The 747SP's track bogie centres is 11m. The airport is at around 5,000ft altitude, for which Boeing manuals recommend a minimum field length of 1,800m. However, the aircraft was light on fuel.

Boeing's 747SP is the runt of the litter, sitting at 184 feet, 9 inches long compared to the 747-100 (and the modernized 747-400), which was 231 feet, 10 inches long.