First pressurized airliner

In 1940 Pan Am and TWA began using the Boeing 307 Stratoliner for passenger services. It was the first pressurized airliner to go into commercial service and the first to include a flight engineer as a member of the crew. Deliveries to Pan-Am started in March 1940, with TWA receiving its first 307 in April.

TWA's Stratoliners were used on services between Los Angeles and New York, while Pan-Am's flew routes down to Latin America. In all, only 10 307s were built, with four being delivered to Pan-Am and five to TWA, together with the one aircraft for Howard Hughes.

The Boeing 307's airline flying boat service proved short-lived, as all five models built were commandeered for military service at the outbreak of World War II.

The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner was the first commercial transport aircraft with a pressurized cabin. This feature allowed the aircraft to cruise at an altitude of 20,000 ft or 6000 m, well above weather disturbances. The pressure differential was 2.5 psi (17 kPa), so at 14,700 ft or 4480 m the cabin altitude was 8,000 ft or 2440 m.

Data from Jane's AWA 1942 (apart from wing area and loading)

General characteristics:
Crew: 5, including two pilots and flight engineer
Capacity: 38 passengers in daytime, 25 by night
Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.6 m)
Wingspan: 107 ft 0 in (32.63 m)
Height: 20 ft 9.5 in (6.33 m)
Wing area: 1,486 ft²[4] (138.0 m²)
Empty weight: 30,000 lb (13,608 kg)
Loaded weight: 45,000 lb (20,420 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Wright GR-1820-G102 radials, 1,100 hp (820 kW) each

Performance:
Maximum speed: 241 mph at 6,000 ft (387 km/h at 1,830 m)
Cruise speed: 215 mph at 10,000 ft (344 km/h at 3,050 m)
Range: 1,750 mi (2,820 km)
Service ceiling: 23,300 ft (7,110 m)
Wing loading: 28 lb/ft² (138 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.098 hp/lb (160 W/kg)


Source: Wikipedia

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