Post by Thantheleon on Jan 1st, 2018 at 4:01pm
MAKING IT FLY
'The Seattle Times', 1983:
"It hardly looked like an airplane about to enter commercial service.
Some passenger seats were missing. A rack jammed with electronic equipment was strapped to the floor in the first-class section. Technicians and engineers swarmed over the airplane, inside and out.
Seats were pushed forward on their tracks, with carpets rolled back and mechanics climbing in and out of floor recesses. Six technicians were crammed into a cockpit meant for two pilots.
A team of mechanics worked on a recurring problem with the right-wing forward flaps. A heavy-set man looked up at the tail, eyeing the airplane's rudder alignment. A pair of workers used an array of photo-electric cells to aim the airplane's landing lights.
It was Friday, Dec. 17, 1982, and Boeing was late delivering its first 757 to Eastern Airlines.
The airline, which had launched the 757 project, was getting impatient. It had announced plans to begin 757 service Jan. 1 and had purchased television advertising to herald the new jetliner during Rose Bowl and other New Year's Day football games.
On that overcast day a week before Christmas, while technicians scurried and chiefs paced impatiently, Boeing had yet even to acquire Federal Aviation Administration certification which would allow the 757 to be operated commercially.
An engine-icing problem on a test flight a month earlier had sidetracked certification. The engine had been modified, but was yet to be proved in icing conditions.
Deadlines and timetables were being revised continuously. The target had been certification by Nov. 23, but the days and numbers kept changing. Hundreds of Boeing employees were destined to keep working on the program during the traditional long Boeing holiday recess.
There was even talk of working Christmas Day.
Things were, in short, a mess."
A mess! It's the exact word we were looking for to describe the 757 CAPTAIN III current condition. But hey, if the delivery of the real 757 was a mess, why the digital replica should differ? As real as it gets.
The first commercial Boeing 757 flight was operated by Eastern Air Lines on the January 1, 1983.
To celebrate the 35th anniversary, Captain Sim is proud to announce a release of the 757 CAPTAIN III on the January 1, 2018. Only this first release edition will carry the '35' Eastern colors label on the fuselage livery.
Rest assured the 757 model is not perfect, but it's probably in the better shape than the real 757 was on delivery.
All who are in the mood to celebrate the anniversary are invited to https://captainsim.net
Happy Anniversary to the 757! Happy New Year!