Boeing 717 |
Posted on Saturday, January 27 @ 16:23:18 GMT by aircraftinfo |
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  The 100 seat 717 is the latest development of the popular DC-9/MD-80/MD-90 family and the only Douglas airliner which Boeing (which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997) plans to retain in its product line-up. It is designed for high cycle, short range regional airline operations.
McDonnell Douglas first announced the MD-95 at the Paris Airshow in June 1991. At the time MDC anticipated a formal program launch by late 1991 and a first flight in July 1994. As it happened program launch was not until October 1995 when US airline ValuJet (now AirTran Airlines) ordered 50 and optioned 50.
In January 1998 Boeing (following the August 1997 Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger) relaunched the aircraft as the 717-200 (the second use of the Boeing designation "717", as this was previously allocated to the military C-135/KC-135 family). First flight took place on September 2 1998, followed by a second development 717 on October 26. Certification was awarded on September 1 1999 while the first delivery, to AirTran, was on September 23 that year.
Initially MDC studied powering the MD-95 with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-218s or Rolls-Royce Tays. In February 1994 however MDC announced it had chosen the new BMW Rolls-Royce (now just Rolls-Royce) BR715 over the JT8D-200 and an engine from the proposed "Project Blue" teaming of General Electric, Snecma, MTU and P&W.
Other 717-200 features include a fuselage 1.45m (4ft 9in) longer than the DC-9-30's, a wing based on the DC-9-34's, an advanced six LCD screen Honeywell EFIS flightdeck, and a cabin interior similar to that developed for the MD-90. It is offered in standard 717-200BGW (Basic Gross Weight) and extended range 717-200HGW (High Gross Weight) forms. In addition, 80 seat shortened 717-100 (formerly MD-95-20) and 120 seat stretched 717-300 (formerly MD-95-50) models have been studied, as has a business jet variant.
Companies participating in 717 production include Alenia (fuselage), Korean Air (nose), AIDC of Taiwan (empennage), ShinMaywa of Japan (engine pylons and horizontal stabilizers), Israel Aircraft Industries (undercarriage), and Fischer of Austria (interior). Final assembly is at Boeing's Long Beach plant, in the same building that the DC-9 and MD-80 were built in.
Initial orders and operators are:
AeBal, Airtran, Bangkok Air, Bavaria International Leasing, Hawaiian Airlines, Impulse Airlines, Midwest Express Airlines, Olympic Aviation, Pembroke Leasing, Qantas Link, Siam Reap Air, Trans World Airlines, and Turkmenistan Airlines
717 Weights
717-200BGW - Operating empty 31,674kg (69,830lb), max takeoff 49,940kg (110,100lb) or 51,710kg (114,000lb).
717-200HGW - Operating empty 32,110kg (70,790lb), max takeoff 54,885kg (121,000lb).
717 Performance
717-200BGW - Cruising speed 811km/h (438kt). Range with 106 passengers 2545km (1375nm).
717-200HGW - Cruising speed same. Range with 106 passengers 3815km (2060nm).
717 Dimensions
Wing span 28.44m (93ft 3in), length 37.80m (124ft 0in), height 8.87m (29ft 1in). Wing area 93.0m2 (1000.7sq ft).
717 Powerplants
717-200BGW - Two 82.3kN (18,500lb) Rolls-Royce BR715-A1-30 turbofans.
717-200HGW - Same or optionally 89.6kN (20,000lb) or 93.4kN (21,000lb) BR715s.
In January 2005, Boeing announced that it planned to end production of the 717 after it had met all its outstanding orders. Boeing officials cited slow sales for the aircraft's demise.
Increased competition from regional jets manufactured by Bombardier and Embraer took a heavy toll on sales in the last several years before the announcement was made. The beginning of the end came in December 2003 when Boeing lost a US $2.7 billion contract from Air Canada, who chose the Embraer ERJ and Canadair CRJ over the 717.
A major difficulty with the 717 model was its lack of commonality with other Boeing aircraft. The trend with aircraft manufacturers, particularly Airbus, was to make a "family" of aircraft with similar cockpits and systems, which would require only one "type-rating" for a crew. That way, whatever size of aircraft that was required on a particular route -- even changing down to the day if necessary -- could be used with any of the crew type-rated for the family.
Airbus used a commonality approach starting with their A320 narrowbody family (including A318, A319, and A321), and Boeing embraced this concept with their Next-Generation 737-600, -700, -800, and -900 models. Embraer, in their new E-Jet family, also took this approach, offering four regional aircraft in a common family, the largest of which had operational capabilities very close to the 717.
The 717 had no commonality with other aircraft, even prior MD-80 and DC-9 aircraft upon which it was based. Although the 717 had operating costs 10% lower than the A318, airlines considering the 717 could not take advantage of the cost savings gained through commonality.
Assembly of the 156th, and final 717 rolled off the assembly line in April 2006 for AirTran Airways. The final two Boeing 717 airplanes were delivered to customers AirTran and Midwest Airlines on May 23, 2006.
The 717 was the last commercial airplane produced at Boeing's Long Beach facility in the Southern California.
More Resources
Download Boeing 717 for Microsoft Flight Simulator
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