Boeing 377

The **Boeing 377**, sometimes called the **Stratocruiser**, was an airliner made by Boeing after World War II. It was derived from the C-97 Stratofreighter, which was a type of Boeing B-29 Superfortress used to move military troops around. The first Stratocruiser first took off on July 8, 1947.

The Stratocruiser had four piston engines. It had a pressurized cabin and two decks. Airlines could fly for much longer with the Stratocruiser, to places like Hawaii.

However, the Stratocruiser was a lot more expensive than the Douglas DC-6 and Lockheed Constellation. Only 55 Stratocruisers were made for airlines.

## Design and development

The Boeing 377 used the bottom and the wings of the B-50 Superfortress. The 377 was bigger than the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6 and it could fly for longer. Boeing ceased 377 production in 1950.

A key point of the Stratocruiser was pressurization. (first used on the Boeing 307) That meant that if the plane was flying at , to the passengers it would be like they were on the ground. It was very luxurious as passengers would travel in beds 18 in beds and 5 seated

## History

56 Stratocruisers were made. 55 of these were made for airlines.

The Stratocruiser flew to Hawaii as well as many other places. It was one of the only planes with two decks (another one was the Breguet Deux-Ponts) until the Boeing 747 was made.

In the early 1960s the Stratocruiser was overtaken by jet planes like the de Havilland Comet, Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.

## Different types of Boeing 377

- 377-10-19
- Prototype. It was given to Pan American World Airways in 1950.
- 377-10-26
- 20 given to Pan American World Airways.
    - 377-10-26S
    - 10 aircraft with better engines and more fuel. It was called the "Super Stratocruiser".

Many other types were made, but most of them only had changes made to the shape of the windows.

### Aero Spacelines Guppy

A company called Aero Spacelines started changing 377s to planes called Guppies in 1960s. There were three types: the Pregnant Guppy, Super Guppy, and Mini Guppy.

The first of them was the Pregnant Guppy. After this they made the Super Guppy and then the Mini Guppy. The Super Guppy and the Mini Guppy had turboprop engines.

## Users

- Ecuador
- Línea Internacional Aérea
- Israel
- Israeli Air Force
- United Kingdom
- British Overseas Airways Corporation
- United States
- American Overseas Airlines
- Northwest Orient Airlines
- Pan American World Airways
- Transocean Air Lines
- United Airlines
- Venezuela
- Rutas Aéreas Nacionales SA

## Accidents

The Stratocruiser had 13 hull-loss accidents between 1951 and 1970. A hull-loss accident is when a plane is damaged so badly it cannot be fixed. 140 people died in the Stratocruiser. The worst accident happened on April 29, 1952.

## References

- Notes

- Bibliography
- Boeing 377 – Stratocruiser A very comprehensive enthusiast page on the type
- The Aviation History On-Line Museum – Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
- California Classic – The Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser
- _Air Disaster, Vol. 4: The Propeller Era_, by Macarthur Job, Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd. (Australia), 2001

## Other websites

- Stratocruiser articles
- Anak (Israeli Boeing 377)

## Infobox (aircraft begin)

- **name**: Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
- **image**: File:Boeing 377 N1033V PAA Heathrow 12.9.54.jpg
- **caption**: Pan Am Stratocruiser _Clipper Seven Seas_ lands at London Heathrow in September 1954.


## Infobox (aircraft type)

- **type**: Airliner
- **manufacturer**: Boeing
- **first flight**: July 8, 1947
- **retired**: 1963
- **number built**: 56
- **status**: Retired
- **primary user**: Pan Am
- more users  [[BOAC]]
[[Northwest Airlines|Northwest]]
- **developed from**: Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
- **variants with their own articles**: Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy, Pregnant Guppy
Aero Spacelines Super Guppy, Super Guppy
Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy, Mini Guppy