History and Development of the Boeing 737 - Essay Example

History and development of Boeing 737 series Name Institution Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show how the Boeing 737 has evolved over the years to its modern day design. Discussions begin from the initial conceptualization of the idea to its development over the years. Comprehensive histories on its birth, growth, challenges, competition and various versions have been examined. The paper encompasses the journey of Boeing 737 through the years to its present day outlook. Most significantly is the change in the structure of the airline and modifications. Modifications done to the 737 series make a bulk of the paper because that illustrates the changes that have happened to the airline. The changes to the airline design to suit various needs of the clients have been discussed. Different engineers from its founding father to its collaboration with other companies to come up with better airlines have been discussed. Finally, the paper looks to give a prediction on the most likely path that the Boeing 737 series will take. Introduction The idea of Boeing 737 was conceptualized in 1958 after the announcement of a design exploration for double engine feeder aircrafts to rival the family of Boeing passenger planes. By 1965, the initial order for the aircraft was made immediately spun the project into action. From that time, the 737 has become the most sought after commercial plane (Sharpe & Shaw, 2001). Joseph Sutter and Jack Steiner had started working to develop the first design a year earlier. Boeing faced competition from the Caravelle BAC One-Eleven and DC-9 which were leading in the industry. The DC-9, by now, was almost ready for flight while the test program for the One-Eleven was underway. The first design developed in 1964 was to carry a capacity of 60-85 passengers. Other specifications such as an economic usage distance from 100 to 1000 miles and ability to break even around 35% load factor were also included. Finally, negotiations with the launching partner Lufthansa led to passenger capacity increase to 100 without altering the load and range factors (Brady 1999). Early Conception and Designing process Joseph Sutter who is considered the father of 737 cut up a measurement of the first design of 737 using scissors. He designed it with a T-tail, and the engines located at the back. He started to rotate the engines in an attempt to find a suitable lookout. Placing them at the erections beneath the wing like the previous 707 could make the 737’s shorter fuselage’s primary cabin door inaccessible to the boarding passengers. Decreased interference drag, silent aft cabin, a lot of usable cable at the front, enhanced accessible of the engines for maintenance, as well as little piping for fuel and bleeds would be achieved with wing mounted engines. The wing’s life would receive a boost from these engines due to an enhanced ease of bending. However, unfortunately this advantage was unreliable since the two wings performed abysmally during static experiments at 95% of load and thus the engines were redesigned. According to Brady (1999), the fin size was enlarged to facilitate engine out operations against the centerline thrust of the plane, and support the wing-mounted engine. The deducted surface clearance the wings had to be an important element of the wing. In turn, a short chord was warranted. Engines placed on the wings extended both front and aft of the wing to deduct aerodynamic interference and the parallel top line of the nacelle formed a steam tube over the wing to even reduce drag. As for the low mounted engine, the worries were dismissed because Boeing 720B had engines lower than 737. These engines were operating just fine since they had operated for four years without major difficulties. For the last wing, the particulars needed good short field performance and economy at high altitude. The final design of wing placed layout had weight saving of 700 kilograms over the equivalent. It also had performance advantages. Furthermore, the familiarity with other Boeings such as 707 added another advantage of wing mounted layout. Advantages of the new plane The heritage of 737 lies in Jack Steiner’s contribution more so in its fuselage cross section. His major contribution was to use a lot of knowledge gathered from the development of 727 to improve on 737. It gave rise to cost saving in commodity used to assemble the tools. With six bread seats, the plane had one extra seat compared to the BAC 111 and the DC-9 and further had the ability to carry a single standard size cargo container within the main deck, which was an enormous improvement. The new design was more spacious enabling Boeing to adopt standard fittings such as toilet and stairs (Shaw, 1999). The aircrafts spacious nature enabled it to be used as a freighter. This was a duty that the older versions of Boeings were not able to accomplish and the competing aircrafts remained beaten. Application of off-the-peg make up was fast and affordable during the designing and production. It further facilitated engineers and pilots change and embrace the modern development as they adopted the aircraft. Eventually on February 19th 1965, Boeing announced the 737-100 after Lufthansa had ordered 10 aircrafts. Lufthansa made history as the first foreign airline to fly a US made plane. Testing and additional modifications The first 737 Boeing flight took place on 9 April 1967. This was two