Originally Posted by
turbidus
Great reading! Thanks!
A quick question, what made the -700 so different? I have no comparison to the -600, but not sure if there were any...
That ac was far "slicker" and was actually a bit difficult to manage the energy if you were used to the classics.
The -800 seemed much, much better handling than the -700 and other than engines, was it a different or improved wing?
The -600 was basically the NG version of the 737-500 (which in turn was basically a re-engined -200). The 737-300 became the -700, and the longer 737-400 became the -800.
No first hand knowledge here, but educated guess is that the flap changes on the NG were probably for noise. Deployed flaps are extremely noisy - during final approach airframe noise is generally equal or greater than the engine noise - and the more complex the flaps, the more noise they end to make. That may also be why the full extend slats are delayed on the -800.