Posted on 09/30/2025 6:04:15 AM PDT by Red Badger
t's positioned as a long-term response to competition from Airbus's A320neo family. While details like timelines and costs (potentially tens of billions over a decade) are still emerging, the focus is on incorporating modern technologies for better efficiency and addressing past 737 MAX challenges. No sources indicate it's a 737 derivative.
I find it a bit ironic because the MAX design was created to compete with that Airbus model. As T.B. Yoits wrote, Boeing decided to add high bypass engines but could not get the needed ground clearance without an airframe redesign. So they shoved the engines forward and compensated with software. That's what led to the two fatal crashes in 2019. So Boeing is finally going to discard that kludge concept and go with a clean sheet of paper design.
A plane with no windows? I wouldn’t fly in that. But I’m mildly claustrophobic.
That’s also true.
“Get rid of the ‘flying cigar tube’ design”
That’s a bit like saying “get rid of the three box design for a sedan”. Some shapes occur for the reason of practicality.
The only viable options aside from the “cigar tube” is the “flat cigar tube” (aka “blended wing”) where the body acts somewhat like a wing and some sort of true flying wing or V wing.
They do exist, e.g., Natilus Horizon actually flies and the TU Delft (a V wing) is being built.
They look really cool!...................
It should replace both 737 and 757. One 7 across narrow body of varying lengths and two engine/wing/box sets for short or long haul. It should be modular for future configurations.
They do.
The main issues are:
(1) there are no windows aft, which creeps people out.
(2) most designs won’t work with current airport designs. You need ones that can get to a jetway that a 737 can also get to. (Any V wing, as proposed, takes two jetways — or the sides have to go one-at-a-time.)
(3) while inherently more aerodynamic and actually fly (as in “lift” or “glide”) better, they require computers to keep them stable, which also creeps people out.
I expect blended wings, in particular, to go first, as they are the most likely to work with existing jetways. They are also being built for business jets that will be in the market shortly — and don’t use jetways.
A good choice, even if it's 10 years late.
Hope their engineers do a better job this time...
Please 757!
Not even one Incident Report was filed about the allegedly deadly auto-pilot software.
Two crashes.
Four Muslim pilots.
They should go with the flying donut shape!
Flying wing.................
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