years following the project launching. The assistant direct at Boeing, Brien Wygle was in charge and was co-piloted by Lew Wallick. The flight took two and half hours before the aircraft finally landed in Paine field. Flight testing took place and continued at a very fast pace. The prototype took 47hrs 37 minutes to arrive in the first month. After a while, six aircraft were put in the flight test and endorsement program. These aircrafts flew 1300hrs of flying tests to ascertain the quality of the aircrafts. During the testing period, a lot of alterations were made to the planes. For instance, the testing of inflatable main landing gear doors seals. Later though, the doors were improved and modernized through the addition of strips (Shaw, 1999). The first 737’s experienced several technical challenges such as clamshell door thrust reversers which failed to work well and a shimmy in its landing gear. The airplane was however impressive from the word go and finally got FAA certification on 15 Dec 1967. The first model, 100, was 94 feet long and had a capacity of 115 passengers. It had an MTOW of about 42,411 kilograms less compared to 900 series. PowerPoint was originally chosen by Pratt and Whitney with 14,000 Lbs thrust. Subsequently, the model was embraced by NASA which put used it to conduct experiments till 1997. The prototype currently is kept at Boeing field and it is permanently displayed. NASA 515 engaged in many lead flight experiments. Slippery runway studies, 3D and 4D navigation, control systems, computerized flight management were areas of experimentation using the prototype. Much of the experimental flying was done using the second flight deck which was fully functional. The original Boeing brolly handles, control wheel, and the current side stick controllers made up the control systems. A number of glass cockpit display configurations were tested. That was to respond to the various questions on display arrangements and colors. The Boeing 737 helped in experiments of drag-reducing external coatings, information, takeoff performance monitoring, and cockpit displayed traffic and precision flare guidance when landing. Reduction of the Crew Size Throughout the history of Boeing, the 737 was the first two crew airplane. The previous models had a flight engineer position which was necessary because early airliners were complicated and not adequately steadfast. The matter of number of crews had been from the late 1950s. The Lockheed Electra and some fighting airlines led to a four month strike that I the end did not solve issues but rather deferred them. ALPA and the FAA were followed keenly the announcement of 737 because the crew issue had not yet been settled. To ascertain if the 737 was safe and capable of two new crew operation, it was flown by two test pilots a Boeing pilot and an FAA pilot during a busy week. It was done on the hectic Boston-Washington corridor. Together, they covered forty sectors in six days. While flying, they approached minimums, crew incapacitation diversions, and simulated instrument failures. After verification, the FAA in December 1967 made a statement announcing the safety of 737 with a minimum of two pilots. The first commercial experience and challenges On 10 February 1968, the opening 737 started service with Lufthansa (Lufthansa Group, 2016). In the long run, technical issues arose during the line of work. From the beginning though users were very impressed with the 737 aircraft. While loaded, the APU frequently shut down. It was resolved by coming up with a new acceleration control mechanism. The engine starter valves frequently filled with sand originating from treated runways. The problem was tackled by putting finer mesh against the filter screen. The most significant problem however lied on the air stairs folding in a complex manner and eventually collapsing the handrail as they expand or relax. The first 737 Boeings had many complications due to the fact that many aircrafts were lifted with back air stairs which were more complex. These problems were solved as development took place and have since been sorted. Manufacturing arrangements Presently, it takes eleven days to construct a 737 which takes around 5800 airplane hours of work. The orders coming in are over 800 aircraft with more orders of about 200 per annum. For this reason, production process is being escalated. Boeing are targeting at a six day assembly time and 4000 airplane unit hours. To achieve this, the join and installation processes shall be connected to assembling line and making changes to the wing body join process. Currently not all of the 737 is built in Renton, some other parts for example the fuselage is made at Whitchita. A lot of the constituents assembled are sourced outside the assembly point. The 737 doors are made at Stuart in Florida by Vought, the spoilers by Goodrich at Charlotte, and horizontal stabilizers are constructed by Korea Aerospace Industries. It is the process of special modification that takes place at Witchita after final gathering of the green plane. Competition and Challenges In 1970 reduced order book led to Boeing thinking of selling the 737 design which could have been an immature end to success story today. The failure of Supersonic Transport project to take off availed funds. These funds were used to develop a convertible version of 737. The new design, Boeing 737C allowed loading of palletized cargo (Brady, 2006). This was made possible due to the 340 by 