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What I mean by the 7x7 series is the 707, 717, 727, etc. I took this picture at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Aircraft at Pima Air and Space Museum

What type of aircraft is this? Was it an airliner? I know that no 7x7 series aircraft was that small, so were there other airliners made by Boeing besides the 7x7 series?

Closeup of previous aircraft at Pima Air and Space Museum

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    $\begingroup$ The aircraft looks a lot like a miniature Boeing 787. Has similar aerodynamic design. $\endgroup$
    – Ethan
    Sep 15, 2015 at 0:43
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    $\begingroup$ I had to take pictures of this aircraft at the museum, I found it extremely interesting, so I am wondering what it is called, so I could do some research about it. $\endgroup$
    – Ethan
    Sep 15, 2015 at 0:44
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    $\begingroup$ So, it looks like we already had plans to design the 787 back in the 1950s :) $\endgroup$
    – RaajTram
    Sep 15, 2015 at 1:05
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    $\begingroup$ @RaajTram The shape of it really looks like a mini 787 and the funny thing is that the museum has a 787 to view also. So 2 787's. $\endgroup$
    – Ethan
    Sep 15, 2015 at 1:22
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    $\begingroup$ @Ethan: I know that no 7x7 series aircraft was that small... the Caravelle (the aircraft pictured) is in fact larger (31m long, 34m span) than the original Boeing 737 (29m long, 28m span). Be careful with absolute statements like that! :) $\endgroup$
    – egid
    Sep 15, 2015 at 4:06

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Yes, Boeing built other airliners, with different numbering, although none of them were jet-powered. Three iconic designs come to my mind right away, although there were others:

The Boeing 247 predated the DC-3 into service, and was a highly advanced twin-engine, monoplane cabin design. It was a pioneering aircraft, introducing all-metal construction, a cantilever wing, and retractable landing gear. It was later surpassed by the DC-3, as the 247's cabin was too small for serious airline service.
enter image description here

The Boeing 314 "Clipper" was a large four-engine flying-boat transport from just before World War II. Not quite as pioneering as the 247D, it nonetheless was massive for its time and heavily influenced later large Boeing designs.
enter image description here

The Boeing 377 "Stratocruiser" was a post-World War II design based on the B-29 bomber, with a double-deck (double-bubble) fuselage and four piston engines. It was large, pressurized, and technologically advanced, but relatively unsuccessful in sales compared to contemporary designs like the Lockheed Constellation.
enter image description here

As others have mentioned, the aircraft in your question is a Sud Caravelle, which was designed to solve the same problem as the later Boeing 737: it was a shorter-range airliner meant for smaller routes. You point out how much the Caravelle's nose looks like the Boeing 787, and you're right - but it is even more similar to the De Havilland Comet; Sud licensed the design from De Havilland.

All photos from Wikipedia.

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To start with that picture from Pima Air and Space Museum:

It is a Sud SE-210 Caravelle VI-R - the world's first medium-range jet airliner (source: Wikipedia). This particular airplane has nothing to do with Boeing. I believe it's in the Museum due to the fact that it was the world's first medium-range airliner.

enter image description here

You can read all about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sud_Aviation_Caravelle.

To answer your question about whether or not Boeing had anything apart from the 700-series: it does. Not to forget the purchase of MD.

A list of ALL airplanes under Boeing can be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Boeing_aircraft.

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    $\begingroup$ I have to ask.. what is that thing hanging down from the underside, just behind the front wheel? spare gas tank? a bomb? $\endgroup$
    – user2813274
    Sep 15, 2015 at 2:37
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    $\begingroup$ @user2813274 I'm wondering the same. First thought was that it is some sort of a marker beacon antenna, or maybe a glideslope or localizer receiver O.o $\endgroup$
    – RaajTram
    Sep 15, 2015 at 3:16
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    $\begingroup$ This a/c was first flown by United Airlines, and was purchased by Aero Service (as N1001U) which used it as a radar testbed. Hence the pod. More at Airliners.net. $\endgroup$
    – mins
    Sep 15, 2015 at 8:38
  • $\begingroup$ When Boeing purchased MacDonell-Douglas, the only civilian type still in production, MD-90, was renamed to 717, so in that event Boeing was not making any airliners not in the 7x7 series. Boeing did produce many airliner with other numbers before the 7x7 series though. $\endgroup$
    – Jan Hudec
    Sep 16, 2015 at 23:11
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    $\begingroup$ @JanHudec: Actually, McDonnell Douglas had two civilian aircraft in production when they merged with Boeing in 1997: the DC-9 (in its DC-9-80 [MD-80] and DC-9-93 [MD-90] variants) and the MD-11. The DC-9-80 and DC-9-93 remained in production until 1999 and 2000, respectively, and a third DC-9 variant, the DC-9-95 (MD-95; Boeing 717) entered production in 1999, where it remained until 2006; the passenger version of the MD-11 was discontinued as soon as the airframes under construction at the time of the merger were completed, but Boeing continued to produce cargo MD-11s until 2000. $\endgroup$
    – Vikki
    Jan 5, 2019 at 3:47
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There was also Boeing 720, a shorter, smaller version of the Boeing 707. Wikipedia article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_720

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All the Boeing civil jet aircraft (which are the only ones under production/operation) are named in the 7x7 series. The military aircraft follow the US DoD designations, like C-17 Globemaster III, K-46 Pegasus (which is a modified 767) etc.

The aircraft is a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle, produced by the French firm Sud Aviation.

Sud Caravelle

"Finnair Caravelle Basle Airport - April 1976" by Eduard Marmet - http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0101623/L/Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

It was the first short/medium-range jet airliner. It first flew in 1955 and was operated till 2004, with around 282 numbers built.

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  • $\begingroup$ The cockpit windows are different comparing my picture to your is this a different variant. $\endgroup$
    – Ethan
    Sep 15, 2015 at 1:03
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    $\begingroup$ @Ethan Appears that the cockpit windows have been painted over. $\endgroup$
    – aeroalias
    Sep 15, 2015 at 1:08

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