The tail of a 747 is as high as a six-storey building. The Wright Brother's first flight at Kitty Hawk could have been performed within the 45-metre-long (150-foot) economy section of a 747-400.

How much weight does an additional six-foot (.8-metre) wing tip extension and winglet add to the 747-400 wing? None! About 2,270 kilograms (5,000 pounds) of weight was saved thanks to the use of new aluminum alloys, which offset the weight increase of the extension and winglet.

When the 747 is fully pressurized, approximately a ton of air is added to its weight. The 747's lower-lobe baggage and cargo handling system can load or unload 38,500 kg. (85,000 pounds) of baggage - the equivalent of 3,400 pieces of luggage - in less than seven minutes. The power required to light the main 747 manufacturing building is enough to light more than 32,000 average Canadian homes. The 747 test program represented four years of work, cost $165 million and incorporated more that 1,300 individual tests.

More than 12,000 hours of wind-tunnel testing were completed on the 747. There are well over 217 km. (135 miles) of wire in the 747. Seventy-five thousand engineering drawings were used to produce the Number One 747.