The Boeing Model 247 is an early

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal ( anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing, and retractable landing gear."Model 247 Commercial Transport."
''boeing.com,'' 2009. Retrieved: June 14, 2010. Other advanced features included control surface

trim tab Trim tabs are small surfaces connected to the trailing edge of a larger control surface on a boat or aircraft, used to control the trim of the controls, i.e. to counteract hydro- or aerodynamic forces and stabilise the boat or aircraft in a pa ...

s, an autopilot and de-icing boots for the wings and

tailplane A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail ( empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyropl ...

. The 247 first flew on February 8, 1933, and entered service later that year.Gould 1995, p. 14.

Design and development

Boeing had eclipsed other aviation manufacturers by introducing a host of aerodynamic and technical features into a commercial airliner. This advanced design, which was a progression from earlier Monomail (Models 200, 221, 221A) and B-9 bomber designs, combined speed and safety. The Boeing 247 was faster than the U.S. premier fighter aircraft of its day, the Boeing P-12, which was an open-

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the controls that e ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

. The low landing speed of precluded the need for flaps, and pilots learned that at speeds as low as , the 247 could be taxied "tail high" for ease of ground handling. The 247 was able to fly on one engine. With controllable-pitch propellers (standard equipment on the 247D), the 247 could maintain at maximum gross takeoff weight on one engine.Seely 1968, p. 56. Aside from its size and the wing spar obstructing the cabin, its combination of features became the standard for the

Douglas DC-1 The Douglas DC-1 was the first model of the famous American DC (Douglas Commercial) commercial transport aircraft series. Although only one example of the DC-1 was produced, the design was the basis for the DC-2 and DC-3, the latter of which b ...

and other airliners before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Originally planned as a 14-passenger airliner powered by Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

s, the preliminary review of the design concept by United Air Lines' pilots had resulted in a redesign to a smaller, less capable configuration, powered by R-1340 Wasp engines.Fernandez 1983, pp. 74–78, 104–105. One concern of the pilots was that no airfield then in existence, in their view, could safely take an eight-ton aircraft. They also objected to the use of Hornet engines, as the Hornet had a problem with detonation when running on the available low

octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-t ...

fuel, and suffered from excessive vibration.

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military av ...

's chief engineer,

George Mead George Mead or Meade may refer to: * George Meade (merchant) (1741–1808), American merchant and grandfather of George Meade * George Meade (1815–1872), United States Army officer and civil engineer * George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), American p ...

, knew the problem would be resolved eventually, but P&W's president,

Frederick Rentschler Frederick Brant Rentschler (November 8, 1887 – April 25, 1956) was an American aircraft engine designer, aviation engineer, industrialist, and the founder of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Rentschler created and manufactured many revolutiona ...

acquiesced to the airline pilots' unanimous demand. The decision created a rift between Mead and Rentschler. Despite the disagreements, the 247 would be Boeing's showcase exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. The cockpit

windshield The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. ...

of the first 247s was angled forward, instead of the conventional aft sweep. This was the design solution, similar to that adopted by other contemporary aircraft, to the problem of lighted control panel instruments reflecting off the windshield at night, but it turned out that the forward-sloping windshield would reflect ground lights instead, especially during landings, and it also increased drag slightly. By the introduction of the 247D, the windshield was sloped aft in the usual way, and the night-glare problem was resolved by installing an extension (the glarescreen) over the control panel. Boeing considered safety features carefully, building in structural strength and incorporating design elements that enhanced passenger comfort and well-being, such as the thermostatically controlled, air conditioned, and sound-deadened cabin. The crew included a pilot and copilot, as well as a flight attendant (then known as a "stewardess"), who could tend to passenger needs. The main landing gear did not fully retract; a portion of the wheels extended below the

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attache ...

s, typical of designs of the time, as a means of reducing structural damage in a wheels-up landing. The tailwheel was not retractable. While the Model 247 and 247A had speed-ring engine

cowling A cowling is the removable covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles, motorcycles, airplanes, and on outboard boat motors. On airplanes, cowlings are used to reduce drag and to cool the engine. On boats, cowlings are a cove ...

s and fixed-pitch

propellers A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

, the Model 247D incorporated NACA cowlings and variable-pitch propellers.

