by "facw" (facw)
Published 05/07/2017 at 00:10
by "facw" (facw)
Published 05/07/2017 at 00:10
Tags: Planelopnik
; 747
; Boeing
; i get bored
STARS: 5
I’m bored and procrastinating so please accept this definitive ranking of Boeing commercial jetliners.
1. 747: The Queen of the Skies. Personal preference for the -400, but they’re all good
2. 757: This is basically the only thing Trump is right about
3. 787: Sleek and modern
4. 707: I like that tail spike, more planes should have those
5. 737: Best with those bulging engine intakes, though it’s always fun to see a survivor with the old low-bypass jets puttering around
6. 767: It’s a plane I guess
7. 777: Those engines are really big
8. 727: Sorry trijet fans, the L-1011 is cool, but this isn’t
9. 717: Not really a Boeing, and hey I’m not a DC-9 fan anyway
"Audistein" (Audistein)
05/07/2017 at 00:14, STARS: 4
While I appreciated it being in position 7, the 777 is too low on this list.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
05/07/2017 at 00:19, STARS: 1
I’ve always hated riding on Super 80s. Mostly because 9/10 times I was sitting window seat... looking at the jet.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 00:20, STARS: 0
The most I could do is swap it with the 767, but I’m reasonably happy with it where it is. I know the airlines love it, but I don’t. Maybe the folding wingtips on the 777X (or just the extreme wingspan) will be cool enough to lift it though.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
05/07/2017 at 00:20, STARS: 2
It’s just so awkward and not proportional.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
05/07/2017 at 00:21, STARS: 0
777 and the 3 holer belong higher. 727 was a great aircraft - albeit a loud one.
I’d put the 737 2nd to last, just above the DC9.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
05/07/2017 at 00:23, STARS: 4
I really enjoy 737s. I think they’re a great looking aircraft and pretty comfortable, even in Southwest spec. Much better looking than 777 and 787.
"coqui70" (coqui70)
05/07/2017 at 00:24, STARS: 0
Damn right it’s definitely better than a 767 at least.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
05/07/2017 at 00:30, STARS: 0
The newer ones (-700 and up) are very nice. I spent a lot of time in the 90s flying in United’s -300 and -500s, and didn’t like them. I would always seek out a 727 or 757 if I could.
The 787 is a GREAT airplane to travel on. And the 777 is, too.
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
05/07/2017 at 00:31, STARS: 1
Swap the 777 with the 757.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 00:43, STARS: 1
The 777 is of course loved by airlines, but there isn’t much especially interesting about it. It’s certainly a good plane in terms of efficiency, reliability, and safety, but it’s just not very interesting. It was Boeing’s first fly-by-wire plane, but the A320 had been doing that for a decade, and the F-16 for two, so it was hardly a groundbreaking feature. Otherwise it just a pretty generic twinjet.
As for the 727, yeah it’s loud and fuel guzzling, and I don’t think too many people would be upset if we went back in time and killed the designers at Sud Aviation before they could start slapping jets onto the back of the Caravelle (Mazda RX-8 designers would probably be sad to lose those windows though). The rear stair is really the only thing it’s got going for it.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 00:43, STARS: 1
No.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
05/07/2017 at 00:46, STARS: 1
I would love to travel on one of the larger planes. The biggest plane I’ve flown is 3-4-3 seat Delta from atlanta to Heathrow but can’t remember which one. It was fine and did the trick. I guess 737s are not really that comfy but for 2-3 hours it doesn’t brother me.
