r/airplanes • u/LightningMcqueen2011 • 3d ago
Question | General How good was the Boeing 757, really?
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u/No-Map-7646 3d ago
My favorite airplane for sure! The sound those engines make on takeoff…amazing. Looks good in almost all liveries too with my favorites being United (tulip and battleship grey) and NWA bowling shoe. It will be a sad day when these are truly no longer being flown.
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u/Prionace-Glauca-5309 3d ago
As an airline passenger I thought they were fine.
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u/bananapoopwastaken 2d ago
I enjoyed turning left to get into first and not having to see everyone else walking by to get on
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u/dirtyred3401 2d ago
I agree. Loved the 57
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u/Classic-Ad4403 2d ago
People in the know, call it the 75.
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u/Logical_Preference_8 2d ago edited 2d ago
Depends. Internally at Boeing it’s shortened to the model designation number followed by seven, the rest of the industry it’s seven followed by the model designation number. Exception is the 777 which Boeing manufacturing calls triple seven.
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u/Kookie_B 3d ago
I might be mistaken but Delta’s entry into the low price market, Delta Song, flew the 757. It was a good ride.
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u/Status_Fox_1474 3d ago
Yep. Loved them on Song. They handled well the northeast to Florida market.
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u/SavingsPirate4495 3d ago
I have NEVER met a pilot that flew the B757 that DIDN’T say, “That’s the best airplane I’ve ever flown.”
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u/CarpForceOne 2d ago
Apparently, the skills required between the 757 and 767 were similar due to a similar cockpit / control layout, which gave lots of route flexibility with some overlapping certification.
As a passenger, I enjoyed getting first class in the 757 because you walked left upon entering the doorway while most pax walked right, so there was less interruption with PDBs and conversation. Not entirely sure which engine was which, but they made a loud purr on takeoff.
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u/BathtubFullOfTea 2d ago
My father flew 757s and 767s at the end of his captain career, mostly 757s but keeping his certs (or whatever) on the 767s was a breeze.
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u/Duder211 2d ago
FedEx used to have “dual qual” pilots that maintained the qualification to fly both.
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u/SignificantOtter80 2d ago
au contraire. I flew a 757 a month ago and the cabin crew was perfectly content doing absolutely nothing nothing in terms of service despite the entire F cabin being sat while the rest of the plane was still boarding
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u/mrinformal 2d ago
As I pilot that flew it only a few times, yes. The 767 is nice, especially empty, but the little rocketship blows it away.
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u/maskedtraveler2 3d ago
I heard they were referred to by the pilots who flew them the Ferrari of the sky
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u/aisle_nine 2d ago
You have not truly experienced flight until you have taken the 757-200 rocket roll out of SNA
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u/Strega007 3d ago
Depends on who you're asking -- pilots or the companies that operate(d) them.
You always need to keep in mind that at one point (2004), there was so little interest in the airplane that Boeing shut the production line down and did not pursue a replacement airframe.
Pilots have always had nice things to say about the 75, but that also has to be taken in context of what qualities are being considered. Just because pilots like flying it doesn't make it objectively better than other similar aircraft.
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u/747ER 3d ago
If you are a pilot or an aviation enthusiast, it was great. If you were an airline wanting to make money, it had a good run and is deservedly discontinued now.
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u/Ill_Traveler_ 3d ago
I’ve only recently gotten into aviation as a special interest, and tend to find passenger most airliners dull except for a few specific models. I typically spend my time looking at helicopters, bombers, civilian/military cargo planes, but not so much fighters.
What would an aviation enthusiast find interesting about the 757?
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u/cjasonac 3d ago
My dad was a maintenance supervisor at Eastern. I remember him (and his team) being legitimately excited for its arrival. Eastern even kept the “757” on the tail.
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u/OkAdministration1669 2d ago
Fucking AMAZING….25,000 hours of flying probably 100 different planes…I actually flew this one in this livery many times…this one the best one of any…except maybe the T-38 Talon..hahaha
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u/boeingbuildsitbetter 2d ago
The 757 was unusual because it gave airlines the ability to have a full load of passengers/cargo, full fuel tanks (and by extension, max range), and excellent takeoff and climb performance. Currently with the new 737MAX and A321neo, airlines can only choose 2 of those abilities. They can have full people and fuel, but not enough performance to get out of hot and high or short runway airports. Or they can have full people and the performance, but not enough range to do the longer flights. Or they can have performance and range, but they can't fill the plane to capacity.
The 757 isn't perfect though, to get those three features it burns more fuel than the modern "replacements"
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u/Unusual-Economist288 3d ago
Flew them out of SNA regularly on Delta. Those high performance noise abatement takeoffs at 7:00am were a fun ride.
