WN 737-800 first flight
 

Blog | Nuts About Southwest

For anyone out there (and I’m one of you!) who tracks “first flights,” our first 737-800 flight is scheduled to be flight #1717, Chicago Midway to Ft. Lauderdale, leaving Wednesday, April 11 at 7:00 a.m. CST.

You guys are gonna LOVE the -800. Best 737 yet built.

Rotate slow and get ready for Vref speeds above 155 and you will all be fine. We had a Vref speed of 168 last week in DEN.

I only fly the 800 & 900's now. They are very different, but you get used to it.

Working in OPS for WN, I don't know how they expect a 20-30 minute turn in a 800, more pax off, more pax on, hard enough to do with a -300 or -500 so we shall see what this does for the legendary quick turns we have been known for... My .02 cents.

Yep... DL turns the -700 in 30 minutes no problem. The 800 is a good 40 minute turn airplane with all those bags in that narrow tube. The pax can get off and on no problem, it's the bag unloading and loading... and we charge for checked bags!

Hot day, high gross wt., 22k or even 24k still a slug... Be prepared to set some land speed records with flaps 1. Flaps 40 will save 7 to 8 kts. new birds with carbon brakes, not bad. SFP option, smoke and mirrors.

Give me a 700 with an 800 wing and 26k anytime.

Flaps 40, brakes 3 in MDW. Except when it's really windy. ;-)

Heading to Cali on warm days: Flaps 25, Max blast, bleeds off, alt. and wind corrections, and probably bump a pax or two.

Did SWA get the 27k engines?

We started using our "Evolve" interiors this week also, bumping our 700's up to 143 seats.

Yes, with the 27k engines.