Boeing 757

Upto the mid-1970s Boeing had enjoyed incredible success with the 727 model which had undergone several upgrades, the -200 Series and later the -200 Advanced. Against this, Airbus had launched their first aircraft the A300B and it was quieter, more comfortable and fuel-efficient than the 727. The design team at Boeing were not worried, as Airbus sales were very slow but they knew they would have to improve the 727 sooner rather than later. They searched for a successor and put forward various designs. Unsurprisingly their first option was the 727-300, essentially a larger 727 retaining the T-tail, stretching the fuselage, and using more powerful engines slung under the reduced swept wings. This new concept design was displayed to the public for the first time at the 1977 Paris Air Show, with a working name of 7N7. However potential customers showed a limited amount of interest and the design was dropped.

Back at the drawing board level Boeing was rationalising their designs for the next generation family of jets and the 7N7 was completely revised. They were developing two designs concurrently, the narrowbody 7N7 and widebody 7X7, so both shared the same technological advances in propulsion, aerodynamics, avionics and materials. These designs became the Boeing 757 and 767 respectively.
Despite the designation, the 767 went into service first.
The 757 fuselage is basically the same used on Boeing’s 707, 727, and 737, employing the same ‘double-bubble’ structure. This has two circular arcs of different radii, the larger above is faired into the lower one.
The cockpit and nose of the wider 767 was choosen in preference over keeping commonality with the 707, 727, and 737. This allowed the flight deck of the 757 to be nearly identical to the 767, allowing pilots to easily qualify to fly both with minimal cross-training. Whilst moving away from traditional ‘steam’ analogue avioincs and embracing an all-digital design, Boeing were required to keep some conventional instruments as back-up, even so, it was one of the first planes to use a two-crew flight deck. While still a generation before the Airbus A320, the cockpit featured many new technologies such as laser gyro’s for the Inertial Reference System (IRS), EICAS (engine indication and crew alerting system), thrust management and basic electronic flight instrument displays. Early in development, the size of the 757 was still unclear. Boeing was presented with two engine choices for a 125 seat version, the 10,000-kg thrust CFM56 or JT10D, and the 13,600-kg CF6-32 for a 180 seat version.
Boeing increasingly focused on the largest 757 versions and Rolls Royce came into the picture with the new RB211-535 engine, initially rated at 14,515-kg thrust.

In early 1978 Boeing announced it was going ahead with full development and both British Airways (UK) and Eastern (USA) placed launch orders that year on 31^st August, specifying the -535C engine, making the 757 the first Boeing airliner launched with non-US engines.
Boeing committed to production on 23^rd March 1979, the day Eastern signed its contract (for 27); British Airways had signed prior (for 19), on the 2^nd March 1979.

The construction of the 757 is conventional in many respects. Boeing planned on making the fuselage at the Renton (seattle) facility, sub-contracting the remaining 53 per cent of the aircraft out to other companies to produce enough parts for 200 airframes. Later some of the bigger subcontracts to Rockwell, Avco and Fairchild, were cancelled.
Initially, LTV (US) produced the rear fuselage, fin and tailplane, incorporating lightweight graphite-composite materials to make the rudder and elevators. The horizontal tail pivots to act as a longitudinal trim control. Later, this was subcontracted to Northrop Grumman.
The wing leading-edge is fitted with full-span powered slats and on the trailing edge are two sets of flaps. Shorts (UK) produced the single-slotted, inboard flaps and CASA (Spain), the double-slotted, outboard flaps. Heath Tecna (US) used Kevlar/graphite composites for fairings over the wing roots and covered flap tracks.
Grumman (US) manufactured the two inboard and four outboard spoilers on each wing, Hawker de Havilland (Australia) the wing ribs, Schweizer (US) made the wing-tips, and Rohr (US) the pylon struts.

Slow Start
Despite the expectation of being the most fuel efficient jetliner around, initial sales were very disappointing and no new customers appeared for over a year. In April 1980, Aloha and Transbrasil ordered three each, selecting the General Electric CF6-32 engine.
No more orders were forthcoming until the breakthrough came in November 1980 - 60 for Delta Airlines. They opted for a third choice of engine, the Pratt & Whitney PW2037, derived from the JT10D programme. In December 1980 Pratt & Whitney were so confident of having the most fuel-efficient engine in the world they promised Delta compensation if the PW2037 didn’t beat the RB211-535C by 5-8 per cent. American Airlines was apparently so impressed by this claim it announced it would opt for the PW2037 before it had even announced it was buying the 757.
Rolls Royce responded in January 1981, announcing the -535E4 rated at 18,190-kg thrust. At the same time GE announced it would not be competing and never built the CF6-32. Aloha and Transbrasil subsequently opted for the PW2037.

The 757 is a medium range twin engine (twinjet) airliner designed for transcontinental operations.  The largest narrow body built, the 757 can carry up to 230 passengers.

757-100
Originally, Boeing planned to offer a shortened 150-seat 757-100 as a direct replacement for the 727. It failed to generate any interest and was never built.

