| Commercial aircraft are the result of the airline | | | | The basic 767 fuselage, initially designed for increased |
| requirements which shape them, attempting to fulfill, | | | | capacity "stretchability," had been lengthened by |
| as completely and cost-effectively as possible, the | | | | some 20.1 feet, accommodating 40 additional |
| particular combination of mission goals. For | | | | passengers. Although it had retained the original |
| airliner-type aircraft, these include two primary | | | | wingspan, the new version, designated 767-300, had |
| parameters: payload, comprised of passengers, | | | | been intended for higher-capacity transcontinental |
| baggage, cargo, and mail, and range, which enables a | | | | routes and had been first rolled out on January 30, |
| carrier to offer nonstop service between specific city | | | | 1986. Certified nine months later in September, it had |
| pairs. | | | | entered scheduled service on September 25. |
| Aircraft configurations are, in essence, design | | | | Mating the newly-elongated fuselage of the -300 |
| solutions to intended operating missions and hence | | | | series with the extended range capabilities of the |
| vary according to fuselage length and width; | | | | -200ER, Boeing had produced the -300ER with |
| wingspan, planform, and sweepback; engine type, | | | | increased-thrust engines, additional fuel capacity, and |
| thrust, and mounting; and horizontal and vertical tail | | | | minor structural strengthening. Recording a |
| location and size. | | | | 50,000-pound gross weight increase, the 767-300ER, |
| In the late 1970s, passenger demand had begun to | | | | numerically the most popular version with 505 aircraft |
| eclipse the capacity of the Boeing 727, which had | | | | having been sold, had featured a 2,000-mile range |
| accommodated a maximum of 131 single-class, | | | | increase, entering scheduled service on February 19, |
| high-density passengers in its initial, short-fueselage | | | | 1988. |
| -100 series and 189 in its stretched, -200 version. | | | | The final version, the 767-400ER, had incorporated |
| Seeking to replace this venerable design on one-stop | | | | technology designed for the already-in-service |
| transcontinental routes with a higher-capacity tri-jet, | | | | 777-200. Accommodating some 409 single-class |
| Boeing had considered several replacements by | | | | passengers in a 21-foot longer fuselage and featuring |
| stretching the 727-200's fuselage, remounting two of | | | | a 14-foot greater wingspan with highly swept, raked |
| the three engines to the wing underside, and | | | | wing tips, the 400,000-pound version had sat on a |
| ultimately eliminating the third engine in the vertical tail. | | | | higher main undercarriage in order to retain take off |
| The result, a low-wing, twin-engined, single-aisle airliner | | | | rotation angles. The aircraft, with a remodeled |
| based upon the performance specifications submitted | | | | passenger interior, had closed the gap between its |
| by American Airlines, Delta, and United, had been | | | | smaller -300 series 767 and its larger 777 design. |
| designated the 757. During this time, however, | | | | Although it had offered numerous advancements, it |
| passenger acceptance of widebody aircraft had been | | | | had appeared after most of the market had already |
| overwhelming and many carriers had sought such a | | | | ordered previous 767, A-330, and A-340 versions, |
| cabin cross-section on medium- as well as traditionally | | | | not entering service until August 20, 2000, and |
| long-range route sectors. As a result, passenger | | | | therefore had only been operated by Continental, |
| capacity per aircraft had begun to decrease, from | | | | which had ordered 16, and Delta, which had ordered |
| the 500 of the quad-engined Boeing 747, to the 350 | | | | 21. |
| of the tri-engined Lockheed L-1011 and | | | | All aircraft incorporate several design-shaping |
| McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, to the 225 of the | | | | characteristics. |
| twin-engined Airbus A-300. | | | | The Boeing 767, for example, had replaced the 727 |
| With the margin between the maximum capacities of | | | | with a larger capacity, widebody design, retaining |
| the 727-200 and the Airbus A-300 beginning to | | | | gate and ramp compatibility at smaller, 727-like |
| converge, many airlines had expressed interest in a | | | | airports, and had been optimized for the tri-jet's |
| small widebody which could accommodate the | | | | one-stop transcontinental routes. Because of parallel |
| median of the two. The result, the 767, featured | | | | 757 development, it had been able to minimize its |
