While several more fuel-efficient aircraft are traversing the skies today, a Boeing 747 quadjet burns up to one gallon of fuel every second. Every. Second. That means that during a five-hour flight, a Boeing 747 will burn 18,000 gallons of fuel.
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While several more fuel-efficient aircraft are traversing the skies today, a Boeing 747 quadjet burns up to one gallon of fuel every second. Every. Second. That means that during a five-hour flight, a Boeing 747 will burn 18,000 gallons of fuel.
Also known as the Queen of the Skies, the 747 boasts a maximum fuel capacity of 63,000 gallons with slight variations between models. With today's fuel prices, it costs about $450,000 to fill up a Boeing 747, depending on your market.
A plane like a Boeing 747 uses approximately 1 gallon (about 4 liters) of fuel every second. Over the course of a 10-hour flight, it might burn 36,000 gallons (150,000 liters). The 747 burns approximately 5 gallons of fuel per mile (12 liters of fuel per kilometer).
Larger planes like the Boeing 747, on the other hand, have fuel jettison systems. If the aircraft tried to land without dumping the fuel first, it is considered an overweight landing attempt and could place immense stress on the airframe. It could also increase the risk of fire and fuel leaking onto the tarmac.
The 747-400 has eight fuel tanks, with a combined capacity of 57,164 gallons of Jet-A fuel. This amount weighs in excess of 380,000 pounds. (Pilots normally discuss fuel in terms of weight rather than volume.)
The process to install an interior can take up to two years. Operating a BBJ 747-8 will cost an estimated $23,000 an hour – but if you can afford to buy a your own 747, this cost is inconsequential.
But it's much more than a time waste. It's also a big source of carbon emissions. The average taxi time in the U.S. is between 16 and 27 minutes, which accounts for about 5% of a flight's fuel consumption. A Boeing 747, for example, uses 1 ton of fuel during a 15-minute taxi.
A Boeing 747 filled with passengers to only 75 percent capacity is more fuel-efficient than an automobile with a driver and one passenger in terms of fuel burn per passenger mile. Hard to believe, isn't it?