Operational history

As the 247 emerged from its test and development phase, the company further showcased its capabilities by entering a long-distance air race in 1934, the MacRobertson Air Race from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. During the 1930s, aircraft designs were often proven in air races and other aerial contests. A modified 247D was entered, flown by Colonel Roscoe Turner and Clyde Pangborn. The 247, race number "57", was essentially a production model, but all airliner furnishings were removed to accommodate eight additional fuselage fuel tanks. The MacRobertson Air Race attracted aircraft entries from all over the globe, including both prototypes and established production types, with the grueling course considered an excellent proving ground, as well as an opportunity to gain worldwide attention. Turner and Pangborn came in second place in the transport section (and third overall), behind the Boeing 247's eventual rival, the new

Douglas DC-2 The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which ...

."Boeing Model 247- USA."
''The Aviation History On-Line Museum'', November 19, 2004. Retrieved: July 26, 2009. Being the winner of the 1934 U.S.

Collier Trophy The Robert J. Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA), presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to ...

for excellence in aviation design, the first 247 production orders were earmarked for William Boeing's airline Boeing Air Transport.Boeing Company 1969, p. 35. The 247 was capable of crossing the United States from east to west eight hours faster than its predecessors, such as the

Ford Trimotor The Ford Trimotor (also called the "Tri-Motor", and nicknamed the "Tin Goose") is an American three-engined transport aircraft. Production started in 1925 by the companies of Henry Ford and ended on June 7, 1933, after 199 had been made. It ...

and

Curtiss Condor The Curtiss T-32 Condor II was a 1930s American biplane airliner and bomber aircraft built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. It was used by the United States Army Air Corps as an executive transport. Development The Condor II was a ...

. Entering service on May 22, 1933, a Boeing Air Transport 247 set a cross-country record of hours on its

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

to New York City inaugural flight.Bryan 1979, p. 109. Boeing sold the first 60 247s, an unprecedented $3.5 million order, to its affiliated airline, Boeing Air Transport (part of the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, UATC), at a unit price of $65,000. TWA (Transcontinental & Western Air) also ordered the 247, but UATC declined the order, which resulted in TWA President Jack Frye setting out requirements for a new airliner and funding

Don Douglas Donald Douglas (born Douglas William Kinleyside, 24 August 1905 – 31 December 1945) was a Scottish actor in the United States who performed in films, on the stage and in radio. Background He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 24 August 1 ...

to design and build the

prototype. Douglas eventually developed the design into the DC-3. The Boeing design had been the first to enter series production, but the 247 proved to have some serious deficiencies. Airlines considered its limited capacity a drawback, since it carried only 10 passengers, in five rows with a seat on each side of the aisle, as well as a stewardess. Compared to the more spacious DC-2 and later DC-3, the passenger count was too few to make it a commercially viable airliner. Another feature influencing passenger comfort was that the 247's main wing spar ran through the cabin, so persons moving through the cabin had to step over it. The Lockheed Model 10 Electra had a similar configuration, and while it was a more compact design, the Electra managed to carry the same number of passengers at a slightly better overall performance, and at a lower cost-per-mile. Seventy-five 247s were built; Douglas collected 800 civil orders for DC-3s before the

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the ...

attack, and produced over 10,000 DC-3s, including wartime production of C-47s, while the rival Lockheed Electra "family" was eventually to reach over 3,000 in its various civil and military variants. Boeing Air Transport bought 60 examples, United Aircraft Corp. 10,

Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding ...

ordered three, but only two were delivered,'Das Große Buch der Lufthansa' Günter Stauch(Hrsg.) GeraMond Verlag 2003 pp. 70–73'Der Deutsche Luftverkehr 1926–1945' Karl-Dieter Seifert Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn 1999 pp.330–331 and one went to a private owner in China. While the industry primarily standardized on Boeing's competitors, many of United's aircraft were later purchased by Western Air Express at "bargain-basement prices". RCAF Boeing 247d

