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!

 

Your right. The Diesel 8 was one hell of a jet. 3 to 1 descent planning was for real in that tank.

Loved the FE station on the -40s. Looked like Frankenstein's lab. Only busier FE in the business was flying sideways on the L10.

 

I guess I'm "ruint" I went from flying DC-8's to the 737-200-300-500. My initial impression of the 737 was "Tin can, light weight over glorified GA bird, that was missing the flight deck." The difference between the two was literally like going from a heavy weight industrial machine to a clown car.

The regional/GA guys who were in my class who were flying the 737 as their first "big" jet were all on cloud 9. So I suppose that it all depends on your personal experiences as to your impression of a certain airplane.

 

You forgot noisy.

 

Hot in the summer. A useless windshield wiper that would inevitably rise into your field of vision. An inefficient airplane that passengers did not like to fly on.(A couple of United's excuses for parking them)

If they could bring them back with the 1437, I'm all for it.

 

You must have that "If it's not Boeing, I'm not going" bumper sticker on you IROC Camaro.