221 centimeters long door to the far side of the cockpit. The changes enabled airlines to transport passengers by day and then goods by night. The new models were in Boeing 737 100 and Boeing 737 200 air-frames. Nearing the end of 1970s Boeing discovered that to keep up with competition they had to change and modernize their 737 aircrafts. In 1980 at the Farnborough air show, the first specifications of what would be created to Boeing 737 300 were supplied. The aircraft was bigger with a passenger capacity of 149. The length of the fuselage was increased by 2.87 meters while the wingspan was increased by 53centimeters Modern Airliners, (2016). Improvement and more changes Initially Pratt and Whitney JT8D-1 model had low bypass engines which based under the wing emanating fore and aft were replaced by CFM56-3B-1 high bypass engines. The lowered ground allowed the engines to be hanged on pylons from the wings so that they could base in front of the wings (Brady, 2006). To further help with ground clearance, the points of air intakes were changed from circular to flat at the bottom. Enhancement was done to the wing aerodynamics and the electronic flight instrumentation system (IFIS) cockpits. Boeing 737 400 was developed in October of 1988 with more stretch to the Boeing 737 fuselage length by 3 meters. This allowed for 170 seat capacity. As much as the 737 400 version was made, not all customers needed the extra space. Boeing 737 500 was later launched in 1987 to take the place of Boeing 737 200 and was propelled by the new CFM56-3 high bypass engine. It was 48 centimeters longer than Boeing 737 200 indicating a 25% fuel saving over the older versions. Emergence of Airbus The emergence of Airbus aircrafts in the late eighties and nineties provided a lot of competition offered more so by the Airbus A320 model. Early in 1991, Boeing started progress on a new generation of aircraft. The Boeing 737 next generation (NG) fleet of airlines includes Boeing 737 600, Boeing 737 600, Boeing 737 700, Boeing 737 800 and Boeing 73. This was considered the most crucial upgrade to the 737. It resulted in a new aircraft whose performance was significantly escalated (Sharpe & Shaw, 2001). The new models maintained vital common features with the original 737. Up to date airfoil sections and greater chord were incorporated in the wings of the new designs of 737. To achieve this, the wingspan was increased by 4.9 meters resulting in wing area increase of 25%. The range was added by 900NM to 3,000NM resulting from increased fuel capacity and the new CFM56-7B engines. Smaller wings were also developed and sold. From the Boeing 777 a state of the art cabin and modern avionics were provided. More Versions The Boeing business jet (BBJ) was pitched in 1996 in conjunction with General Electric. It was designed for corporate and VIP use. BBJ 2 was launched three years letter and was based on the earlier 737-800 and 25 percent additional cabin spaces and had doubled the initial cargo space of BBJ. The Boeing 737 provides a base for army deductions including airborne initial warning and control. A number of 737 200 which were modified to T-43 navigator trainers was adopted and used by the US Air Force. The 737 serves as navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The navy C-40A clipper is signed to serve both passengers and cargo in the primary deck (Sharpe & Shaw, 2001). The Air ForcreC-40B provides US combatant commanders and other senior officials in government with safe, reliable, and a pleasant travel around the world. 737 MAX is Boeing’s latest member of mono-aisle airplanes (Brady, 2006). The series have the 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, and 737 MAX 9. Further developments have led to the launch of 737 MAX 200, the latest design based on the 737 MAX 8. Users get reasonable cost savings owing to 737 MAX’s efficient structural design, low running costs, and lower engine thrust. The 737 MAX will utilize the silent engine technology. This will minimize the operational noise footprint and releases will be fifty percent below the International Civil Aviation Organization Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection limits for nitrogen oxides (Boeing historical snapshot, 2016). Conclusion The 737 has undergone development since its inception. The first aircraft designed by Joseph Sutter has evolved over the years through design modifications to accommodate more passengers and make operations easy. 737 MAX jets seen today represent evolution of the series from its original idea to better advancements. As technology changes, the 737 will continue to grow and develop even further in future. Reference Boeing historical snapshot, (2016). Retrieved from http://www.boeing.com/history/products/737-classic.page Brady C, (1999). History, development, and variants of the boeing 737. Retrieved from http://www.b737.org.uk/history.htm Brady, C. (2006). The Boeing 737 Technical Guide (Pocket Budget version). Tech Pilot Services Ltd. Lufthansa group. (2016). History with a future; 50 years boeing jet aircraft for Lufthansa. Retrieved from https://www.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/themen/de/boeing/Lufthansa-Boeing.pdf Modern Airliners, (2016). Boeing 737 history. Retrieved from http://modernairliners.com/boeing-737/boeing-737-history Sharpe, M., & Shaw, R. (2001). Boeing 737-100 and 200. Osceola, WI: MBI Pub. Co. Shaw, R. (1999). Boeing 737-300 to -800. Shrewsbury: Airlife. Read More