The 247 remained in airline service until

, when several were converted into C-73 transports and trainers. The

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

's 121 Squadron operated seven 247Ds as medium transports during the early part of the war. One of these aircraft was donated to the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF) for

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...

testing, where it was renumbered

DZ203 DZ203, a Boeing 247 airliner, was among the most important single aircraft used in the development of various airborne radar and blind landing systems. It is particularly notable as the first aircraft to perform a completely automatic approach a ...

. DZ203 was passed among several units in the RAF before being used to make the world's first fully automatic

blind landing Blind may refer to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop * ''Blind ...

on 16 January 1945. Warlord "Young Marshal" Zhang Xueliang ordered two Boeing 247Ds for his

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

. He used one of them, named ''Bai-Ying'' (White Eagle), during the '' Xi'an incident'' in 1936, during which he flew into the opposing Nationalist army's camp at ''Sian'' (now rendered as ''Xi'an'') under a secret truce, and had their leader, Generalissimo

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

, arrested, ending the civil war between the Communist and Nationalist armies, so they could fight together against the Japanese invaders. A number of specially modified variants included a Boeing 247Y appropriated from United for Air Corps use as a test aircraft fitted with two machine guns in the nose. The same installation later was fitted to a 247Y owned by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. This aircraft also featured a Colt machine gun in a flexible mount.Seely 1968, p. 63. A 247D purchased by the British RAF became a testbed for instrument approach equipment and received a nonstandard nose, new powerplants, and fixed landing gear. Some 247s were still flying in the late 1960s as cargo transports and business aircraft. The Turner/Pangborn 247D still exists. Originally flown on September 5, 1934, it was leased from United Airlines for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race and returned to United, where it served in regular airline service until 1937. Subsequently, the 247D was sold to the Union Electric Company of St. Louis for use as an executive transport. The Air Safety Board purchased the aircraft in 1939 and it remained in use for 14 years before it was donated to the

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the N ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

. It is displayed today with two sets of markings, the left side is marked as NR257Y, in Colonel Turner's 1934 MacRobertson Air Race colors, while the right side is painted in United Airlines livery, as NC13369."NASM Boeing 247D."
''Wayback archive'' of NASM Boeing 247D, originally revised May 5, 2001. Retrieved: July 26, 2009.

Variants

;Model 280 :Original proposal of Boeing 247 with 14 seats and P&W Hornet engines ;Model 247 :Twin-engined civil transport airliner, initial production version ;247A :Powered by new P&W Wasp, on special order for Deutsche Luft Hansa in 1934 ;247E :This designation was given to the first Boeing 247 aircraft, it was used to test a number improvements that were later incorporated into the Boeing 247D. ;247D :Original one-off was a race aircraft designed for the MacRobertson Air Race; use of Hamilton Standard variable-pitch propellers allowed for a gain; the 247D configuration incorporated in production series bearing the same name. ;247Y :Armed version, one exported to China, second used for trials ;C-73 :Designation for Boeing 247D airliners "drafted" into military service in USAAF, 27 in total

Operators

Civil operators

; * Viação Aérea Bahiana operated one aircraft. ; * Canadian Pacific Airlines * Quebec Airways ; * Private owner operated one aircraft. ; * Avianca as

SCADTA Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos german: Deutsch-Kolumbianische Luftverkehrsgesellschaft), or SCADTA, was the world's second airline, and the first airline in Latin America, operating from 1919 until World War II. After the war, SC ...

operated 10 aircraft. ; * ''

'' operated one aircraft and used a second for spares/testing. ; *

Boeing Air Transport United Airlines is the third largest airline in the world, with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Airlines Holdings) and 721 aircraft. It was the brainchild of William Boeing and emerged from his consolidation of nu ...

