Quote:
Butelc. said on C-135 Stratolifter platform that was based on B707
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I read somewhere, that it is actually the other way around. Boeing wanted to use the C-135 fuselage for the 707 as the civil transport version, and save extra design cost. It would seat 5 abreast in economy. Around the same time Douglas offered the DC-8 to the airlines, and that airliner seated 6 abreast in economy configuration. All airlines wanted that, more pax for a fraction of the additional cost. So Boeing hurriedly expanded the fuselage above the floor to make 6 abreast. Therefore, while the C-135 had an egg-shaped cross section, the 707 had a double bubble one, like the DC-8 by the way.