The Boeing 757.

Overview

A popular aircraft designed in the early eighties by the Boeing corporation of Washington State. First 757-200 completed production on January 13, 1982. Note: kaniff was born four days later. The FAA approved the aircraft later that year for service in the US, and the next day Eastern Airlines became the first official operator of the craft. Other certifications, such as the British Civil Aviation Authority came early in 1983. British Airways is now a major operator of the 757-200. Boeing has since added two other 757 variants to its production lines.

A large version, dubbed the 757-300, began production in 1998. Based on the 757 design, the passenger cabin has been modified to accomodate a maximum of 289 passengers in a single cabin configuration, in comparision to the -200's maximum of 239. In addition, the -300 and -200 are capable of 239 and 192 passengers in a two class cabin configuration, respectively. The -300 also includes a higher takeoff weight, at 273,000 lbs and various structural reinforcements, including a retractable tail skid to prevent tail contact during takeoff and landing.

The other 757 variant produced by Boeing is the 757-200F, the F denoting a freight carrying configuration. Based on the 757-200 design, the -200F has a maximum takeoff weight of 250,000 lbs, the same as the -200. The -200F has no windows, no doors, no interior facilities. This craft was produced at the behest of UPS in late 1985, and first delivered mid 1987. Interior is a smooth fiberglass lining and a wall seperating the flight deck from the main deck. Cargo capacity for the F variant is 6,600 cubic feet of container volume on the main deck and 1,830 cubic feet for bulk cargo in the lower holds, for a total capacity of approximately 87,700 pounds. At full load, all 757-200F aircraft have a range of 2,900 statue miles.

Propulsion for all 757 aircraft is provided by Rolls-Royce RB211-535 series and Pratt & Whitney PW20XX series engines, providing from 36,600 to 43,500 lbs of maximum thrust. The 757 including F configuration, can carry up to 11,276 gallons of fuel, the 757 up to 11,466 gallons. Cruise speed is rated at .80 Mach and can operate from runways as short as 5,500 feet. Final assembly of the 757 is done at the Renton, Washington Boeing plant. Additional parts and assembly takes place at external plants in Auburn and Spokane, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Wichita, Kansas.

Facts

The 757 fleet is operated by 61 airlines, 29 countries, and 980 aircraft.
757 aircraft have carried over 1 billion passengers.
In 18 years of operation, the 757 fleet has flown the equivalent of 22,700 roundtrips between Earth and the moon.
A 757 can hold over 6 million golf balls.
At full load, a 757 weighs about the same as a diesel locomotive.
The surface area of a 757-300 wingspan is approximately equal to a three-bedroom house in the United States.
626 thousand independent parts, 600 thousand bolts and rivets in addition to those parts, and 60 miles of wiring.
Currently, the 757 represents 7.5% of Boeing's outstanding orders.
The 757 was designed by Boeing after Eastern Airlines and British Airways requested a replacement for the older Boeing 727. Development began in 1978, and the 757 first flew for Eastern on New Year's Day, 1983.

It was designed in parallel with the Boeing 767, and the two aircraft share many features and interchangable components. The main difference between the two is that the 757 has a six-abreast cabin similar to the Boeing 737's, in contrast to the 767's widebody layout. This makes the 757 look somewhat anorexic: its fuselage is abnormally long for its narrow width.

While the 767 is designed for high-capacity transoceanic routes, the 757 is more versatile, and is found on short-range flights as well as transatlantic service. It is ETOPS certified for 120 minutes, and can fly routes such as New York-London, Miami-Rio, and Tokyo-Singapore.

In 1996, the German airline Condor Flugdienst ordered a stretched version of the 757 called the 757-300. It shares a common type rating with the 767, so that pilots trained to fly one aircraft can fly the other with only minimal instruction.

Today, there are over 1,000 757's in service around the world. The largest operators are American Airlines with 126, Delta Air Lines with 116, United Airlines with 98, and UPS with 75. Paul Allen owns a personal 757, which he keeps in a hangar at Boeing Field along with his helicopter.

The 757 has an impeccable safety record. There have been seven fatal crashes to date, all due to extenuating circumstances:

  1. China Southwest Airlines, 1990 (collision)
  2. American Airlines flight 965, 1995 (pilot error)
  3. Birgenair flight 301, 1996 (pilot/maintenance error)
  4. Aeroperu flight 603, 1996 (maintenance error)
  5. American Airlines flight 77, September 11, 2001
  6. United Airlines flight 93, September 11, 2001
  7. DHL flight 611, July 1, 2002 (midair collision)
Specifications

            757-200       757-300
Seating:
 2-class      200           243
 1-class      228           280

Takeoff wt: 255,000 lb    272,500 lb
            123,600 kg    115,680 kg

Range:       3,900 nm      3,395 nm
             7,222 km      6,287 km

Length:       155'3"        178'7"
              47.3 m        54.5 m
Both models have a wingspan of 125 feet (38 m) and cruise at Mach 0.8.

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/757family

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