| greater range and wider-cabin comfort with | | | | development costs. |
| seven-abreast, dual-aisle coach seating for about 200, | | | | A narrower fuselage cross-section than that used by |
| becoming the first (and thus far only) commercial | | | | previous widebody aircraft had resulted in a reduction |
| airliner to deviate from the standard wide body | | | | in parasite drag and a twin-aisle cabin, in which |
| fuselage width of previous Boeing, Lockheed, | | | | passengers had never been more than one seat |
| McDonnell-Douglas, and Airbus aircraft. The chosen | | | | away from the window or the aisle. Composite |
| width had offered both advantages and | | | | construction had been used in most of the flight |
| disadvantages. Of the advantages, it had featured | | | | surfaces, particularly the fixed wing leading edge |
| less fuselage cross section-generated drag and | | | | panel, the spoilers, the ailerons, the fixed wing trailing |
| increased cabin comfort, with most passenger seats | | | | edge panel, the undercarriage doors, the elevators, |
| either on the window or the aisle. Of the | | | | and the rudder, and the airframe had utilized |
| disadvantages, it had not been able to accommodate | | | | advanced, light-weight aluminum alloy construction. |
| the now-standard LD-3 container on its lower deck in | | | | A supercritical wing, one the aircraft's key design |
| the traditional paired loading configuration and | | | | features, had resulted in a high aspect ratio, an |
| therefore had required the design of a smaller, | | | | aft-loaded section, the development of more lift for |
| specialized LD-2 container. | | | | less drag than any previous airfoil, a 22% thicker |
| In January 1978, Boeing had expanded its Everett, | | | | wing than that used by any previous-decade |
| Washington, production line, hitherto the sole domain | | | | commercial airliner, a lighter and simpler structure, and |
| of the 747, to include the new 767 design, and | | | | more wing-integral fuel tank capacity. |
| seven months later, on July 14, United Airlines had | | | | Powered by two high bypass ratio turbofans, in |
| ordered 30 of the type, officially launching the | | | | which a higher percentage of the engine's thrust is |
| program. First flying in prototype form on September | | | | produced by the cooler, inner core-bypassing air, it |
| 26, 1981, at which time orders had been received | | | | had featured lower specific fuel consumption, a |
| from 17 customers, the aircraft, in its initial -200 | | | | reduced noise footprint, lower maintenance costs, |
| series domestic guise, received its FAA certification | | | | and high reliability. |
| with the 44,300 thrust-pound Pratt and Whitney | | | | A two-person cockpit crew, following the trend |
| JT9D-7R high bypass ratio turbofan on July 30, 1982. | | | | created by the Airbus A-300, had reduced crew |
| The type entered scheduled service with United the | | | | costs, and the aircraft's common pilot type rating |
| following month on August 19. The aircraft was also | | | | with that of the narrow-body Boeing 757 had |
| certified with the General Electric CF6-80A | | | | ensured greater crew scheduling flexibility to carriers |
| powerplant on September 8 and this version entered | | | | which had operated both types. |
| service with Delta Air Lines. A variant with the Rolls | | | | Inherent fuselage stretchability and existing wing and |
| Royce RB.211-524 engine, intended for British | | | | tail capability had enabled the manufacturer to offer |
| Airways, had also been offered. | | | | increased-capacity versions and these, coupled with |
| Although initially intended for medium-range operation, | | | | its extended range twin-engine operations |
| the basic airframe had proven ideally suited toward | | | | certification, had enabled it to offer a viable DC-10 |
| larger-capacity deployment on thin, nonstop | | | | and L-1011 alternative with one fewer engine and |
| transcontinental and intercontinental sectors after | | | | cockpit crew member, significantly reducing operating |
| being fitted with additional fuel tankage, thus able to | | | | costs. |
| replace previous widebody trijets. Dimensionally | | | | Although sales of the Boeing 767 had dwindled by |
| identical to the basic design, but certified with higher | | | | 2008, the type, currently being replaced by Boeing's |
| operating weights, the sub-version, designated | | | | own 787, had sold some 950 aircraft of all versions |
| 767-200ER...for "extended range"...had entered service | | | | to well over 100 worldwide airlines. |
| on March 26, 1984. | | | | |