Why is the boeing 747 very big?
It was Design to meet a USAF requirement for a large transport aircraft, it was Between Boeing and Lockheed and the USAF picked Lockheed, (the C-5 Gaxlay), but Boeing decided to take the design they submitted to the USAF, and change it a bit and make a “jumbo” airliner out of it, even though it seemed at the time that there was no market for such large plane, well 40 years latter the risk paid off nicely and we have the 747
The Boeing 747 was built to address the needs of the airlines to carry lots of revenue generating cargo and move large amounts of people around the world. Carrying cargo, even on passenger flights, is one of the best ways for the airlines to make money. They would often sell seats to just break even and make their real profit on the cargo.
