In 1977 TWA responded with some ingenuity on a request from Farhad Azima of Global Airlines on behalf of the Shah of Iran. He desired the expeditious transport of over one-thousand head of cattle (specifically two year old heifers) from Missouri to Tehran within a 24 hour period at a price of $1000 per head of cattle.
Due to the problem of moisture buildup and waste material, specially constructed cargo pallets were laid in the main deck of TWA's cargo 707s constructed of cellotex moisture barrier, four inches of wood chips, and standard cattle farm pens. A specially constructed loading chute allowed the cattle to walk on board and disembark themselves. Special fans were also installed to dissapate the moisture from the breath of all those cattle as well as the body heat. Each load consisted of 80 head of cattle and the first shipment took place on 28 August 1977, the average flight taking 13 hours to Tehran with an average load of 73,500 lbs.
Source: TWA: An Airline and Its Aircraft by R.E.G. Davies. Palawdr Press, 2000, p106.
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