The 737 is 40 years old today

[CaptainSandL]

Happy birthday to the 737, it first flew on 9th April 1967. Since then almost 5500 have been delivered and 7000 have been ordered, making it the most successful jet airliner ever.

A superb aircraft and a pleasure to fly!

S&L

[Another Number]

I tips me lid! :D

[Sid Departure]

Certainly a delightful aircraft to fly. Mr. Boeing built a very versatile aeroplane that for many pilots, including myself, was their first introduction to jets.
Cheers Boeing.:ok:

[akerosid]

Given that the vast majority of the 10,000+ Dakotas built were for military use (not sure what % survived to enter commercial service - quite significant, I think), I think it's arguable that the 737 is not just the most successful jetliner ever, but also the most successful commercial airliner of all time.

It's certainly a wonderful aircraft, with plenty of life in it yet. It started flying before I was born and I'm sure it'll still be flying well after I'm gone (and I'm not planning to do that anytime soon!).

Can't help wondering what the DC3 would have looked like if it went through as many transformations as the 737 and had lasted as long; compare the 737-100 to the -900ER!

[tribo]

First Flight
The maiden flight of the 737 was on 9 April 1967, just two years after the project launch. Boeing's assistant director of flight operations, Brien Wygle was in command and Lew Wallick the chief test pilot was co-pilot. The uneventful two and a half hour flight from Boeing Field to Paine Field. Wygle said after landing: "I hate to quit, the airplane is a delight to fly."
Flight testing continued at a blistering pace with the prototype clocking up 47hr 37min in the first month. Soon six aircraft, including the first -200, were on the flight test & certification program. Between them they flew 1300hrs of flight tests. Many changes were made to the aircraft in this time, e.g. trying inflatable main landing gear door seals, although these were soon changed to the present rubber strips.
However the earliest 737's had some problems, including clamshell door thrust reversers (from the 727) that didn't work properly, and a shimmy in the landing gear, but it was a good airplane from the start, recalls Brien. FAA type certification A16WE was gained on 15 Dec 1967.
The -100 was 94ft (28.65m) long, carried 115 passengers and had an MTOW of just 42,411Kgs, less than half that of the current -900 series. The original choice of powerplant was the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 at 14,000Lbs thrust, but by the time negotiations with Lufthansa had been completed the JT8D-7 was used. The -7 was flat rated to develop the same thrust at higher ambient temperatures than the -1 and became the standard powerplant for the -100.
The prototype subsequently went to NASA and was in regular experimental use until 1997. It is now stored at Boeing Field where it is on permanent display. NASA 515 was involved in numerous pioneering flight investigations including control systems, 3D and 4D navigation, in-flight energy management, computerized flight management systems, electronic displays, Microwave Landing System (MLS) development (overrun in late development by the advent of GPS), slippery runway studies, and clear air turbulence and wind shear detection and warning. The airplane has a second flight deck, fully functional, installed in the main cabin, that was used for much of the flying. Control systems used included the original Boeing control column/wheel, Brolly handles (like bicycle handlebars), and the current side-stick controllers. Numerous glass cockpit CRT display configurations were tried, that attacked many questions regarding display arrangements, colours and symbology. Much of this work wound up on Boeing, Douglas, and Airbus airplanes as well as the Space Shuttle. The airplane has a unique fourth hydraulic system with a reservoir, pump and filter system. Other studies were performed of drag-reducing external coatings, cockpit displayed traffic information, takeoff performance monitoring, and precision flare guidance during landing touchdown.

[320.Buser]

My first jet was Tupolev 134, and although I never flew a 737, birthday is a birthday,therefore: ~Happy Birthday 737s~ :D:)

[moist]

The ones we have, feel more like 60 years old! ;) :ouch: :D

[willfly380]

what was the tail number on the first one given to the airlines, was it 737UA .

[Final 3 Greens]

A grand old lady, that has served very well and was the first jet available on many routes.

A great step up from prop equipment and fondly remembered in the 1970s and 1980s.

From a contempary pax point of view, past it's sell by date due to the extra comfort of the wider A32x.

[A330AV8R]

Ive never been a Boeing Boy but am a Hardcore Busboy ... however a plane is a plane and I think they are ALL a pleasure to fly

Happy Bday 737 = )

from an A330 Skipper :ok:

[ducksoup]

Happy Birthday.

