Boeing 757 Long Live the 1980s The Plane that Found another job Words and Photos Esteban Erik Stipnieks(all rights reserved) if you want him to handle your action photography needs in the Austin San Antonio area (210)829-7591 admin@ausaboxing.com

From the oil crunch the deregulation and the birth of the Personal Computer the period from 1975 through 1985.  A generation of airplanes conceived with one group of roles and one market were forced to adapt to another.  With oil price jump the first generation of 707 in passenger service was doomed.  Jack Steiner had taken a souped up JT8D married it to the war horse getting old the 727 and created the replacement for the first generation of the 707.  Larger airplanes were going to be needed then came deregulation.  The gap between between 707-300 and even the DC-10 was large. 

The the twin twins as Boeing history recounts began on seperate tracks but wound up with the same cockpit and then the idea of same type rating emerged.  Boeing realized when the put CFM-56 turbo fans on the 707 it was going to compete with the twins.  The 747 had a market but was in the early 1980s too much airplane for the developing hub and spoke.  Even the twins were too much for the medium range routes in the United States.  The 727 kept selling.  By 1985 the range and certification of ETOPs routes was obtained for both the 767,757..  The transition step between the high capacities of the L1011,DC-10 and 747 was now availble the 707 and DC-8 had its replacement on longer routes with diminished capacity.  The 737 with its new CFM-56 power took up the role that the 727 once occupied.  What of the 757 and 767?  Where were they back on the long routes with too little volume to justify even a DC-10 or L1011.  SAT went from regular home of the 727 to A320,MD-80, and 737.  Later ERJ and CRJ would shrink the use of 737.

With the simularity of engine and cockpit with the 767 the 757 did have one quirk that is part of its make up.  It has lightly loaded an excess of thrust

03 Departure light load slight tail wind no problem!

 

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