jet airliners such as the
Boeing 707 and
de Havilland Comet. Its spiral staircase, which led to a lower-deck lounge, inspired the one on the
747. It was one of the few airliners with a double-decker seating arrangement (another was the French
Breguet Deux-Ponts) until the 747, though some airlines did have lower-level lounges on their
L-1011 Tristar aircraft.
Operators
