Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The world's No. 1 jumbo jet languishes, looking for a savior

It seemed huge at the time: In 1966, the 747's first engine, the Pratt & Whitney JT9D, right, dwarfs the company's JT3D engine in use on most large airliners at the time. Problems with the prototype engine, which created 43,000 pounds of thrust, plagued the 747 program in its infancy.