Draft:Boeing 737 Original

The Boeing 737 Original, also sometimes known as the Boeing 737 Jurassic, is the first production series of the Boeing 737, a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

737-100
A Boeing 737-100 of Lufthansa, the aircraft's launch customer
General information
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Number built	30
History
First flight	April 9, 1967
Last flight	2004
Developed into	Boeing 737-200

737-200
A Boeing 737-200 of Air Inuit, equipped with a gravel kit, landing at Val-d'Or Airport in Quebec in 2012
General information
Role	Airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Number built	1,144
History
First flight	August 8, 1967
Developed from	Boeing 737-100

Development and design

Development and design of the 737 began in 1964 when Boeing envisioned a narrow-body airliner with 50 to 60 seats for 50 to 1,000 mile trips that would be half the size of Boeing's smallest jet at the time, the trijet 727. At the time, Boeing was known for larger jets such as the quadjet 707 and 8-engine B-52 bomber. The Boeing 737 has six-abreast seating and is the same width as the company's larger jets, which is the result of the company allowing the upper half of the 737's fuselage to be the same as the 707 and 727.

Boeing 737-100

The Boeing 737-100 is the first 737 model built. It had its first flight from Boeing Field in Seattle on April 9, 1967, flew for 2.5 hours, and landed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. Test pilots Brien S. Wygle and Lew Wallick declared that the aircraft "handled beautifully." Wygle was also instrumental in designing the 737 cockpit, which introduced the two-person crew concept that eliminated the need for a flight engineer, which was needed in the older 707 and 727. Only 30 Boeing 737-100s were ever built: the only airlines to order and receive them were Lufthansa, Avianca, and Malaysia–Singapore Airlines (later Singapore Airlines). Lufthansa was the launch customer of the 737-100 and received their first deliveries in December 1967. Lufthansa's first 737-100 was eventually nicknamed Bobby after a character in a children's book that young passengers would receive from the airline. United Airlines had shown interest and were keen to order the 737-100, but they wanted some key changes to be made, which included things such as extra passenger capacity. The prototype for the 737-100 never entered commercial service, but instead became a NASA test platform for around 20 years before being retired in 1997. The 737-100 prototype, still wearing its NASA livery, is currently on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Boeing 737-200

The Boeing 737-200 is the second production model of the Boeing 737. The 737-200, developed alongside the -100, was built per United Airlines' request for a 737 variant that could carry more passengers than the -100. The 737-200, a stretched variant of the 737-100, was rolled out on June 29, 1967 and had its first flight on August 8 that year, 4 months after the 737-100's first flight. The 737-200, which perfectly complemented the larger 727 and built to compete with airliners such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, the BAC One-Eleven, and the Sud Aviation Caravelle, became the standard variant for many years. The 737-200 remained in production for 21 years from when it first flew in 1967 until production ended in 1988. 1,144 737-200s were built and delivered, making it much more successful than the 737-100.

The cockpit of a Boeing 737-200 Advanced

Gravel kits

Further information: Gravel kit

Both the Boeing 737-100 and 737-200 can be fitted with a gravel kit, known as an Unpaved Strip Kit, that allows them to land on gravel, dirt, or grass strips. The Unpaved Strip Kit was first made available for the 737-100 and -200 in February 1969. At their peaks of operation, the 737-100 and -200 were making over 2,000 movements from unpaved runways a year. However, there were still certain guidelines that had to be observed as to whatever surface was to be used. The surface of the runway had to be smooth (no bumps higher than 3 inches in 100 feet; had good drainage with no standing water; and the material of the surface of the runway had to be at least 6 inches (0.5 feet) thick with no areas of deep loose gravel. A surface that was not particularly hard could still be used by reducing tire pressure down to a minimum of 40 psi.

Technical specifications

	Boeing 737-100	Boeing 737-200
Length	28.65 m (93.99 ft)	30.53 m (100.16 ft)
Wingspan	28.35 m (93.01 ft)	28.35 m (93.01 ft)
Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW)	49,940 kg	52,390 kg
Range	1,539 nm (2,850 km; 1,771 mi)	1,857 nm (3,440 km; 2,138 mi)
Passenger capacity	85-130	102-136
Engines	Pratt & Whitney JT8D	Pratt & Whitney JT8D

Gallery

• 
  A Boeing 737-200 of Air Toulouse
• 
  A Boeing 737-100 of Lufthansa

See also

• Boeing 737
• Boeing 737 Classic
• Boeing 737 Next Generation
• Boeing 737 MAX

Related development

• McDonnell Douglas DC-9
• BAC One-Eleven
• Sud Aviation Caravelle