Here’s some information about the Boeing 757. It’s the successor to the 727, which I spent a considerable amount of time working on, from 2000-2017, when I retired. That specific jet, N289-MT, also known as Voodoo1, is still flying today….
Voodoo1 used to be based at LAX and now resides at Ontario Airport.
The Last of the Muscle Jets: Why the Boeing 757 Still Owns the Skies!
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There’s something almost mythical about the Boeing 757 — a jetliner that refuses to be forgotten, even decades after its production ended.
Nicknamed "The Last of the Muscle Jets," the 757 wasn't just another airliner. It was — and still is — a raw powerhouse in the sky, combining strength, speed, and grace like no other.
Here’s why pilots, aviation fans, and passengers alike still rave about it:
️ 1. An Overpowered Beast
The Boeing 757 was famously "over-engined." Its two giant Rolls-Royce RB211 or Pratt & Whitney PW2000 engines gave it an absolutely ridiculous amount of thrust for an airliner its size.
Takeoff roll? Shorter than you'd ever expect.
Climb rate? Steeper than many modern jets today.
Cruising altitude? Reached faster than a wink.
Pilots could lift a heavily loaded 757 off a hot runway at Denver or climb out of tropical airports with a swagger no other narrow-body could match. (It felt more like a fighter jet than a passenger jet!)
2. Designed for the Toughest Missions
Built originally to replace the Boeing 727 and handle "hot and high" airports (high elevation and high temperature), the 757 needed muscle — and it delivered. It could operate from short runways and still pack a full load of passengers and cargo across the continent or even the Atlantic.
In fact, its performance was so good that airlines used it for transatlantic routes that were once reserved for widebody jets!
3. A Pilot's Dream Machine
Ask any pilot who has flown the 757 — they’ll likely get a faraway look in their eyes.
"The 757 climbs like a rocket," they’ll tell you.
"It handles like a sports car."
Its cockpit, shared with the 767, was cutting-edge at the time, featuring early glass displays and sophisticated flight management systems. Yet, when you grabbed the yoke, you felt a real, physical connection to the airplane — not the detached feeling some modern fly-by-wire jets give.
4. Sheer Presence
Even from the outside, the 757 just looks different.
That tall landing gear.
The sleek, slender fuselage.
The enormous engines hung proudly under the wings.
It was an airliner that looked ready to tear up the sky — and it did. At full throttle, you could feel it — that deep, primal rumble that made airport terminals vibrate!
5. A Legend Never Truly Retires
Boeing stopped building the 757 in 2004, thinking airlines wanted smaller, lighter jets.
They were wrong.
Today, major airlines still depend on their aging 757s for tough missions — especially where you need long range, high speed, and runway performance that newer aircraft simply can't match.
Even newer jets like the Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 737 MAX 10 are still chasing the shadow of what the 757 could do effortlessly.
In many ways, there's never been a true replacement.
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In a world of delicate, highly optimized jets, the Boeing 757 remains a relic of a different age — a bold, muscular era where flying wasn't just about efficiency, but about raw power and style.
She’s not just an airplane. She's a legend.
The Last of the Muscle Jets.
Boeing 727 - Wikipedia
Voodoo 1: The Raytheon Technologies Boeing 727 With A Pointy Nose
Boeing 757 - Wikipedia
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