MAXing out the 737

In 1965 there were three well established short haul contenders – the Caravelle, BAC 1-11 and the DC-9.

In the US American had chosen the 1-11, while TWA, Eastern and Delta had committed to the DC-9. Only United of the ‘majors’ was yet to commit to a new twinjet.

What was on the 737’s side was its cabin width with a sixacross layout.

United, since the 1930s when the DC-2 and DC-3 had blitzed its fleet of Boeing 247s with a narrower cabin, had always gone for the widest fuselage available.

Forgotten is that United ordered the DC-8 in 1955 over the 707 because at that time Boeing said it would not widen its jet to accommodate six across. The United order changed Boeing’s mind.

In fact, Lufthansa was the 737 launch customer on February 19 1965, with an order for 22, but Boeing had an assurance from United that it would buy the 737. That order was placed on April 5 for 40.

The 737-100 first flew on April 9 1967, and entered airline service in February 1968 with Lufthansa.

The Lufthansa order over the BAC 1-11 and the airline’s allegiance to Boeing was greeted with hostility by the British press. One trade journal wrote in its editorial that Lufthansa would have bought the 737 even if it was a submarine! But early 737 sales were just steady and certainly not spectacular, with airlines focused on 270-seat widebody DC-10s and TriStars as the way forward.

Deregulation and then the emergence of the low cost airlines were to change all that, with demand for aircraft becoming focused on the 150 to 180-seat size.

In Australia TAA and Ansett were close to buying the TriStar and DC-10 at one stage, but were among the first airlines to scale back their growth projections and opt for Boeing’s new wide-look interiors for the 727-200.

According to a Seattle Post Intelligencer story by James Wallace, in 1970 Boeing gave serious consideration to cutting its losses with the slow selling 737 and pulling the production plug.

And in an interview with Flight International before his death, Jack Steiner, the legendary Boeing aircraft designer who had insisted the 737 have the same fuselage cross-section as that of the 727, revealed that Boeing was so desperate it considered selling the entire 737 program to the Japanese aerospace industry.

“I can’t tell you we would have gone through with it,” he told Flight, “but the intention was there. We were broke. ” Boeing only built 29 737s in 1971, 22 in 1972, and 23 in 1973. Today, Boeing builds the 737 at a rate of 31. 5 a month, with plans to take the rate to 42 a month in 2014! Total 737 orders stand at over 9000.

Constant upgrades in aerodynamics and engines rescued Boeing’s baby.

There is possibly no better example of the impact of engine technology than the 737. The 737-100, powered by the JT8D- 1 which developed 14,000lb of thrust, could carry 99 passengers over 2775km with a total payload of 11,818kg.

Today’s 737-800 is powered by the CFM56-7 rated at 27,300lb and can carry 189 passengers out to 6105km with a total payload of 20,454kg. And yet at the same time the -800’s CFM56 engines burn 25 per cent less fuel than the original powerplants.

The CFM56 was introduced to the 737 on what is now called the Classic in 1984.

Boeing’s next big move was the Next Generation series which flew in 1997. The NG’s sported all-glass cockpits, bigger engines and a redesigned wing.

And now the MAX (see p32) takes the 737 into yet another era, with fuel saving improvements touted at between 10 to 15 per cent.

It is almost certain that the 737 will be in production through to 2030, an amazing achievement by any measure. n