737 Max video

[eagl]

From what I've heard, it's NOT a fun community right now. I don't have any first-hand experience, but from the EP-3 guys I know, the P-8s are trying WAY too hard to justify themselves, and it's a bit toxic to be around

That kind of sucks...  With all the pilots quitting, you'd think there would be plenty of *whatever* to go around without any particular community making things suck.

United announced they're planning on hiring well over 1000 pilots next year.  One thing though, guys who aren't cool to fly/work with are going to find it just a bit harder getting in the door.

[Vraciu]

Now, none of my multi-bubbas have gotten to the P-8 yet, but I've never heard any complaints about the 737 nose, and clearly it works well...

Compared to a P-3, E-2, or a T-34, sure. 

My old man had about 35,000 hours in T-43s and 737s, nevermind Tweets, -38s, and -141s (Vietnam).   Not sure why I sad that but any way....

The -700 was louder than the -200 up front, crazy enough.   I rode 737 jumpseats to work aplenty for a number of years.   

Loud is, of course, relative.    Why Boeing stuck with that nose has a number of reasons.   Too bad though.

[Serenity]

That kind of sucks...  With all the pilots quitting, you'd think there would be plenty of *whatever* to go around without any particular community making things suck.

From what I've heard, it's entirely community-driven. It's the O-4/O-5s who miss the P-3s and how things were done there causing friction with the new O-3s who never touched P-3s and think that the P-8 makes them more of pointy-nose tactical asset than a patrol asset, and all of that snowballing into both sides kicking the FRS students trying to make them see their way. This is all second hand mind you, I've never even met a P-8 guy in person yet, but I've heard nothing but misery out of the FRS squadrons there due to the environment and the people, not the curriculum and aircraft.

[bustr]

I looked up it's life span. What makes this design so successful?

[Rich46yo]

I looked up it's life span. What makes this design so successful?

Its about the perfect kind of design for airlines to make money on. The thing about big jets is you have to fill them to make money because they cost a lot to operate. Its a lot easier filling a 180 seat Jet then a 350 seat one and the 737 has the range to handle "most" of the routes offered and used and they are cheaper to operate.

So they can fly "most" routes, are easy to fill, they are small enough to keep the airports happy cause they dont take up a lot of space and arent cumbersome to slow down airport movements. You see this when your on the tarmac and see these A380s, 747s, 777s, 330s, 340s, Lumber around the tarmac. They are big and slow to move around, and not just that, but when they take off or land they create a vortex in the air that prevents another airplane from going into that same airspace for minutes afterwards. The big Jets just plain slow up the dance and that costs the airports $$. Most of all the A380.

Plus the newer engines are so much better, fuel efficient, dependable...ect your looking at the new Max version having a range approaching 4,000 NM and an ETOPs rating that will probably allow it to fly transatlantic routes. Its going to be like a mini-757 with a far cheaper per mile cost for a passenger/seat.

Simply put the 737 is a money machine for everyone involved with using her. The A320 is real close too. Theres a vast market to sell them to, a huge amounts of routes to use them on, and they are easy to fill up with paying customers. Money Machines.

[Vraciu]

I looked up it's life span. What makes this design so successful?

Because, unlike the early part of the Jet Age design evolution/improvement has been incremental as opposed to revolutionary.   Look at all the "modern" single aisle airliners that are still viable and they look the same.  A-320, E-170/190, 737, etc.   The industry has settled on a similar design because it seems to work best for a subsonic passenger hauler.

The 737 benefitted from market share, growth potential (-200 to -900 was quite a leap), technological advancement (turbojets to turbofans of increased efficiency), economy of scale, and brand loyalty (thank you Southwest), among other things.   Add it all up and you get a jet that stuck around a long long time.  The Max is probably the end for a number of reasons.   Will its successor ever achieve this level of success?   Time will tell.

[Ripsnort]

For the record, this newly painted 737 STANDS for the National Anthem every time it's played..

[Serenity]

For the record, this newly painted 737 STANDS for the National Anthem every time it's played..

(Image removed from quote.)

That is GORGEOUS!

[Vraciu]

For the record, this newly painted 737 STANDS for the National Anthem every time it's played..

(Image removed from quote.)

So it's not named "Colin Paperneck"?

[Ripsnort]

 

[Rich46yo]

For the record, this newly painted 737 STANDS for the National Anthem every time it's played..

(Image removed from quote.)

It took me about a month to figure out that picture on the tail of Alaskan airlines Jets is supposed to be an Eskimo. Or indigenous, or whatever. It looks terrible. Now Frontier may be a far worse airline but they put beautiful stuff on the tails of their A-320s.

[Ripsnort]

It took me about a month to figure out that picture on the tail of Alaskan airlines Jets is supposed to be an Eskimo. Or indigenous, or whatever. It looks terrible. Now Frontier may be a far worse airline but they put beautiful stuff on the tails of their A-320s.

And they improved it last year! 

[EskimoJoe]

Yeah, they based that art off of a photograph, which IIRC might not have actually been an Eskimo dude. It's kinda ridiculous.

[Rich46yo]

Im no expert in flight but I have been watching airplanes on flight lines for a long, long time. From 1977 as a young airman to now where my assigned duties are at an airport. And I gotta tellya I am simply stunned at the ROC these new people haulers have. Even the big 777's and -8 747s, as well as the latest crop of engines on the latest crop of people haulers.

How in heck a fully loaded 777 or 787 taking off for a 14 or 15 hour flight can climb like that on two engines, with all that fuel and fully loaded with people and all their stuff, is simply amazing to me.