Ma ka Pōʻakolu i hōʻailona ai kahi milestone momona i ka moʻolelo mokulele.
ʻO United Airlines, ka mea lawe mua i hana i ka Boeing 737 i mea koʻikoʻi o kāna mau ʻauwaʻa he 41 mau makahiki i hala aku nei, ua hoʻomaha i ka hope o kēlā mau mokulele ma kahi hui mokulele e holo ana mai Virginia a Kaleponi.
ʻO ka mokulele ka hope loa o 94 Boeing 737 i hoʻopaʻa ʻia e United mai ka mahina ʻo Kepakemapa 2008. ʻO kēlā hana ʻehaʻeha i lilo i mau tausani o nā limahana United i kā lākou mau hana akā ua hoʻopakele paha ka mea lawe i ka pōʻino kālā i ka wā i hāʻule ai ka mākeke huakaʻi i ka hoʻoilo i hala ma hope o ka hoʻoheheʻe ʻana o Wall Street, wahi a nā mea loiloi.
ʻO ka Boeing 737 hope loa a United, e holo ana ma ke ʻano he mokulele 737, ua haʻalele ʻo ia mai Washington Dulles International Airport ma mua o ka wanaʻao o ka Pōʻakolu a hoʻopaʻa ʻia i kēlā me kēia o nā kikowaena o ka mea lawe i kona ala i kahi kahua mālama nui ma Kapalakiko.
Na nā mīkini e wehe i ka mokulele a hoʻomākaukau iā ia no kāna huakaʻi hope loa i ka wao nahele Kaleponi waena, kahi e kū ai.
ʻO ka haunaele i ka huakaʻi hope loa o ka mokulele he mea hoʻomanaʻo ia i ka hoihoi o ka mokulele no nā poʻe he nui, mai nā koa alanui a i nā limahana mokulele. Akā ʻaʻole nā kānaka āpau e hauʻoli i ka hoʻomaha ʻana o United 737.
"Ua like ia me ka nalowale ʻana o kahi hoaaloha maikaʻi loa," wahi a Jeff Ecklund, ka mea i lele i 737s no ʻeono makahiki ma United ma mua o ka nalowale ʻana i kāna hana i Kepakemapa. ʻO ia kekahi o nā pailaka 1,450 i hoʻopau ʻia ma ke kahua o United i kāna mau ʻauwaʻa 737 a me ʻeono Boeing 747 jumbo jet. "Makemake mākou e pili i kēia mau ʻāpana alumini nui."
ʻO nā huakaʻi hope loa o ka jet ka mea i hōʻailona i ka hopena o kekahi au ma Chicago-based United, nona ka lima i ka hana ʻana i ka 737 i ka mokulele kūʻai maikaʻi loa o nā manawa āpau.
I ka wā i hoʻokomo ai ʻo United i kāna Boeing 737 mua i ka lawelawe ma 1968, ua hāʻawi mau ka poʻe kaʻa i kā lākou Lāpule maikaʻi loa no ka huakaʻi ea a ua hoʻopaʻapaʻa ʻia no ka hoʻokuʻu ʻia ʻana o nā kahu lele no ka male ʻana.
Ke ʻimi nei ʻo United i kahi mokulele e pani ai i kāna mau ʻauwaʻa propeller, ua koho ʻo United i ka Boeing 737-200, a lilo i mea kūʻai hoʻomaka no ka mana mua o ka jet e lilo i mea hoʻohana nui ʻia (he hapa wale nō o ka hanauna mua o nā mokulele i kūʻai ʻia).
ʻO ka 737, ua hoʻololi hou i ka huakaʻi ea. He māmā ke kaumaha, noho ma kahi o 120 poʻe a koi ʻia ʻelua mau pailaka i loko o ka cockpit, ma kahi o ʻekolu e like me kona mau mua.
Ma ka lima o Southwest Airlines, ka mea e kaena nei i nā ʻauwaʻa āpau-737, a me nā mea lawe haʻahaʻa haʻahaʻa, ua lilo ia i mokulele no ka lehulehu. ʻO nā hanauna hou loa o ka mokulele he mau mea kūʻai ikaika aku no Boeing, kahi i loaʻa ai ma mua o 6,000 mau kauoha ma luna o ke ola o 737.
"ʻO ia ka nui kūpono, ka ʻoihana hoʻokele waiwai i ka manawa kūpono," wahi a ke kākāʻōlelo mokulele ʻo Robert Mann o ka holomua o ka mokulele.
Ua kūʻai ʻo United i 233 o ka Boeing narrow-body jet i ʻelua nalu o ka hoʻonui ʻana: i ka hopena o nā makahiki 1960 a me ka hopena o nā makahiki 1980 a hiki i 1993. Akā i ka wā i kū ai i ka koho paʻakikī o ka hoʻopau ʻana i kāna mau mokulele mokulele i ka piʻi ʻana o ke kumukūʻai aila i Iune 2008, ua koho ʻo United e e hāʻawi i kāna 737 "classics," e like me ka mea i ʻike ʻia ma ka mokulele, ma mua o kāna mau ʻauwaʻa ʻōpio o Airbus A320s.
ʻO nā huakaʻi hope loa o 737 no United ke kani nei me nā mea lele lele, wahi a Tom Lee. He luna hoʻokele aerospace ʻo ia ma Los Angeles a me ka hauʻoli mokulele i huakaʻi i ʻelua mau mokulele mōʻaukala ʻē aʻe: nā huakaʻi kalepa mua o ka Boeing 747 jumbo jet a me ka mokulele Airbus A380 pālua-decker.
Ua komo kekahi i ka pāʻina no ka mea he hoʻomanaʻo maikaʻi lākou i ka mokulele ponoʻī, wahi āna. No nā poʻe ʻē aʻe, ʻoi aku ka primal o ka pilina.
"Pono ka hoihoi i ka lele," wahi a Lee. "Aia kekahi mea me ka makemake o ke kanaka e hohola i kona mau eheu, e iho mai ka honua a makemake e lele."
