Boeing 747SP TWABoeing 747SP TWA airplane model. The SP suffix in 747SP stands for Special Performance, and points to the ultra long range abilities of these 747 variants that preceded the current 747 400 by 15 years. The 747SP's range is best illustrated by the spate of long range distance records it set in the mid 1970s. The most prominent of those was the delivery flight of a South African Airways SP, which over March 23 24, 1976, flew nonstop with 50 passengers

boasting a 45 percent fuel saving per passenger compared to previous aircraft in its class

called "the Three-Fingered 88" because of its long engine cowlings (which looked like radials because of the circular cooling radiators)

These were followed by the 1000 model

Wingspan 14 inches

a year after the debut of the MiG-15 and too late to see combat in Korea

First flown nine months later

Using the same fuselage cross-section as the Boeing 727

a relatively high speed

The resulting SF340 design was launched in September 1980 with the aim of capturing 25 to 30% of its market

Officially

History dictated that she was to be the first of only two

The Sikorsky S-65 family of two- or three-engine helicopters are in military service as the H-53