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The Boeing 717-200
started life as the McDonnell Douglas MD-95. The aircraft is the latest
(and possibly the last) in the popular DC-9/MD-80/MD-90 family of
aircraft, however the aircraft was far more technologically advanced than
it's predecessors. When Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997 the
MD-95 was the only Douglas plane that Boeing kept in it's product line-up.
The MD-95 was launched at the Paris Air Show in 1991 named the MD-87-105,
before being later renamed to the MD-95. McDonnell Douglas originally
anticipated deliveries of the MD-95 starting from October 1995 onwards.
However the first order for the aircraft was only received in October 1995
from low-fare airline ValueJet (now AirTran Airways). The airline ordered
50 aircraft plus 50 options, and at that time was the youngest airline
ever to be a launch customer being only in existence for two years.
AirTran's aircraft seat 117 passengers, 12 in first class and 105 in
economy.
After the merger between
McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in 1997 Boeing re-launched the aircraft as
the Boeing 717-200. Interestingly this is the second Boeing aircraft to be
called the 717. The original 717 was a 1960's derivative of the 707. It
was renamed the KC-135 Stratotanker. Official roll-out of the 717 took
place on June 10, 1998 at Boeing's Long Beach facility. The first flight
of the 717-200 took place on September 2, 1998 with the aircraft
registered as N717XA. The aircraft was later joined by three other
examples for flight testing and type certification. Three of these
aircraft were fully instrumented and the fourth was the customer production
model complete with a full airline interior. A fifth customer production
aircraft attended the Paris Air Show in 1999 in full Boeing colours and
following this embarked upon a ten day European tour. Type certification
was awarded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the
European Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) on September 1, 1999 and the first
delivery to AirTran took place on September 23.
The 717-200 is designed
for high-cycle, short-haul regional routes, with the ability to operate
eight to twelve one-hour flights everyday on sectors averaging 450km (300
miles). Final assembly of the 717 takes place at Long Beach in California
using suppliers from the USA and eight other countries in Europe and Asia.
Powering the 717 are two Rolls-Royce BR715 high-bypass-ratio engines, with
lower fuel consumption, reduced exhaust emissions and significantly lower
noise levels than engines of comparable aircraft. A major difference
between the DC-9/MD-80/MD-90 aircraft is the new cockpit. The new two-crew
cockpit incorporates six interchangeable LCD units similar to those found
on the NG- 737, 777 and MD-11. The cabin has also received a make-over.
The aircraft retains the popular 5 abreast seating layout (The first time
it has been used on a Boeing aircraft) but features new innovations such
as an illuminated hand-rail, large overhead bins and the largest windows
in any 100 seat jetliner. The standard configuration for the aircraft is
for 106 seats in a single class however airlines can specify their preferred
layout. Other airlines to purchase the 717 are TWA, Bavaria International Aircraft
Leasing Company, Pembroke Capitol. TWA chose the 717 to replace its aging
DC-9 fleet. In total the airline ordered 50 aircraft plus 50 options.
Operators of leased 717's include Bangkok Airways, Impulse Airlines,
Olympic Aviation and Aerolineas Baleares of Spain. Boeing are currently
considering to further models of the 717. The 717-100X would be a shorter
version of the 717-200 seating 85 passengers. The 717-300X would be a stretched
version seating 120 passengers.
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