Boeing’s bold ideas included a 747 ... engine jets more viable. Airbus considered a trijet A330/A340 hybrid in collaboration with McDonnell Douglas and even patented a futuristic trijet A320 design.

So, I ask them, why does the 747 ... design in favor of what would eventually become the B-47, which shared its new features—“bicycle” landing gear, swept wings, and pod-housed engines ...