757-200
A prototype was rolled out of the Renton factory on 13^th January 1982 and made its maiden flight one month later on 19^th February. Boeing demonstrated the 757 to potential European customers at the ‘82 Farnborough airshow. The 757 and RB211 engine combination was certified by January 1983 and the 757 entered into regular airline service with its first operators Eastern Airlines, on 1^st January 1983, followed by British Airways, on February 9^th. The 757 delivered everything expected of it and the 535C performed better than anyone predicted.
This version was designated the 757-200 and became the definitive version, forming the large majority of 757 sales. Boeing abandoned it’s ideas for variants and for many years the only 757 options lay in the choice of engine and a choice of regular or long-range fuel capacity.
The first PW2037 engined 757 flew in 1984, for Delta Airlines.
EROPS (extended range operations) certification was granted in 1985 to the 757-200ER (Extended Range) with Rolls-Royce 535E4 engines, followed by Pratt & Whitney-powered 757’s in 1990. This meant the 757 could now be used for transatlantic crossings and first entered service with Delta.

UPS picked the uprated Pratt & Whitney PW2040 when they placed a major order for 80 757-200PF’s (Package Freighter), announced in January 1986.
The PF is a dedicated freighter with a windowless fuselage and a large cargo door fitted to the port side. It can carry 15 standard 2.24 x 3.18m containers on the main deck. The 757-200PF first flew on August 11^th 1987, and the first delivery took place on 16^th September.

A second cargo version, the Combi 757-200C (now the 757-200M), was launched with an order from Royal Nepal Airways in 1986. Featuring the same cargo door as the PF, the 757-200M also retains the fuselage windows, standard seats and cabin fittings and can typically carry two cargo containers in the forward fuselage plus 123-167 passengers depending on seating layout. 

In the late 1990's a freighter conversion programme started of the passenger 757-200, typical of most aging types.

757-300
The first major 757 development was the stretched 757-300, becoming the longest single-aisle twinjet ever made at 54.47m long. It first flew in August 1998, and the first delivery was on 10^th March 1999.

The -300 is a 23ft 4in (7.13m) fuselage stretch, trading range for passenger capacity. Re-inforced undercarriage and wing structures were required to support the extra weight. The -300 is configured to carry upto 289 passengers,  a 20% increase, plus an extra 40% more cargo in the under deck holds compared to the standard -200, albeit over a shorter range, 3,500 nm max. Boeing had introduced a new interior for the Next Generation 737 models and this was applied to the 757-300, including larger overhead storage bins and revised interior lighting.
Powerplants had been continually refined by Rolls Royce and Pratt & Whitney as they competed with each other and the full range of developments for the -200 could be used on the -300.

The launch customer was Condor(Germany), which placed an order for 12 (later 13) on 12^th September 1996.

Private and Military variants
Later variants include the Corporate 77-52 for use as a private aircraft and four 757s were modified as replacements for the older 707-based VC-137 executive transports for US government officials and designated C-32As. Saudi Arabia have fitted 757s for VIP transport duties, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force RNZAF has two that are used for transporting troops and VIPs. It´s serving also as the Presidential Transport in Argentina.

Synopsis
The twin-engined, medium-range 757 was up to 80 percent more fuel efficient than the older 727 jetliners it was designed to replace. The 757 was conceived, along with the 767 to fill a gap in the market. Boeing already catered for both the short-haul, domestic market with the 727 and 737 and the large capacity, international market was unquestionably cornered by the 747. None-the-less it had been caught napping by Airbus when the A300 was launched. Luckily for Boeing the US airlines tended to be xenophobic and when the 757, and 767 covered the middle market, it hadn’t lost much ground against the A300. Since then Boeing developed the B737-900 which started competing directly against the 757 in capacity if not range, and the 787 Dreamliner will no doubt match or beat its range and capacity when it appears.
The 757 had been a favourite of those airlines requiring a plane to cope with ‘hot and high’ airports, as it is fitted with relatively high-thrust engines. Others, like Icelandair, found it perfect for flying on less dense, long transatlantic routes, that just wouldn’t be cost-effective with a widebody, while still retaining a short-field capability.

757 production ceased in October 2004, reaching a respectable 1049 sales. Just as it was created to replace ineficient aircraft, in it’s turn, the drive for better eficiency has ended it’s production. Sales of the 757 took a dramatic downturn from the middle of the 1990's onwards, due to changes in market conditions and much stiffer competition. No doubt the 757 will continue to fly for years to come, increasingly as a freighter.
The 757's resale value has increased since the discontinuation of new production. In fact, a December 29^th, 2004 order from Continental Airlines for Boeing's new 787-8 and currently-produced 737-800 airliners included ten used 757-300s.

Winglets
In March 2005, a 757-200 belonging to Continental Airlines flew from Everett to Los Angeles, with a brief stop at Boeing Field. But instead of passengers, this plane carried something else -- winglets.
It was the first test flight in a series that is expected to lead to certification in the summer of 2005, for blended winglets for the 757-200.
Produced by Aviation Partners Boeing, the blended winglets improve performance and can save an airline on fuel. They have almost become standard on Boeing's next-generation 737s.
Continental Airlines and Icelandair are the launch customers for the 757-200 winglet program, with Continental providing the test plane.
Aviation Partners Boeing believes the 8-foot-tall winglets will lower fuel consumption on 757-200s by as much as 5 percent, allowing about 200 nautical miles of additional range. Icelandair has said it expects to save about 160,000 gallons of fuel annually for each of its 757-200 equipped with the winglets, and with fuel prices soaring, that can mean significant savings.

The modification work on the first 757-200 with winglets took place at Goodrich's Everett site. The flight test program and certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to take about eight weeks.

UKDirect have two 757-200s on strength powered by Rolls Royce RB211s
G-UKIF Kirklees M.C
G-UKSC Shani (UK Sun)
Kirklees connects Stansted (EGSS) to several major european cities, while Shani gets the more exotic locations such as The Gambia, Egypt and Cyprus.

www.ukdirectva.co.uk