Have they fixed the rudder yet?

[Another Number]

willfly380:

D-ABEB - Regensburg (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1164207/L/) (Lufthansa)

[barit1]

akerosid is right about the Dakota; Actually, pre-Pearl Harbor, DC-3 airline orders stood at 800 or so, although C-47/C-53/C-117/R4D etc. production climbed over 10000 - plus however many Russian etc. copies were built.

The first airplane to surpass the 800 mark was I believe the 727, then the DC-9/MD80, then the 737 and 747.

FWIW, My first view of the 737 was in May 67 at Boeing Field. Mr. Boeing, ya done good! :ok:

[A37575]

However the earliest 737's had some problems, including clamshell door thrust reversers (from the 727) that didn't work properly, and a shimmy in the landing gear,

You can say that again. In Air Nauru we had several B737-200's with gravel protect gear. There were many incidents involving landing gear shimmy and in particular one that got my attention with a vengeance. Departing from Manila and around 30 knots on the take off roll, we experienced a massive shaking of the aircraft, loss of nosewheel steering and sudden failure of the A system. After stopping on the runway we found the nosewheel scissors link broken, hydraulic oil spread far and wide and all because of severe landing gear shimmy. Other shimmy incidents included a nose wheel double tyre blowout on the landing roll at 110 knots and loss of hydraulic oil - this time at night on a 5600 ft length runway at Nauru Island.

Turned out that Air New Zealand (then NAC) had similar landing gear shimmy problems but from memory I don't recall whether the problem was main gear or nose gear shimmy. Either way, if you took immediate action to tweak the nosegear steering wheel as soon as a shimmy happened, the shimmy stopped - action to be repeated as the aircraft slowed down if landing.

Loved the 737 from the -100 to 500 but due long in tooth have to be content with the simulator version now.

[Dave Gittins]

FWIW my first sight of a 737 was on the ground at Gatwick in around July 1967. It was either G-AVRL or G-AVRM which had just been delivered to Britannia. I was on the flight deck of a Dan-Dare Comet later that afternnon (as a 14 yr old lad) when it passed us heading south somewhere near Perpignan.

Ah the nostalgia .... Happy Birthday 737.

[rtuyme]

In my 52 years of repairing aircrafts, I am an A/P with I/A, I find the 737 an easy aircraft to trouble shoot and fix. Congratulation to Boeing for putting together a great airctraft.

[merv32249213]

I worked as a line chargehand at Britannias when G-AVRL and G-AVRM arrived , obtained my C licence on same engines JT8D-9's.
For info when the first one arrived it had thrust reversers that were air operated and yes they did give trouble.
The early A/C also had vibrometer gages, with sensors fitted, one above the compressor and the other on the turbine shroud and boy did they give trouble with false readings . Pilots thought they had big engine trouble.Even in the States they were having the same problems. we solved ours by replacing supporting bolts on air valves attached nearby. They then solved the problem by doing away with them altogether.

After working on the Bristol Britannia's, the 737 was heaven and now at 71 years of age I have some fond memories but I also remember the bad times,like in bad weather conditions , trying to get that lousy APU to stay on line.
I could rattle on about the 737 (nicknamed Smokey Joes)with many memories so here's HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
MERV TEW

[evansb]

Boeing 737-100 prototype. "Looks good, feels good, flys good".
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/convair640/737-100prototype.jpg

[barit1]

There a photo on someone's hard drive (or negative archive) of the Canadair Sabre (that Boeing owned, same brown/yellow paint) flying chase with the 737 prototype. :)

On second thought, It was flying chase with the 747-100 prototype. The Sabre looked like a flyspeck off the 747's wingtip. :O

[evansb]

I took your advice and posted the chase plane on the Best Looking Aircraft thread.

She has come a long way, baby. Here is a fine study of a 737-800
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r68/convair640/737-800.jpg

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Last Sunday I was showing some guests round the Avro RJX at Manchester - the very last British-built airliner; the end of an industry and therefore a piece of real history. I recounted how, at nearly 400 aeroplanes, the 146 / RJ series was the best selling British airliner of all time.

Then I read that the 737 has 7,000 orders and well over 5,000 aeroplanes delivered.

Hmmm...

[barit1]

evansb -
That shot belongs on this (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=247680) thread! :D