HISTORY THROUGH OUR EYES

March 22, 1971: Air Canada’s new Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 caused a sensation when it was first introduced into passenger service by Pan American World Airways in 1970. It was the first wide-bodied passenger jet. Its two aisles were a novelty; even more so its distinctive hump, in which nestled a partial upper deck reached via a spiral staircase from the main seating area.

Montrealers flocked to Air Canada’s Dorval maintenance facility in March 1971 when the airline held an open house to introduce its new acquisition.

At the time, it was still undergoing tests in its special hangar in advance of its first scheduled flight on April 25 from Toronto to Vancouver. Two more of the aircraft were to go into service on international routes that summer.

This photo by Garth Pritchard ran on Page 1 of the Montreal Gazette on Monday, March 22, 1971. The 747, with its four jet engines, dwarfed a four-turbo-prop engine Vickers Viscount that sat next to it. The 747 was able to accommodate 365 passengers, we reported, as opposed to the Viscount’s 50.

Those seen lined up for a look inside the new plane were among the more than 66,000 Montrealers who turned up the previous weekend.

“Saturday, 25,659 people visited the plane; Sunday, 40,668,” we reported. In fact, the crowds were so huge that they caused a traffic jam on Côte de Liesse Road, we said.

Air Canada no longer has any 747s, although some other airlines still use them. The original model, the 747-100, was in service until 1998, according to information on Air Canada’s website. The airline also operated later versions, retiring its last one from service in 2003. (Air Canada flew the Viscount from 1955 until 1974.)