(later United Air Lines) operated 60 aircraft. * Empire Air Lines * National Parks Airways * Pennsylvania Central Airlines * United Aircraft Corporation operated 10 aircraft. * Wien Air Alaska * Western Air Express, the predecessor of Western Airlines, received some of ex-United Aircraft Corporation aircraft. * Woodley Airways * Wyoming Air Service

Military operators

; *

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Specifications (Boeing 247D)

Accidents and incidents

;October 10, 1933: United Air Lines 247, ''NC13304'' (c/n 1685), was probably the first victim of sabotage of a commercial airliner. The aircraft, en route from

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, was destroyed by a

nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating g ...

-based explosive device over

Chesterton, Indiana Chesterton is a town in Westchester, Jackson and Liberty townships in Porter County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 14,241 at the 2020 Census. The three towns of Chesterton, Burns Harbor, and Porter are known as the Dunel ...

. All seven on board were killed. ;November 9, 1933:A Pacific Air Transport 247, ''NC13345'' (c/n 1727), crashed on takeoff after the pilot became disoriented in fog and low visibility; four of ten on board died. ;November 24, 1933:A National Air Transport 247, ''NC13324'' (c/n 1705), was being ferried from Chicago to Kansas City when it crashed near Wedron, Illinois, killing all three crew. ;February 23, 1934: A United Air Lines 247, ''NC13357'' (c/n 1739), crashed in Parley's Canyon in fog near Salt Lake City, killing all eight on board. ;December 20, 1934: United Air Lines Flight 6, a 247 (''NC13328'', c/n 1709), struck a tree and crashed near Western Springs, Illinois, due to carburetor icing; all four on board survived. The aircraft involved was repaired and converted to 247D standard in July 1935 and returned to service; the aircraft was pressed into USAAF service in 1942 and redesignated as C-73 with tail number ''42-57210''. The aircraft was damaged in a wind storm at Duncan Field, Texas on August 30, 1942 and was written off. ;March 24, 1935: The sole 247 operated by

(''D-AGAR'', c/n 1945) was damaged beyond economical repair in a collision with an

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

aircraft on the ground at

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

and then scrapped ;September 1, 1935: Western Air Express 247, ''NC13314'' (c/n 1695), was being ferried from Burbank, California to Saugus, California when it struck high tension power lines after takeoff, killing all three on board. ;October 7, 1935: United Airlines Flight 4, a 247D (c/n 1698), went down about west of Cheyenne, Wyoming due to pilot error. Three crew and nine passengers killed, there were no survivors. ;October 30, 1935:United Air Lines Boeing 247D, ''NC13323'' (c/n 1704), crashed during an instrument checkflight near Cheyenne, killing the four crew members aboard. ;December 15, 1936:Seven died when Western Air Express Flight 6, a 247D,"Aircraft Accident Report, December 15, 1936 crash."
''Department of Commerce''. Retrieved: November 8, 2009. en route from

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

, to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

via

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

, crashed just below Hardy Ridge on

Lone Peak Lone Peak, a mountain peak southeast of Salt Lake City, Utah, United States is the center of the Lone Peak Wilderness, established in 1978. With an elevation of , it is one of the taller peaks in the Wasatch Range along the Wasatch Front and ten ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

. The major parts of the aircraft were hurled over the ridge and fell over into a basin below. ;December 27, 1936: United Airlines Trip 34, a 247D (c/n 1737), crashed at the head of Rice Canyon,

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

, due to pilot error; all 12 on board died. ;January 12, 1937 :

Western Air Express Flight 7 Western Air Express Flight 7, a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Salt Lake City to Burbank, California, crashed on January 12, 1937 near Newhall, California. The twin engine Boeing 247D, registration NC13315, crashed shortly after 11:0 ...

