Bristol Britannia Profiles and Logos

Cockpits, Profiles and Logos

The 757 is a narrow body medium range twin engined airliner built by Boeing and was developed from the wide-body 767, in fact the cockpits of the aircraft are the same with pilots allowed to fly both types of aircraft on a common type rating. The initial design started in 1978 as the 7N7 with two variants, the -100 with 160 seats and the -200 with 180 seats. The design was launched in 1979 with orders from Eastern Air Lines and British Airways, as the design developed, it drew on the design of the 767. The 757 was designed to replace the Boeing 727-300 with a design goal of a 20% reduction in fuel consumption.

The 757’s high power to weight ratio allowed it to operate from short runways. The initial aircraft were powered by the Rolls Royce RB211-535C, although the Pratt & Whitney subsequently offered the PW2037 and General Electric CF6-32 but this engine was withdrawn due to lack of demand. Developing both the 757 & 767 together reduced the costs and risk allowing rapid development of two aircraft. The prototype first flew on 19th February 1982, the initial flight was affected by an engine stall, but the crew managed to relight the engine and the flight continued.

The first commercial flight was carried out by Eastern on 1st January 1983 on the Atlanta - Tampa route. On introduction the 757 consumed 40-42% less fuel than the 707 & 727’s it replaced. The original version of the aircraft was the 757-200 certified for a maximum of 239 passengers. Some aircraft have been fitted with winglets, these are known as 757-200W’s Although designed for short to medium routes, the 757 has been subsequently used on thin long haul routes. 1,049 Boeing 757’s of all versions have been built.