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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 2146.PDF
40 30 - o §20 •o 03 o >. 10 03 a. 140 passengers ^'^^^ " 133,5001b MTOW i i I \ . i —LI 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 Still-air range (n.m.) 2.500 3,000 3,500 Boeing's 737-300 is available in two maximum take-off weights. The heavier version can carry 140 passengers about 200 n.m. further than a 737-200 with 120 passengers. The graph assumes FAR domestic rules, LRC and ISA, step-cruise from 31,000ft to 35,000ft, and 2001b per passenger mixture of the two. The way in which -300 employs these materials follows the general pattern established with the 757 and 767. CFRP is used in the rudder, elevators, ailerons, and spoilers, while engine cowlings feature CFRP and Kevlar with honeycomb construction. About 1,5001b of these composites is used in the -300 airframe. This figure excludes crushed-core GRP used in the passenger-cabin trim, which is more or less the same as that of the 757. "This you have to see to believe", says Gregoire, who is particularly pleased with the new-look cabin. He adds that the -300's cabin is 7001b lighter than that of the -200 thanks to the new material, despite being larger. Boeing is trans planting the -300 cabin design into the - 200, and Delta has just taken delivery of the first example (which also happens to be its first 737). In the cockpit, Boeing has done much to retain similarity with the 737-200. This, together with almost the same handling, will allow a common type-rating for pilots. The new cockpit is based on the -200 design specified by British Airways and Lufthansa. It differs mainly in having a flight management system (FMS), which is supplied by Lear Siegler. The -200 auto pilot is superseded by a digital flight- control system (DFCS) made by Sperry, and the existing Smiths full-range auto- throttle will be certificated to a higher level. Also new is a dual inertial reference system (IRS) created by Honeywell, which replaces conventional vertical and direc tional gyroscopes with laser-gyroscope- based units. The FMS provides performance advice, such as height and speed for least fuel burn, as well as the lateral navigation vertical profile signals to fly the aircraft through the DFCS. Boeing estimates a 4 per cent fuel saving when the DFCS flies the aircraft according to advisory performance data, rising to a total of 7 per cent when advisory navigation data is coupled into an integrated mode. Gregoire says that there "has not been any real demand for cathode-ray tube displays (CRTs) so far", so pilots have a traditional ADI and HSI. He adds that CRTs "would not negate a common pilot rating". Boeing's 737-300 is due to fly in early- March. There are three aircraft in the flight-test programme, but two will handle most of the work—number three is a backup. A total of 850hr flying is antici pated, leading to FAA certification in November 1984. The company has decided against retaining the first aircraft as a demonstrator. Instead, it will be refurbished and delivered to US Air. When an aircraft manufacturer develops a new variant, it usually termi nates production of the predecessor when transition is complete. The situation is different with Boeing's smallest twins. Gregoire says of -200, "We will build these into the unforeseen future. We see no cut off on that". There are several reasons why it makes sense to continue -200 prod uction; short take-off, rough-field capabil ity, the cargo door version, and a lower total block-cost are the main ones. Sales of the two 737 versions bear out Gregoire's comments. So far this year 737-300 in figures Length 109ft 7 in Wingspan 94ft 9in Height 36ft 6 in Fuel capacity 5,360 US gal Maximum take-off weight 124,5001b (135,0001b) Operating empty weight 69,6001b Typical passenger capacity 140 (single-class) or 128 mixed class) Powerptant Two CFM56-3s producing 20,000lb thrust each. Boeing has sold 35 -200s and 25 -300s. Today, Renton is assembling about five or six 737s a month, all of them -200s. This level is expected to be maintained in 1984, when a total of six or seven -300s will be produced. Production really gets going in 1985, when ten 737s a month are due to leap off the line. The monthly split will probably comprise six -300s and four -200s. Boeing is understandably less precise on 1986 production, but forecasts a combined rate of eight aircraft a month. Both types are assembled on the same Renton line. "Our ability to move from one rate to another is very good", claims Gregoire, who attributes this to mangement ability and the way workers have stepped up to automation. Examples of tasks that used to be done manually include the bending of hydraulic pipes: wire cutting, sorting, and coding; and the attachment of fasten ers to cabin-trim panels. Much of the automation is a fall-out from Boeing's 757 and 767 work. Current asking price for a 737-200 is $16 million-$20 million in 1983 prices, depending on options, while that for a -300 is $22 million-$24 million. Boeing is cagey about 737-200 develop ment cost, but goes as far as saying that it is roughly a quarter of what a new aircraft would have cost. It is Flight's guess that an all-new venture would cost around $2,000 million, so there are at least several hundred million dollars behind the -300. Whatever the figures, the 737-300 is an investment that Airbus Industrie and McDonnell Douglas could well have done without. The aircraft is certainly aiming for an early share of the 150-seater market, at a time when Airbus Industrie's A320 has yet to leave the starting blocks. • US Air is due to take delivery of the first 737-300 in November 1984. Southwest gets its first a month later FLIGHT International, 26 November 1983
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