A leading American aircraft manufacturer launched its first aircraft in June 1916. Today, the Boeing Company is a huge corporation headquartered in the city of Chicago. The only worthy competitor with the same coverage can be considered only the European company Airbus.
Echoes of war
The company began its activity in the air transportation market with small seaplanes designed by the founder of the brand, William Boeing. In the 1930s, as well as during the Second World War, the company's profile was diverted towards the production of serial bombers B-17 "Flying Fortress" and B-29. The production of such machines in 1944 was 350 aircraft per month.
Passenger models
The first passenger aircraft of the company was the Boeing 367-80, on the prototype of which ten years later, in 1964, the most massive model of civil turbojet aircraft, the 737 series, was developed and put into production. However, the aircraft giant continued to beatrecords. Two years later, the largest, most spacious and heavy aircraft of that time, the Boeing 747, was designed. For almost forty years, this model held the laurels of the main air behemoth, until the release of the Airbus A-380 in 2005.
After a little over twenty years, the concern launches the Boeing 763 model, and four years later - the 757 series. These two lines of winged machines are designed for flights over short and medium distances.
BOEING 763
Here we should explain a small peculiarity in encoding and notation. The 767 series was originally represented only by the 200 modification. According to the ICAO classification, the aircraft was assigned the abbreviated designation B762, in the usual 4-digit cipher for this standard. In 1984, the extended range version of the B762ER (extended range) began to work on non-stop transatlantic routes. And a year and a half later, in January 1986, the previous model, elongated by six and a half meters, under its own coding Boeing 763, or B763, took to the air for the first time.
Airline dream
A successful solution from the airline group quickly gained popularity. The model was suitable for non-stop flights over distances up to 18,000 kilometers, especially the B763ER version. At the same time, it could be put on directions where such a number of passengers were not recruited for the 747th, and in terms of fuel consumption, the aircraft was much more economical than its two-story counterpart. A significant increase in the maximum takeoff weight ensured the successBoeing 763 models. The photo of the heavenly handsome man instantly filled the front pages of magazines and newspapers. The main customer of aircraft of this series was the national company American Airlines (American Airlines).
Specifications
The huge popularity of the model determined its commercial success in the aviation market. Approximately 700 aircraft are still operated by airlines worldwide and model production continues to this day. Boeing 763 extended version E, known worldwide as "Bandit" due to its catchy livery, was purchased for private use by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich.
The technical specifications of the model prove its engineering appeal:
- Length: 54.94m
- Height: 15.85m
- Wingspan: 47.57m
- Maximum takeoff weight: 158,860 kg
- Empty weight: 86080 kg
- Fuel capacity: 4589 tons
- Commercial load: 33.3 tons
- Weight without fuel: 113.5 tons
- Landing weight: 123.4 tons
- Wing area: 283.3 sqm
- Cruising speed 860 km/h (0.80 M)
- Maximum speed: 914 km/h
- Cruise level: 10500 m
- Max flight altitude: 13200 m
- Range: 8500 km (11900 km for ER series)
- Maximum flight range (for ER series): 17890 km
- Takeoff run: 2600m
- Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4 turbojet engines
- Passenger capacity:up to 350 people
- Control crew: 2 people
Gimli Glider
On July 23, 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 on an AC143 flight from Ottawa to Edmonton had an exciting adventure. At a cruising altitude of 12,000 meters, the aircraft ran out of fuel and both engines shut down. This happened due to the transfer of erroneous information from the engineer to the pilot: the plane was under-refueled at the airport of departure. Together with the engines, the electricity and all control devices were cut off, and the pressure in the hydraulic system dropped. The emergency turbine was automatically deployed, supplying backup devices with electricity generated by it from the oncoming air flow.
The pilots managed to land the plane at the former Gimli military base in the US, using their glider piloting skills. By that time, the base had already changed its profile of activity to a car club, where competitions were held that evening. The plane stopped thirty meters from the audience. None of the passengers and crew were hurt. The winged machine also remained intact and was nicknamed "Gimli's glider". Two days later, the plane took off on its own from the military base after minor repairs.
Death Reverse
On May 26, 1991, a Boeing 763 of the Austrian airline Lauda Air operated a regular flight NG004 on the route Hong Kong - Bangkok - Vienna. At an altitude of approximately 7500 meters, the left engine reverse suddenly turned on (turbine reverse thrust), and the plane turned sharply to the left. On the left wing of the airliner, there was a drop in lift by 25%, it turned around and pulledway down. The winged car rapidly rushed down, picking up speed. 29 seconds after turning on the reverse, the speed was Mach 0.99 and the Boeing had already almost overcome the sound barrier, but due to huge overloads, the plane collapsed in the air at an altitude of 1200 meters above sea level. All 223 passengers on the flight died.
9/11
In the early autumn of 2001, events occurred that shocked not only the United States of America, but the whole world. On September 11, terrorists hijacked two American Airlines flights and two United Airlines flights, that is, two Boeing 757-200s and two Boeing 767-200s. In total, 19 members of terrorist organizations were on all the hijacked planes that day. Both 767s were sent to the left and right towers of the World Trade Center with a difference of sixteen minutes between collisions. 25 minutes later, an American Airlines 757 crashed into the Pentagon, and the last plane crashed in Pennsylvania. For the first time in the history of aviation, all aircraft were landed over the territory of the United States and Canada, with the exception of police and medical aircraft. The total death toll was 2,977, not including 19 terrorists.
BOEING in Russia
A popular model today is operated by various airlines. Aeroflot aircraft do not include this model in their fleet at the current time, however, Transaero Airlines operates 16 aircraft of this brand, as well as 2 aircraft of the B762 series. Each of them is divided intocabins of several classes and different levels of passenger service.
Seat location
Each airline that owns the winged giant is free to choose how to install passenger seats in the cabin and how many classes of service to provide in its Boeing 763 airliner.
Failed heir
The 767-300 series has left a significant mark on the development of world aviation. The novelty of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was supposed to become the heir to the series after its official presentation. However, today, three years after its first commercial flight, the 763 is still in production and Boeing is accepting bids for the aircraft.
