End of a proud line of Airplanes

[fletch717]

It has nothing to do with how good the plane was. Boeing killed the 717 program because it was the redheaded stepchild. Boeing never promoted the 717 like the 737 Because it was'nt boeing. From what I can tell the 73 has a couple of features I like. But the 17 is more automated and provides the pilot with better infomation with all the system displays. This is just my take on things.

Fletch

 

[Jeff Helgeson]

Never met an airplane I didn't like...

A source close to the investigation said the National Transportation Safety Board's draft report on the crash will conclude that a lack of lubrication of the jackscrew caused excessive wear and caused the gimbal nut -- which moves the two-foot jackscrew up and down to adjust to stabilizer -- to fail.
The report is expected to focus on potential contributing factors, including a lack of Federal Aviation Administration oversight of Alaska Airlines maintenance operations.

Your point being what ? Faulty maintenance versus design flaw are two very different things.


TP

Tyhponpilot is exactly right. Design flaw and incorrect MX are two different things. I like all planes, I was just reacting to what Dave had said in an earlier post. The B737 is a good ship. The B717 would still be in production if Boeing had marketed the plane, but they would rather sell Boeings instead of MD products with a Boeing name.

 

[Crossky]

My short but sweet experience was flying the MD-80 60 hrs till Vanguard went
T.U. in summer 2002, holding on the static wicks and watching the autothrottles move. Learned pretty quick I had to stay FAR ahead of the plane (esp the steam gauge MD-81) and finnese and lead the flight guidance and lead the autothrottles to be smooth on the pax. Was taught that was the first DC/MD plane with authtrottles. Which was Boeing's first?

CA's upgrading from the 737 FO spot disliked the -80 after learning systems "original fly by wire - 1/8 inch cable" and even more after the sim "Boeing builds airplanes, Douglas builds character". I've never liked the appearance of the 73 next to the -80 until the 737-700 myself.

 

[N8Dogg]

It is too bad that Boeing doesn't see the true potential of the 717. IMHO it seems like a good candidate to replace the RJ. It is sad when personal reasons (they did not design it) dictate wether or not to market a product. It sure would be nice to see Beoing back on top again!

 

[RVR300]

Never flew the DC-9 series, but the guys I know that did seemed to like them.
I like how you can drop the slats w/out the flaps. The MD11 had that feature which was nice.

Hadn't heard about the fishbowl, but the cockpits sure were quiet with the engines so far back.

 

[FL717]

Having flown the DC-9, the B-717, and the B-737NG I found this discussion very interesting and quite factual.

I agree that you absolutely cannot fly the B-737 320kts to the marker and make the runway.... impossible. I will take you up on the challenge to do 320 til 12 miles out. That CAN be done comfortably believe it or not.... (in the sim of course).

As far as comparisons, the DC-9-30 was alot of fun because with ZERO automation the workload challenged you, and it could be alot of FUN, but being fly-by-cable... it was a pig.!

The B-717 is the most automated plane flying that I know of, and it will however make you brain dead. The automation is really quite good. The best avionics I've seen actually in ANY airplane. It had the same pig-like fly-by-cable flight controls as the -9, but with those big Rolls Royce Engines... it really had power down low. The downside..... you will NEVER consistently land a greaser on the B-717. It also has a ceiling of FL370, and on some of those winter days when the FL300's are as smoth as a railroad track, you wish you could go to FL410 for a smooth ride.

The B-737NG is the most fun sports car I've ever flown. I never realized how much of a different product that Boeing makes. It is a real airplane. The hydraulic flight controls and the wing design make this thing scream. The wing allows for quick acceleration, great climb performance, and the ability to climb to smooth air at FL410. I'll race a B-717 anywhere anytime, and in NO catagory that I know can a B-717 compare to the B-737NG. The other day I took off at 130,000+ lbs and climbed straight to FL410 at .78 and was climbing 2000 fpm through FL400. While it is hard to get down and slow down, we can use speedbrakes in ANY configuration down to 1000 feet. This really helps. The cockpit layout is bad compared to the Douglas. The Douglas layouts were so superior... and I still haven't adjusted to the Boeing.

All right ......... all right .......... enough of my stupid "my plane is better than your plane bullSh!t"....... wheres the porn?

 

[jetdriven]

A 1900 will do 248 to a mile final. One thing is we hunt fair below 10K.

True, wont work in a 737 but a 727 will do 320 to the marker.

Those 9s were so good they quit making them.