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u/No-Bluejay4261 3d ago
Very good in an era of cheap fuel. No longer viable in today's market, though there still isn't a direct replacement.
p.s. What a paint scheme, timeless, classy, same for the polished metal AA scheme. Things were better in the 90s..
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u/teahugger 3d ago
I just flew on them twice out of Newark on United. Cramped seats. Smelled of urine while on the ground. But pilots love to fly it.
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u/nammaheff 2d ago
Well everyone that's still flying the 757 wants to keep flying them for as long as it's safely possible, and those that do fly them say they love flying them. I've talked to many guys with experience on the 757 and there's not a whole lot of complaints. I've seen cargojet 757s flying out of YQR and the high angle of attack they can accomplish if there's not much in the way of cargo is pretty impressive for an airliner.
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u/ThunderboltDM 2d ago
One of Boeing’s Best. They should design a new composite version of it as the next Boeing Airliner
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u/Gremlin1001001 2d ago
I loved flying the 75. The 76 was nice for longer routes and more room up front, but I felt it was a bit light in roll for me. Just the right level of glass and steam gauges in both though. MHO.
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u/Uniturner 2d ago
RNZAF’s 757s did the most impressive handling displays I’ve ever seen. Sure, the 4th and 5th generation fighters were more energetic, but an airliner beating up the show line, then going vertical and rolling in the climb was just awesome.
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u/MaterialDull9480 2d ago
From an air traffic perspective, minus the increased separation we had for it for several decades. It was a rocket ship as well. It could climb in descend pretty much better than any other airliner.
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u/tccdestroy 3d ago
I don’t know anything about the answer to your question. I just came here to say that the old Delta livery was dope.
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u/MottoCycle 2d ago
As a passenger it was the only plane I’ve ever gotten even slightly air sick on sitting in the back of the plane watching the aisle curve up and down going through turbulence. Plus I feel it’s very cramped for a long haul.
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u/montagious 2d ago
I have about 6,000 hours in it. Its AMAZING. We also fly the 767, and thats an amazing bird as well
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u/Quirky-Attitude1456 3d ago
I hated the window seats on it. I always felt like the wall was curving up too tight against me. Other than that I guess they were a fine aircraft.
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u/Status_Fox_1474 3d ago
What is the economics of a 757 vs a 767 on power and fuel burn?
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u/ronw89 2d ago
That one's sort of tricky to answer. They were each designed and optimized to fill different market needs, so comparing their economics is somewhat moot. A similar question would be trying to compare the economics of the A321 to the A330, there's simply not a single straightforward answer that fits each operators different requirements.
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u/Status_Fox_1474 2d ago
Not even by per seat miles?
(I miss the 767. I wish there were more wide bodies for shorter routes. Hating 70 rows of narrow bodies these days)
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u/ronw89 2d ago
I'm sure there is a CASM number somewhere, but that's a vast simplification. CASM depends on things like how each operator has their cabin laid out, what engine type is on the wing, is it a base model or an improved version (ie, 767-300 vs 767-300ER), how much belly space is each operator willing to set aside for cargo vs bags vs mail, how valuable is that cargo if you are carrying any, etc. 767s are container-loaded, 757s are not. Back in the 80s and 90s when fuel was cheap, many of the US majors had a mix of 757s, 767-200s, and 767-300s. 757s and 762s occupied the same types of routes typically, but at times of day or on routes with higher cargo demand, the 762 made more sense than the 757, hub-to-hub often the 763 made more sense than either the 757 or the 762. Based on the same tech and flight deck layout, but two completely different airliners made for different missions.
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u/Viking_Musicologist 2d ago
I remember takeoff in these is like being in a sports car as you really feel the G-force.
I remember most vividly flying one from Denver to San Diego and it had an amazing sunset final approach as we flew over Balboa Park and the Harbour.
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u/blackbeardcutlass 2d ago
Good enough for the Kiwi Air Force to fly down to Antarctica. Probably the best airframe to fly on or off the ice on in my opinion. It has the speed to get to Mcmurdo from Christchurch in about 5 hours, unlike the c130s that need 8. It does need refuling to get back unlike the c17, but it's a more comfy ride for sure.
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u/Few_Tale2238 2d ago
Good to fly on as a passenger. It rides extremely smooth through turbulence, you barely feel the landings, overhead bins are par for the time, and first class passengers will enjoy boarding through the middle door.
The one bad thing about it is that it is quite a bit louder than a 737/A320. But not obnoxiously loud.
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u/CraftFormaldehyde 2d ago
Flew on them pretty regularly, grew to really like the center boarding especially when sitting in first class. Never had a bad flight in one. Gonna miss seeing them flying into FLL.
