Amazing Aircraft: The "Flying Pencil"

On this day 35 years ago on February 19, 1982, the Boeing 757 made it's maiden flight. Built by Boeing, the 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body jet airliner intended to be a suitable replacement for tri-jets like the 727 by being utilized on short and medium routes. To date, the 757 is Boeing's largest single-aisle passenger aircraft and saw production from 1981 to 2004. And due to it's narrow-body shape, the 757 became affectionately known as the "Flying Pencil." It was designed concurrently with it's wide-body brother, the 767 which shared many similarities; that has allowed pilots to obtain a common type-rating to operate both the 757 and 767.

Boeing 757-200 operated by low-cost carrier Allegiant Air. The airline acquired 6 used airframes in an attempt to serve the Hawaiian market from several west coast cities, which ultimately ended up being unsuccessful. In the end, Allegiant's small 757 fleet has been used for sports charters until phase-out of the fleet in 2017.

The 757 was built with options for two fuselage lengths; the -200 entered service in 1983. The -200PF package freighter and the -200M passenger-freighter combi model debuted in the late 1980s.

Boeing 757-200/PCF operated by Air Transport International-ATI on the behalf of DHL.

The stretched -300 began passenger service in 1999, making it the longest narrow-body twin-jet in the world. All 757 models are powered by either two Rolls-Royce RB211s or Pratt & Whitney PW2000s. The launch customers of the 757 included the original Eastern Air Lines as well as British Airways, with both operators inaugurating the type's entry into service in 1983. A grand total of 1,050 airframes were built for 54 customers after 757 production ceased in October 2004, with the -200 being the most popular with 913 airframes built.

Boeing 757-300 operated by Delta Air Lines, the largest operator of the 757 family with a total of 128 aircraft (split between 112 757-200s and 16 757-300s.).

The 757 was originally intended to be used as a successor to earlier single-aisle airliners for service on short and mid-range domestic routes, shuttle services, and transcontinental U.S. flights. In 1986, regulators granted approval for extended flights over water and airlines began using the aircraft for intercontinental routes, particularly transatlantic flights. With the addition of the performance-enhancing winglets, the 757 became the ideal platform for thin transatlantic routes.

Boeing 757-200 operated by Icelandair. Because of the geographical location of Iceland, the 757 is the ideal platform for Icelandair to utilize on transatlantic flights for its particular business model.

Diminished sales amid an airline industry trend toward smaller jetliners led Boeing to end production on the 757 (and destroy the tooling needed to build them!) without a direct replacement, in favor of the 737 family (with the 737-900 and the new 737 MAX series currently in testing being pushed to be the so-called "replacement."). As of this writing, the 757 is still popular among U.S. carriers (including the U.S. "Big Three") due to it's remarkable and unmatched versatility, which comes from the fact that the 757 can make airlines money on both short-haul domestic as well as trans-Atlantic routes. The 757 filled a unique niche; it was larger and offered greater range than the average narrow body jet, but smaller and cheaper to operate than a wide-body. While the 737 (and it's many modern variants!) is one of the most popular airliners in the world and serves as sort of the poster child for a 757 replacement, it does fall short in terms of certain performance areas.

A Boeing 757-200 operated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Compared to the 757, the 737 falls short in terms of engine and takeoff performance; the stretched versions of the 737 require a higher takeoff speed and uses much more runway to get airborne. In terms of climb performance, the 757 again outperforms the 737. The 757 can climb straight up to cruise altitude whereas the stretched 737 has to climb in stages (known as a step climb procedure) where it needs to climb to a certain altitude and burn off some fuel to lighten the load before continuing on to a higher altitude. In short, the 737 is being asked to do things that it really wasn't designed to do. While they can do about 80% of what typical 757 does, the 737 isn't really the ideal replacement. Likewise, the 757 does have it's own shortcomings and imperfections. Passengers often dread the 757 due to it's long, narrow fuselage, and 6-across seating, which means longer boarding and disembarking times. The 757 is also notorious for the amount of wake turbulence it generates; so notorious in fact, that it has it's own wake turbulence category that's even more dangerous than that of a 747. This notoriety forces air traffic controllers to keep other planes far away from passing 757s, which in turn can be a headache for other pilots and passengers of other aircraft types.

Boeing 757-200 operated by Delta Air Lines. Being the workhorse that it is, Delta has refurbished many of its 757s instead of replacing them.

Despite it's faults, it has served and continues to serve the public well. Let's wish the Boeing 757, a unique workhorse a happy 35th birthday and here's the many more years of loyal use and service with the current operators!

Boeing 757-200 operated by United Airlines.