One Boeing 747-400’s Windshield Costs as Much as a BMW
OK, time for something a bit more cheerful—we’re coming up on the end of the list after all. We all know the Boeing 747—probably the most famous airline plane of all time and one that many of us have flown on. It’s nicknamed “the Queen of the Skies” and for good reason. There are currently more than 1,500 of these machines carrying passengers and cargo around the world.
When you look under the proverbial hood, the results are even more impressive. The 747 is a big plane, powered by big engines: specifically four Pratt and Whitney JT9D-7 turbofan monsters, guaranteed to carry you and up to 600 of your closest friends to any destination you’d care to name. Now imagine doing so at just shy of the sound barrier—the 747 has a top speed clocked at an impressive Mach .92.
The size, the range, the engines—these are all impressively huge numbers, enough to make any aviation geek swoon. But sometimes its the smaller and more tangible numbers that really drive home how amazing the 747 is. And we’ve got one for you—you know the windshields and window frames of the cockpit? Each one on a 747 costs as much as a brand new BWM. Try to remember that next time you have to have a windshield replaced—it make take some of the sting out of writing that check.