https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5557681ef.jpeg


Putting its range to good use it seems. San Fran to Hong Kong (Kai Tak I’d imagine) seems the longest when I looked at great circle distance.
Was the return via Bangkok or Singapore?
United did the JFK-NRT route using the -200 with the -7R4G2 motors. I’m guessing that pushed the limits.
Wonder how the numbers compared between using that and the SP on a similar leg?

The good old days as they say. I bet they served cocktails as well. Gotta make 14+ hours flights worthwhile..

That was the first purposful application of the concept.

Even the swept wing contributes to area rule, but as we all know the swept wing was introduced for all together other reasons. Another serendipitous occurence.Although the aircraft may be subsonic there may very well be sonic, or near sonic, airflow somewhere on the airframe, typically seen on the upper surface of the wing as a line stretching out along the span. Wave drag becomes of importance at .7 to .8 Mach where supersonic flow somewhere on the airframe will induce wave drag. The aim of area ruling is to alliviate, or reduce, the possibility of supersonic flow being created.

Whitcomb began exploring applications of his area rule to subsonic commercial transports during the late 1950s. He quickly discovered that making relatively minor changes to the external shape could significantly reduce the drag these aircraft experience. Compared to the radical "waisted fuselage" shaping required for supersonic flight, subsonic aircraft could be made far more efficient simply by placing elongated pods along the wing trailing edge. Whitcomb referred to these pods as "antishock bodies" like those shown in the wind tunnel model pictured below. Also note the large bulge above the forward fuselage that Whitcomb found further improves transonic aerodynamics. This concept was later adopted for the Boeing 747.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....bba0749344.jpg

Boeing 707s never operated into or out of Wellington. Air New Zealand did operate the DC8 on Wellington services from the retirement of the Lockheed Electras until QANTAS introduced the 747SP to trans-Tasman flights into and out of Wellington. The introduction to service by both QANTAS and Air New Zealand of the Boing 767 saw the end of 747SPs on the Wellington route as the two airlines went their own separate ways and ended code-sharing on Wellington services.

We haven't learned much from your post. You have described more or less the "exact same" information that was made in Post 29, dated the 13 April 2023 at 05.23.

Well at least we agreed.

I suffered a San Francisco to Hong Kong PanAm 747SP flight in Aug 1979, cattle class seated next to an obese Chinese gentleman. Over 15 hours, take off Tuesday afternoon, land Wednesday evening. A contrast to an earlier London to Washington leg of the round the world ticket, when (in the days of backpacker standby tickets) I was upgraded to seat 1A in first class.