, a 247D (c/n 1696) flight from Salt Lake City to Burbank, crashed into a mountain near Newhall, California, killing five. Among the dead was Martin Johnson of

Martin and Osa Johnson Martin Elmer Johnson (October 9, 1884 – January 13, 1937) and Osa Helen Johnson (née Leighty, March 14, 1894 – January 7, 1953) were married American adventurers and documentary filmmakers. In the first half of the 20th century the couple ...

fame (adventurers, authors, and documentary filmmakers). ;August 13, 1937 :A 247 being operated by the Luftwaffe's proving ground at Rechlin (formerly ''D-AKIN'' of

, c/n 1944) crashed at Hannover, Germany during a test flight, killing seven of eight on board. The aircraft was being used as a testbed for an experimental autopilot. ;March 13, 1939: A SCADTA 247D, ''C-149'', crashed near Manzanares, Caldas, Colombia, killing all eight on board. ;February 27, 1940 :A SCADTA 247D, ''C-140'', struck El Mortino mountain near Tona, Santander, Colombia, killing all 11 on board. ;July 30, 1942:A Northwest Airlines C-73, ''42-68639'' (c/n 1717, former NC13335), crashed and burned on takeoff from Wold Chamberlain Field, near

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

, Minnesota, killing all 10 on board.

Surviving aircraft

;c/n 1699, ''CF-JRQ'' :Exhibited in

Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum (french: link=no, Musée de l'Aviation et de l'Espace du Canada) (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum and National Aeronautical Collection) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The museum is locate ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

. Donated to the museum in 1967 by California Standard Oil of

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

. ;c/n 1722, ''N18E'' :Exhibited in the National Museum of Science and Industry, Wroughton, UK ;c/n 1729, ''N13347'' :Still airworthy, flown after restoration at the Museum of Flight Restoration Center,

Paine Field Paine Field , also known as Snohomish County Airport, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington, between th ...

Snohomish County, Washington Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 75th-most populou ...

, USA to the Museum of Flight main facility on 26 April 2016 where it was subsequently installed in that museum's Air Park. ;c/n 1953, ''NC13369'' / ''NR257Y'' :Exhibited in the Hall of Air Transportation at the

, Washington, D.C., USA, with United Air Lines colors and registration as ''NC13369'' on its right fuselage and wing and as ''NR257Y'' with MacRobertson Air Race markings on its left side.

Notable appearances in media

Notes

Bibliography

* * Bowers, Peter M. ''Boeing aircraft since 1916''. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1989. . * Bryan, C.D.B. ''The National Air and Space Museum''. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1979. . * Fernandez, Ronald. ''Excess Profits: The Rise of United Technologies.'' Boston, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1983. . * Gould, William. ''Boeing'' (Business in Action). Bath, Avon, UK: Cherrytree Books, 1995. . * Mondey, David, ''The Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II''. London: Chancellor, 1996. . * Pearcy, Arthur. ''Douglas Propliners: DC-1–DC-7''. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1995. . * ''Pedigree of Champions: Boeing Since 1916, Third Edition''. Seattle, Washington: The Boeing Company, 1969. No ISBN
WorldCat
* Seely, Victor. "Boeing's Grand Old Lady." ''Air Classics'', Vol. 4, No. 6, August 1968. * Serling, Robert J. ''Legend & Legacy: The Story of Boeing and its People''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. . * Taylor, H. A. "Boeing's Trend-Setting 247". '' Air Enthusiast'', No. 9, February–May 1979, pp. 43–54. . * Taylor, H. A. "Talkback". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 10, July–September 1979, p. 80. * van der Linden, F. Robert
''The Boeing 247: The First Modern Airliner''.
Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 1991. . Retrieved: July 26, 2009. * Yenne, Bill. ''Boeing: Planemaker to the World''. New York:, Crescent Books, 1989. .

External links

Boeing: Historical Snapshot: Model 247/C-73 Transport

Film of United Airlines Boeing 247 NC13364 taking off from Vancouver Airport 1934

* ttp://www.acepilots.com/pioneer/boeing_247.html Boeing Model 247: First modern airliner
"From Mock Up To Latest Airliner," ''Popular Mechanics'', October 1932, early article on future Model 247

"Keeping Them In The Air" ''Popular Mechanics'', July 1935 photos and colored artwork of 247 pp.9–16
{{Authority control 247 1930s United States airliners Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft