Just How Small Was The Original Boeing 737?

With the 737 MAX now in service, it is easy to forget the Original Series aircraft launched in the late 1960s. Well, unless you’re an avgeek! Then you’ll already be well aware that this is one of the major complaints regarding the latest generation of the 737.

Nonetheless, it’s quite noteworthy how small the original 737 series was when compared to the 737s flying today. We go back in history to compare and contrast the original 737 with the newest models.

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[chrismckellar]

The current B737 platform is reached in potential and Boeing needs to replace it.

[darrellbenner]

I worked at United Airlines in 1969 at the SFO maintenance base when 737's were New and never would have thought that 55 years later I would be flying on a 737 from coast to coast!
They were a regional jet and because they were intended for smaller airports that probably would not have fancy terminals with covered Jetways the Landing Gear was made Short to make it easier for passengers to use mobile Stairs.
The close proximity of the lower edge of the engine intakes to the ground did make FOD ingestion more likely but the bigger problem was the indexing of the Thrust Reversers that caused positive pressure Under the wings leading to Slip/Spin between the main tires and the runway on A Wet surface landing!
Redesign of the Thrust reversers helped that problem.
At SFO in 1969 we still had 2 Douglas DC-6's that were used to service Ely and Elco Nevada because they had Gravel Runways!
The 727 was seen as a mid-size aircraft but it's 3 engine complication made stretching the 737 a more attractive long-term plan.
In hindsight maybe Boeing should have planned a replacement for the 737?

[aramos]

They really have streched it to the absolute limit lol

The things they do to build an A321

[eamonahern]

The 800 developed into a solid work horse for boeing customers like Ryanair and Southwest. Then, from what I gather, executives at the top interfered with what was working to try and make more money and it seems the MAX is not the only plane with issues as a result.

[peterm]

My first ever flight was in a B737/200 in 1971 from Luton to Alicante when I was 13 years old!

[RyanGM]

One of the GOOD points of the 737 is actually the fact it is still fundamentally the same plane as it was in the 1960’s.

[markevans]

The nose and fuselage of the B737 are derived from the B727 and ultimately the B707.

Whilst the B757 has the same fuselage diameter it ended up with the same cockpit as the B767. Thus both of these aircraft share a type rating.

The A320 series has a fuselage of a slightly larger diameter and outward opening cargo doors allowing for carrying containerised luggage/cargo.

[Ninken_mousé]

They should have made the 757 max, not the 737 max, I hate how little time the 757 had in production as it is one of my favourite planes

[ericjones]

The 757 was the plane that was built to replace the 727s not the 737s

[williamwilliam]

Flew on United's 737-200 many times as a kid in the 1970s (father was a mechanic at UAL) and I always enjoyed the sound of its jet engines.

[markwillis]

Graceful looking engine nacelles/covers in the original 737. Long and lean.

[stevenholt]

If the COMAC C919 becomes popular I may forget the 737.

A320 geek.

[normanhoneysett]

they were and are still a beautiful 737 commercial airliner of yesterday's aera, and as a I am a commercial airline model builder (Hobby) and have been since I was a teenager and now 21plus I have been trying to buy a 1/144 scale, but modeling companies just don't build them in that size anymore which is a shame so it's just model on but having said that the 737 was a fantastic work horse like the Boeing 727

[dormcat]

737 Original was Boeing's quick answer for regional airlines that wanted a smaller and cheaper aircraft than 727. The advancement of turbofan engines made 737 Classic more reliable and economical than 727, eventually replacing the latter. Meanwhile, 757 replaced 707 for medium-long haul flights not crowded enough for widebodies. Replacing 757 with repeatedly-stretched 737 contradicted the original purpose of 737 in the first place. OTOH A320 was designed with stretched and shorten versions in mind, so A321 has less problems than long-body 737. IMHO what Boeing needed was a "757 Light" with thinner wings and lighter MTOW than the original 757 (which was a narrow body 767 in the first place) in order to compete with A321.

[michaelmichniak]

I did fly on the 737-100 a few times with PeoplExpress airlines in the 80's from Chicago O'hare to Newark. I am surprised they were able to hold an exit limit of 124 passengers as stated in this video!

[robm]

I fortunately was able to fly a Malaysia Singapore Boeing 737-100 and and a People Express/Continental Airlines Boeing 737- 100. The one I flew the most on though was the America West 737-100.. N708AW. None were the original airlines though. Actually MSA was a direct order from Boeing. They ordered 5 of them.

[cameronlewis]

And if Boeing would have launched a clean sheet nsa 15 years ago, there wouldn’t have been the 2 Max8 crashes…

[mariowilliams]

Regardless of the criticism, this aircraft is a legendary machine,

[Michael_Livingstone]

Having flown on the -200 and -300 variants, I don’t miss them.

[austwin]

I watched the inaugural Western Airlines (USA) arrive at PHX from the observation roof. It was so loud it was a little painful to my ears. I really miss the variety of aircraft that flew in the 60s through the 80s. Now it seems everything is a twin engine and the hub airports are dominated by one airline.