Why do Boeing 747s have that hump in the front?

Turns out, it’s been around since the ’60s. Back then, everyone was excited for supersonic commercial flight.

Sadly, that never panned out. However, that excitement got Boeing to thinking: its 747 might not be ideal for commercial flight if supersonic planes ruled the skies.

So, instead of designing the 747 solely for passengers, Boeing also designed the plane for cargo. But it needed an easy way to load large cargo into the plane.

That’s where that iconic hump comes in.

Engineers decided to turn the front of the plane into a giant door. The nose would open up, making it easy to load tall cargo. But there was just one problem: the cockpit was located over the nose.

So, it was moved to the second deck, creating that giant hump you still see today.

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