Decreased interference drag, silent aft cabin, a lot of usable cable at the front, enhanced accessible of the engines for maintenance, as well as little piping for fuel and bleeds would be achieved with wing mounted engines. The wing’s life would receive a boost from these engines due to an enhanced ease of bending. However, unfortunately this advantage was unreliable since the two wings performed abysmally during static experiments at 95% of load and thus the engines were redesigned. According to Brady (1999), the fin size was enlarged to facilitate engine out operations against the centerline thrust of the plane, and support the wing-mounted engine.

The deducted surface clearance the wings had to be an important element of the wing. In turn, a short chord was warranted. Engines placed on the wings extended both front and aft of the wing to deduct aerodynamic interference and the parallel top line of the nacelle formed a steam tube over the wing to even reduce drag. As for the low mounted engine, the worries were dismissed because Boeing 720B had engines lower than 737. These engines were operating just fine since they had operated for four years without major difficulties.

For the last wing, the particulars needed good short field performance and economy at high altitude. The final design of wing placed layout had weight saving of 700 kilograms over the equivalent. It also had performance advantages. Furthermore, the familiarity with other Boeings such as 707 added another advantage of wing mounted layout. Advantages of the new plane The heritage of 737 lies in Jack Steiner’s contribution more so in its fuselage cross section. His major contribution was to use a lot of knowledge gathered from the development of 727 to improve on 737.

It gave rise to cost saving in commodity used to assemble the tools. With six bread seats, the plane had one extra seat compared to the BAC 111 and the DC-9 and further had the ability to carry a single standard size cargo container within the main deck, which was an enormous improvement. The new design was more spacious enabling Boeing to adopt standard fittings such as toilet and stairs (Shaw, 1999). The aircrafts spacious nature enabled it to be used as a freighter. This was a duty that the older versions of Boeings were not able to accomplish and the competing aircrafts remained beaten.

Application of off-the-peg make up was fast and affordable during the designing and production. It further facilitated engineers and pilots change and embrace the modern development as they adopted the aircraft. Eventually on February 19th 1965, Boeing announced the 737-100 after Lufthansa had ordered 10 aircrafts. Lufthansa made history as the first foreign airline to fly a US made plane. Testing and additional modifications The first 737 Boeing flight took place on 9 April 1967. This was two years following the project launching.

The assistant direct at Boeing, Brien Wygle was in charge and was co-piloted by Lew Wallick. The flight took two and half hours before the aircraft finally landed in Paine field. Flight testing took place and continued at a very fast pace. The prototype took 47hrs 37 minutes to arrive in the first month. After a while, six aircraft were put in the flight test and endorsement program. These aircrafts flew 1300hrs of flying tests to ascertain the quality of the aircrafts. During the testing period, a lot of alterations were made to the planes.

For instance, the testing of inflatable main landing gear doors seals. Later though, the doors were improved and modernized through the addition of strips (Shaw, 1999). The first 737’s experienced several technical challenges such as clamshell door thrust reversers which failed to work well and a shimmy in its landing gear. The airplane was however impressive from the word go and finally got FAA certification on 15 Dec 1967. The first model, 100, was 94 feet long and had a capacity of 115 passengers.

It had an MTOW of about 42,411 kilograms less compared to 900 series.

Read More