Originally Posted by
dixi188
How come the B707 and DC-8 arrived on the scene at almost the same time with almost the same dimensions?
Obviously sized to the available engines, but who was spying on whom?
My understanding was that Boeing
originally planned to use the KC-135 fuselage cross-section for the 707, but potential customer airlines quickly pointed out that the DC-8 cross-section allowed more seating and hence was more desirable.
So it's far from a coincidence that the 707 and DC-8 fuselage cross-sections are so similar.