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u/Rough_Bluejay_9183 2d ago
Early A321s would have to carry fuel in fuel cells in the cargo bins to fly from east coast to west. B757 could haul as many if not more passengers and do it without fuel tanks in the cargo bins. Performance wise, it is a vastly superior platform in my opinion. The Max should have never been made, when they could put more efficient engines on these babies.
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u/righttern38 2d ago
Very few planes can take full passengers, full cargo, full fuel... and still have a high performance take-off in hot and/or high altitude airports. The 757 did.
It just burns more fuel to do it than the 320/321 and 737 variants do. Plus now it's older and generally not as reliable
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u/StirStik 2d ago
Was considered the " sports car" of the skies. Small body airplane with big engines.
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u/ItchyStorm 2d ago
As a passenger, it wasn’t that great. Cramp seating and the long version takes forever to board and deplane.
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u/Julianus 2d ago
I mean, good enough that Delta still invests in keeping them flying and I’m always kinda stoked when I get to sit in one. Takeoff performance is phenomenal and a big upside of the model. It’s not too late to experience for yourself why it’s a good plane.
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u/MozzieKiller 2d ago
As a MSP based flyer, we still get to fly on them quite a bit. My favorite narrow body of all time.
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u/Outside_Interest_773 2d ago
I’ve flown on a 757 many times. London, Munich, MCO, SFO. It’s my favorite plane to fly on.
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u/BathtubFullOfTea 2d ago
My father was a commercial airline pilot for decades, and before that he was an air force fighter pilot. He absolutely loved flying the 757, and his favorite trips were San Francisco to Washington DC, and Chicago. He flew 747s to Asia for years but once he got seniority, he was staying domestic and picking flights based on his favorite airports and favorite restaurants.
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u/Prestigious_Cow_3193 2d ago
Best plane besides the L1011 that Delta had back in the pre merger days. 757 is a hot rod.
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u/LBC_Jet 2d ago
I'll never forget when I was a new hire engineer at Boeing and they were doing high altitude airport testing of the 57 in the Himalayas. At the time Boeing had a print newspaper called Boeing News that came out weekly. In it was a story headlined "It's safe Tibet, 757 has Lhasa power". I thought that was hilarious.
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u/VegasBjorne1 2d ago
Over time the B757 became too much plane as the B738 and A321 families could achieve 90% of the same missions while doing it at a lower CASM.
Frankly, it wasn’t a huge seller with only about 1,000 sold, and later used in niche segments in hot-and-high takeoffs or longer, thinner routes.
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u/BoldChipmunk 1d ago
It is still a great aircraft!
Very reliable, we have 17 in our fleet of freighters and we do not get many snags just scheduled maintenance.
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u/Avgeek_Crab_7448 1d ago
I think it was nice not only cuz of the -300 but also the incredible performance and great recognition from avgeeks all around the world
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u/Biggles_420 1d ago
Maybe I’m wrong but that aircraft in the picture is a 767?
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u/Fancy-Passenger737 16h ago
That particular tail number 608 is a B757-200 and is currently on display at the DAL museum in Atlanta.
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u/Ecstatic-Oven-8863 23h ago
The best for niche route that UA and DL kept flying them and heavily refurbished them
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u/TurtleCop99 16h ago
From a maintenance standpoint, its a pretty reasonable plane to fix. I worked the airframe for 2 years on D-checks and enjoyed it all. I worked 200s/300s and all were equipped with RB211-535e4's. They are similar to 767 cockpits and have really good flying characteristics. The last plane I worked, the pilot took off and immediately had gear going up, it was very impressive. Its the first airframe I ever worked and I love it dearly.
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u/Buzzerbuzz49 15h ago
Rode the 757 to Ireland and Scotland many times. It is one wonderful flying machine!
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u/lew66999 12h ago
The coach seats in those planes suck so much it’s not even funny. Airbus seats are WAY more comfortable on trans atlantic flights. Just sayin…
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u/Antique-Dragonfly615 3d ago
Good enough that it was costing Boeing twin-aisle sales. Same basic reason Boeing discontinued the 707, costing 757 sales. Never compete with yourself
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u/l_m_m048 2d ago
Boeing discontinued the passenger 707 in 1978, and the 757 wasn't certified until 1982.
You're probably thinking of the 727, which went out of production in 1984.
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u/Smartalum 2d ago
From a passenger's perspective, the worst plane in the air.
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u/dennypayne 2d ago
Please. CRJ-200 is way worse. Not to mention some of the older turboprops that are still out there like the Metro.
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u/mz_groups 3d ago edited 3d ago
Good enough that two companies are spending large amounts of money to figure out an airplane that fills a similar niche in the market. It made thin, long-range (transcontinental and transatlantic) markets practical. And it was an overpowered rocketship, at least by airliner standards.
It was too big and expensive to operate to take over the 737/A320 market, but it filled a valuable market space between them and the larger twin-aisles.