Today In History:  08 July  [1947]   --  First flight of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser

The Stratocruiser was a large long-range airliner developed from the C-97 Stratofreighter military transport, itself a derivative of the B-29 Superfortress.  Its design was advanced for its day with relatively innovative features which included two passenger decks and a pressurized cabin (thought neither of these were new developments). It could carry up to 100 passengers on the main deck plus 14 in the lower deck lounge; typical seating was for 63 or 84 passengers or 28 berthed and five seated passengers.

PHOTO: A Pan Am Stratocruiser over San Francisco Bay

Photo Attribution:  Public Domain  via Wikimedia.