![]() Even so, the numbers say we can use reduced thrust all the way down to an assumed temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. The short runway means a flaps 20 takeoff, which is somewhat unusual. Believe it or not it’s these first few minutes off the gate, long before you’re in the air, that are some of the busiest and most work-intensive minutes of a flight. We’re blocking the alleyway and two inbound jets are waiting the apron controllers are antsy for us to roll. ![]() Then it’s time to start the engines and get moving. When that’s all done, we re-run the checklists. The taxi route, too, has changed and needs to be briefed. ![]() We have to review the new thrust and flap settings, input the revised takeoff data into the FMS, plus reload the departure procedure, reviewing all the associated turns and climbs and speed restrictions, which are different now. So things get very busy for a few minutes. We’d already set up and briefed for runway 22L. “That’s only 7800 feet!” But we send for the data and it all looks fine. The longer, parallel runway is closed for some reason. We’ve just called for push when the guy on clearance delivery asks if we can take runway 22R. In my previous story I boasted about the 757’s fantastic performance on short runways. With respect to lift and power, both jets are pretty damn muscular. The 767, even at 400,000 pounds, can be flown with two fingers. The 757 is recalcitrant and heavy, particularly on takeoff, requiring a good flex of the biceps to get the nose up. It’s also quite light on the pitch axis (nose up and down). This is due mostly to a pair of inboard ailerons, which the 757 does not have, and which make the jet surprisingly sensitive on its roll axis (i.e. I get to say, “heavy” after our radio call sign, which brings out the little kid in me.Ĭuriously, at almost twice the size, it’s the 767 that’s lighter and more twitchy on the controls. You probably expected me to say something about speed or engine thrust.) Plus the plane is, well, bigger, and there’s that pilot ego thing. (Funny how it’s the ergonomics and creature comforts that mean so much. They’re also roomier and, due to a differently designed recirculation fan, much quieter. The 767s at my carrier are, on average, newer than the 757s, which means the cockpits are cleaner (the filthiness of airliner cockpits is a subject for another time). While they’re both fun to fly - and my earlier raves for the 757 notwithstanding - if given the choice I will always pick the “seven six” over its smaller sister. I’ve been flying them for eleven years now on routes across five continents. I haven’t updated my logbook since who knows when, but I’ve got roughly the same number of hours split between the two models. In the case of the 757, as I talked about before, there simply isn’t a newer plane that can match its combination of range, capacity, and efficiency. Short-haul or long-haul, domestic or international, these machines can turn a profit across the whole spectrum of stage lengths and markets. ![]() Plus the damn things are so remarkably versatile. The intensive maintenance overhauls and cabin refurbishments required to keep them in the game aren’t cheap, but neither is replacing them outright. The 757 and 767 fleets at the big three - American, United, and Delta - still number in the hundreds. They’re a rare sight elsewhere in the world, where carriers long ago sent them to pasture. I hate saying it, but both jets are by most measures obsolete. Despite an obvious size difference, the planes have similar internal systems and virtually identical cockpits, allowing pilots to fly both models. It was developed in conjunction with the single-aisle 757. With a seven abreast, 2-3-2 layout in economy, it’s a quasi-widebody with seats for around 210 passengers, depending on configuration. The 767 is a twin-aisle, longish-haul airliner that first flew in 1981. But hey, how about a shout-out for its slightly bigger sibling, the 767? MY FONDNESS for the 757, Boeing’s venerable, inimitable twin-jet, is well documented. ![]()
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