Boeing 707

   Boeing 707 (Qantas old livery)

Role	Narrow-body jet airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Boeing Airplane Company
First Flight	December 20, 1957
Introduction	October 1958 with Pan Am
Status	Out of production, in limited use
Primary users	Trans World Airlines, Continental Airlines, Pan Am, BOAC
Produced	1958-1979
Number built	1,010
Unit Cost	US$4.3 million (1955 dollars) US$36.5 million (2012 dollars)
Developed from	Boeing 367-80
Variants	Boeing 720 Boeing C-137 Stratoliner
Developed into	Boeing E-3 Sentry Boeing E-6 Mercury Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS

The Boeing 707 is a mid-size, narrow-body four-engine jet airliner that was manufactured by Boeing from 1958 to 1979. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". Versions of the aircraft have a capacity from 140 to 202 passengers and a range of 3,680 to 3,735 nautical miles (6,820 to 6,917 km). Developed as Boeing's first jet airliner, the 707 features a swept-wing design with podded engines. Dominating passenger air transport in the 1960s, and remaining common throughout the 1970s, the 707 is generally credited with ushering in the Jet Age. Although it was not the first jetliner in service, the 707 was the first to be commercially successful. It established Boeing as one of the largest manufacturers of passenger aircraft, and led to the later series of aircraft with "7x7" designations. The subsequent 727, 737, and 757 also share elements of the 707's fuselage design.

The 707 was developed from the 367-80, a prototype jet aircraft which Boeing produced as a design study in 1954. A larger fuselage cross-section and other design modifications resulted in the initial production 707-120, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines, which first flew on December 20, 1957. Pan American World Airways inaugurated 707 service with a christening at National Airport on October 17, 1958, attended by President Eisenhower, followed by a transatlantic flight for VIPs (personal guests of founder Juan Trippe) from Baltimore's Friendship International Airport to Paris. They began full 707 service with the type's first commercial flight on October 26, 1958. Subsequent derivatives included the shortened long-range 707-138 and the stretched 707-320, both of which entered service in 1959. A smaller short-range variant, the 720, was introduced in 1960. The 707-420, a version of the stretched 707 with Rolls-Royce Conway 508 turbofans, debuted in 1960, while Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofans debuted on the 707-120B and 707-320B models in 1961 and 1962, respectively.

During its service career, the 707 has been used in a variety of roles, including domestic, transcontinental, and transatlanticoperations. The 707 has also been used for cargo and military applications. A convertible passenger-freighter model, the 707-320C, entered service in 1963, and passenger 707s have been modified to freighter configurations. Military derivatives include the E-3 Sentry airborne reconnaissance aircraft, the KC-135 Stratotanker airborne refueler, and the C-137 StratolinerVIP transports. During the 707's production run, Boeing produced and delivered a total of 1,011 aircraft, including the smaller 720 series. Over 800 military versions were also produced. As of August 2011, 10 examples of the 707 remain in airline service.