Everything You Need To Know About Boeing 737
Boeing 737 is a narrow-body jet airliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world’s best-selling commercial airplane, with more than 10,000 aircraft delivered since 1967. The 737 has been continuously manufactured by Boeing since then, except for a hiatus in production from 1979 to 1984.
Design
The Boeing 737 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a conventional tail unit with a single fin and rudder. It has two main landing gear on the fuselage and two more on the wings. The Boeing 737 is one of Boeing’s most successful aircraft.
Operational history
Boeing delivered the first Model 737 to Lufthansa in 1967. The 737 was conceived and designed in tandem with the Boeing 707, a larger airplane designed for long-range operations. The first models of the 737 were equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofan engines and carried up to 140 passengers in a two-class cabin.
737 Original – 737-100, 737-200
The first production model, the 737-100 made its first flight on April 9, 1967, and entered service with Lufthansa, a few months later. In the first two years of production, Boeing manufactured 43 737-100s at their Renton Factory. The first 737-200 made its first flight on August 8, 1967, and entered service also with Lufthansa. The 737 was launched into the market with a four-engine narrow-body jet airliner, the 727 by Douglas Aircraft. The 727 was intended to replace older piston-engined airliners, like the Boeing 707. However, the 737 was designed to do more than that; it also intended to replace the Douglas DC-9 and compete with the European consortium Airbus’ launch of its first jet airliner, the A300.
737 Classic – 737-300, 737-400, 737-500
737 Classic series began production in late 1970. These early models were the first to introduce a new leading-edge (wing) and engines that led to improved hot and high performance, the 737-300 and shorter-range 737-200. In 1979 Boeing launched a stretched version of the 737 Classic series, called the 737-400. This aircraft was the longest narrow-body twinjet ever made. The 737 Classic series proved to be a sales success, supported by strong airline demand worldwide, with 914 aircraft delivered. In 1984, Boeing started production of another development of the 737 Classic series. This version was sold as the 737-500.
737 NG – 737-600, 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900
In 1991, Boeing began production of its next-generation 737 series. The new versions made use of the same fuselage as the previous ones but had a number of significant changes. The wingspan was slightly increased, the wing design was refined, and the engines were changed to more efficient CFM56 powerplants.
737 MAX
In 2011, Boeing began development on a new series of 737s that use CFM International LEAP-1B engines. Referred to as the 737 MAX, the changes include a new larger, composite fan blade, an advanced cockpit with LCD screens instead of traditional gauges giving the pilot additional flight information, larger flight displays that have been criticized as similar in appearance to the Airbus A320 family interface, and a longer nose.
One of the most used Boeings are 737-800 and 737 MAX. However, it is hard to decide which one is better. That’s why you might want to read 737-800 vs 737 max.
Final Words
Hopefully, you’ve learned everything you needed to know about the Boeing 737. This airplane has been around for years and is still popular. We should be seeing more 737s in the future to come.
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