"Amoore100" (amoore100)
05/07/2017 at 00:46, STARS: 1
No. The 757 is a garbage, narrow-bodied dick of the skies. I don’t care how well it performs (which I don’t think is that great) but they’re too small to be comfortable, too high off the ground on their gear to look good, and too generic to represent the Boeing brand (looks almost like a cheap Tupolev). It belongs just above the sad-sack 717 and the 777 should take its place. The 767 is, yes, just a generic wide-body so it belongs where it is-ish. Essentially it’s a fat 757 which makes it better than the 757. 727 belongs before the 767 as it was revolutionary for its day and quite good. Sure, it ain’t no L-1011, but a proud plane in its own right.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 00:52, STARS: 3
I think we are going to have to disagree on the 757 thing. I certainly don’t see how it is too small to be comfortable. Being a narrow-body doesn’t mean the seats are any smaller, just that there are fewer per row. I’ve done a number of transatlantic flights on the 757, and with the exception of one Icelandair beater that hadn’t been through their modernization program, and thus had extremely bad seats, they were fine. As for the landing gear, I don’t think tall landing gear look bad, and the Lockheed Constellation agrees with me, so I think I’m in good company.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
05/07/2017 at 00:57, STARS: 1
The 777 may look a little generic from a design standpoint but that’s the way they’re all headed now. It’s a good airplane, if not exciting.
Of the Boeings, the two that stand out as pilot’s airplanes are the 727 and 757. At one time, the 727 was more or less the 2nd fastest airliner after the 747. The 737 was the slowest of all (the wing redesign around 15 years ago fixed this with the current gen 737s).
The rear engines were put on most of those designs to allow them to use poorer runways, really. And if you sat in front of the wing, they were extremely quiet.
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
05/07/2017 at 01:00, STARS: 0
Counterpoint: yes.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
05/07/2017 at 01:01, STARS: 1
If you get a chance, the best seat in the sky is on the upper deck of a 747. A giant aircraft that is super quiet, and suddenly feels small (in a good way)
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
05/07/2017 at 01:13, STARS: 2
Pretty much spot on, although I wonder why the 737 places as high as it does. These days it seems to be the definition of ‘just an airplane’ due to its ubiquity. That being said, I still have a soft spot for that plane as it was the first commercial aircraft I ever flew on, back in the ‘70s on Air California, on trips from SNA to SJC to visit my grandparents:
Although the 767 seems like a rather boring aircraft, it is a joy to fly on (although it can be argued that in coach in any aircraft a seat is a seat is a seat). Six out of seven seats in even the most crowded coach cabin are either window or aisle seats, and the two aisles makes it a bit easier to load and unload. I can see this diameter and seating configuration being used on Boeing’s next aircraft, the so-called MOM design. But from an aesthetic standpoint, it ranks as a solid ‘meh’. I wouldn’t mind a -200 as a bizjet, however.
My experience with the 727 is rather limited. I was involved in an incident in one about 15 years ago where my fat ass in the right seat was pretty much the only thing that kept the nose on the ground and the carrier off of the evening news, but that’s a tale for another day.
"Viggen" (viggen37)
05/07/2017 at 01:17, STARS: 0
747, 757, 707, 727, 767, 737, 777, 787
717 doesnt count
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 01:27, STARS: 0
Some strong 787 hate there.
"Viggen" (viggen37)
05/07/2017 at 01:29, STARS: 0
I’m a fan of the classics. Everything rolling off the line now bores me. Smoke trails over efficiency anyday.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 01:34, STARS: 0
The 737 is quite ubiquitous, but all sorts of interesting things have been done to it in terms of engines, wingtips, cockpits, and even the cabin to keep it fresh and desirable over its half-century as the most produced jetliner.
There’s a lot of good stuff in there from this:
and of course many things in between...
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
05/07/2017 at 01:36, STARS: 2
Disagree. The best seat is on the main deck, way up front where the fuselage starts to taper in towards the nose cone. Because of this curvature your view is almost straight ahead instead of off to the side.
If I was responsible for designing the A380, the cockpit would not be in the middle of the nose but instead would be on one level or the other. Then you could use the area above or below the cockpit as a seating area with a view straight ahead. OK, placing the weather radar might be a bit of a challenge, but it would be worth it for the view.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
05/07/2017 at 01:44, STARS: 1
Although it may not be popular with traditionalists, I like the look of big engines on small fuselages: 737, 757, KC-135R, 70-series DC-8s, 707-700. Nothing at all wrong with a 737, especially with all of the updates over the years. It just goes to show that they got it right all those years ago.
