The 737 "Best damn planes ever built" not a chance. Even today's 900ER is a tube of compromise.
The original 737 was designed and built at the same time as the 747 and many in Seattle said they definitely used the second team to design it. The 737 was slower than designed, used more runway than designed, shook when in the air, had a horrible reverse set up, couldn't get over mountains with out "drift down" and not to mention the worst cockpit to date (small and noisy).
Here are just a few fixes to the design issues:
- The original had an inflatable collars instead of a gear doors. They would not inflate or deflate at the proper time and were replaced with "mud flaps" to "seal" the gear well (gear got stuck up or down occasionally).
- It was delivered with the pneumatic reversers of the B727 and DC-9, which would actually make the airplane go faster when deployed (put air cushion under wing). They were replaced with hydraulic reverses at an angle (which made the airplane stop better than the brakes).
- The airplane had a terrible shake because of the horrible airflow over the tail, which is where those fins came alongside the vertical stab.
- The airplane had (and still does have) the noisiest interior jet on the market.
- It was nick-named the sh*t shaker by business men because of it's ability to turn light chop into moderate turbulence.
The only reason the 737 is still flying is because SWA wanted it. The 757 is by far a superior airplane in all aspects but it isn't cheap and Boeing stopped production.
Oh well I fly what they pay me to fly!