Trans World Airlines  Boeing 747SP-31    N57203      (c/n  21963)

                                    

                                        This excellent shot by Frank C. Duarte Jr. taken at LAX in December of 1982 points out well the
                                        difference between the "SP" and a regular Boeing 747.   Noteworthy are the shorter fuselage length
                                        (reduced by 47 feet) and the larger area fin and rudder.   TWA only operated three Boeing 747SPs,
                                        and they were originally to have been used on non stoop flights to the Middle East.   In the event these
                                        routes were never flown and the SPs were used in the system wherever standard 747s were operated,
                                        including both domestic and international segments.        This aircraft was absorbed into the American
                                        Airlines Fleet as N602AA when that carrier purchased TWA's assets in April 2001.  .