"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
05/07/2017 at 01:47, STARS: 1
Despite the 787 being hyper-efficient, it also does wonderful things for passenger comfort (bigger windows, lower cabin altitude and higher moisture content in the cabin) that deserve to have it ranked high on the list.
"victor" (victor)
05/07/2017 at 01:49, STARS: 1
Counterpoint: Id rank 747, 787, 777 1-2-3 when you’re flying first or business class
"Viggen" (viggen37)
05/07/2017 at 01:59, STARS: 1
I’ve never once complained about comfort on an aircraft as a passenger, be it a Cessna 172, Black Hawk, C-17, or 747. If it’s got a seat and no crying babies I’ll be comfortable for hours and sleep if need be.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 02:02, STARS: 0
I wouldn’t disagree, though a lot of that is just that modern long-haul first classes have gotten quite fancy. You could stick those seats in other planes and have more or less the same level of comfort and luxury.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
05/07/2017 at 02:05, STARS: 2
You almost had me, but I’d put the 777 ahead of the 767.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 02:10, STARS: 1
The 767 probably gets a nostalgia boost for me. My first trip to Europe was on one back when they were still fairly new and flashy. I can’t begrudge anyone who thinks that it should switch with the 777.
"Amoore100" (amoore100)
05/07/2017 at 02:12, STARS: 1
Well I flew on a Hawaiian Airlines jet in ~2012 and I just found it to feel a bit tinny for such a long flight, as in having a jet that’s a bit more substantial is just more comfortable regardless of seat size. To be honest, the 737-800 felt fine though the 757 was a bit meh, so I’m not sure what the issue was. Besides that, I just think the 757 is particularly bland looking for a Boeing. I mean, look at it compared to its competitors:
"victor" (victor)
05/07/2017 at 02:27, STARS: 1
True, but the small 747 upper deck is great for privacy, and let’s be honest. That’s not gonna be available on any other aircraft, or generally in economy (except on JAL and a few other airlines that ran economy on upper deck).
United used to run a P.S. config that was Econ+ and up on a 757. That was a great config.
"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
05/07/2017 at 02:40, STARS: 1
More or less the same for me. The 787 may get a slight bump for me because it has a cool name and I’m a sucker for marketing. In reality, it’s the Malibu of airplanes. Moderately interesting when it was brand new. Not going to age well.
The 747 however, oh boy. Love that thing. The only thing it’s missing is the fancy cabin pressure tech from the 787. The striking thing about the 747 is how buttery smooth it is. I still need another go on an A380. The flight I had was top deck in coach with hard turbulence and even the flight crew was looking pretty green.
"Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen" (distraxi)
05/07/2017 at 02:53, STARS: 1
As a passenger I’d put the 787 first. The higher cabin pressure and humidity make a hell of a difference to how crap you feel after a longhaul - enough so that I’ll pay extra to fly on one (or an A350/380, which have similar environments). Plus the dimming window party trick is fun.
In terms of coolness though, yes, queen of the skies first.
"facw" (facw)
05/07/2017 at 02:56, STARS: 0
Even better, do it Beluga style and put the cockpit below passenger level:
Of course you run into problems as many people don’t actually like having the windows open, especially on long flights where people want to sleep (I may have been yelled at for having my window open to stare at the Canadian tundra on a flight to China). I say give people those eye-masks.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
05/07/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 1
I’ve sat there, too, and yeah, those are great seats, too. I’d still take the upper deck for an overnight flight. In the daytime, it’s closer to a wash—
"Jcarr" (jcarr)
05/09/2017 at 22:21, STARS: 0
777-300ER FTW. One of my all-time favorite planes. Can’t wait for the -9x.
"facw" (facw)
05/09/2017 at 22:31, STARS: 0
I’m not a huge 777 fan (as the list indicates), but I’m curious how the 777X will turn out, sounds like it could be a nice step up.
"C62030" (c62030)
05/19/2017 at 00:05, STARS: 1
Pan Am had some of the classiest livery there was. The logo is very ‘60s, but I feel like it would modernize really well with some small changes.
"facw" (facw)
05/19/2017 at 00:13, STARS: 0
The logo is great, and the livery is timeless. Definitely superior to what American and United are flying these days.