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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0028.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT In a long tradition Boeing has made a success of stretching its jet airliners: the 757 is the latest to receive the treatment. GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES EVERY BOEING COMMERCIAL air liner since the 707 has been extended at some stage, witJi two exceptions: die 747 and 757. It now seems that, after many- years of study and debate, die 747 is about to be elongated into die -500 and -600 series and the 7 5 7is finally set to grow some 18 years after die programme was launched. In December 1997, Boeing will begin major assembly of the first stretched 757-300. The project was given the go-ahead at die 1996 Farnborough air show, and in mid-November its design was settled. This also set the clock ticking on a fast-paced, 2 7-month, effort to deliver the first aircraft in January 1999 to launch customer Condor of Germany. This timetable makes die -300 the shortest design- to-production and then delivery-cycle time of any Boeing derivative-aircraft programme. Boeing is tackling this challenge in two major ways. Firstly, it is keeping the stretch as simple as possible, with very few customised features for the longer version. Secondly, a variety of design and production initiatives from several other programmes, including die 777 and die next- generation 737, are being brought to bear on the 757-300, to help reduce die complexity and cost of its development. "It's really just a 'fly-more-people' aircraft," says Bruce Nicoletti of 757-300 product mar keting. "We've increased die maximum take-off weight capability to 270,0001b [122,600kg — from a maximum of 115,800kg on the -200], and increased seating capacity by 20%, or about 40 passengers. This aircraft will have a 3,500nm [6,500km]-range capability with that load. That's the main design goal," Nicoletti adds. "The extra seating capacity, plus a staggering 48% increase in available cargo volume, lowers operating costs dramatically," he says. Direct operating costs (DOC) in cents per available seat kilometre over typical European short/medium routes are expected to be around 9% lower for a 240-seat 757-300 than those of the baseline 201-seat 757-200, and some 13% lower than those of a 183-seat Airbus A321-200. Based on a dollars-per-kilometre percentage scale, Boeing believes that the -300's DOC will undercut those of a 232 -seat 767 -2 00 by around 10% and those of an identically configured A310-300 by up to 19%. STRUCTURAL CHANGES The basic 757 will be stretched either side of the centre of gravity, widi a 4.06m extension of die forward fuselage and a 3.05m extension aft. Overall lengdi is dierefore increased by 7.1m, to 54.5m, just 0.4m shorter than the 767-300. Importantly, the extra lengdi is not being added in the form of fuselage plugs. "We're not adding splices, we are extending die existing fuselage sections," explains 757-300 chief project engi- 26 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7 January 1997
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