Hey guys, In anticipation of the NGX's release I would like to get a couple of flight plans ready. RC4 has an option to append the term "heavy to the aircraft. After doing a little research on the forums and the internet I was unable to come up with a quick answer to whether the 737 series is classified as a heavy. I would suspect that not all 737's are referred to as heavy but what about 700-900. How much more significant is the wake turbulence on these models (if any) compared to the smaller aircraft. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

737s are not considered heavies.

I thought it was like this:If you have 250 souls or more on board, you are an heavy in the eyes of the ATC controllers.In terms of ground handling, it depends on weight, length en wingspan...

Has nothing to do with number of persons on board the aircraft, just weight (I believe B757's are treated same as a heavy due to wake turbulence but no longer are referred to as heavies). From the FAA Pilot Controller Glossary:AIRCRAFT CLASSES- For the purposes of Wake Turbulence Separation Minima, ATC classifies aircraft as Heavy, Large, and Small as follows:a. Heavy- Aircraft capable of takeoff weights of 300,000 pounds or more whether or not they are operating at this weight during a particular phase of flight.b. Large- Aircraft of more than 41,000 pounds, maximum certificated takeoff weight, up to but not including 300,000 pounds.c. Small- Aircraft of 41,000 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight.

The 757-300 has an interesting signature for wake turbulence, more than any narrowbody, but less than the larger 767, so they make special arrangments for the 757-300, but no callisign

Has nothing to do with number of persons on board the aircraft, just weight (I believe B757's are treated same as a heavy due to wake turbulence but no longer are referred to as heavies). From the FAA Pilot Controller Glossary:AIRCRAFT CLASSES- For the purposes of Wake Turbulence Separation Minima, ATC classifies aircraft as Heavy, Large, and Small as follows:a. Heavy- Aircraft capable of takeoff weights of 300,000 pounds or more whether or not they are operating at this weight during a particular phase of flight.b. Large- Aircraft of more than 41,000 pounds, maximum certificated takeoff weight, up to but not including 300,000 pounds.c. Small- Aircraft of 41,000 pounds or less maximum certificated takeoff weight.

Chris, can I assume those are GTW lbs? Also, what about the 767's? Are they all heavies, or just he -300 & -400's?

All the 76s are heavy, none of the 75s are heavy, neither are the NGs

Chris, can I assume those are GTW lbs? Also, what about the 767's? Are they all heavies, or just he -300 & -400's?

Al, no, the takeoff weights are in reference to what the a/c's MTOW is, not the actual GTW. 767's would thus all be considered heavies as their MTOW exceeds 300,000 lbs. So a 767-200 with a GTW of 275,000lbs, despite weighing less than 300,000 lbs would still be considered a heavy because its MTOW is 315,000 lbs

Last I checked, the term Heavy applied to anything that was equal to or greater than 255,000lbs. 255,000lbs is the MTOW of the 757-200. Most times the operator does not say Heavy while flying 752's, but I have heard it. For all intensive purposes, 762 or heavier is a Heavy.Regardless of heavy or not, 757's get special attention. The FAR/AIM always states Heavy or B757.I haven't looked at it recently.

Last I checked, the term Heavy applied to anything that was equal to or greater than 255,000lbs. 255,000lbs is the MTOW of the 757-200. Most times the operator does not say Heavy while flying 752's, but I have heard it. For all intensive purposes, 762 or heavier is a Heavy.Regardless of heavy or not, 757's get special attention. The FAR/AIM always states Heavy or B757.I haven't looked at it recently.

It was changed to 300,000 lbs MTOW in April 2010. You are correct that B757's get treated as heavies despite being classified as large. Here's the section in the FAA Order (FO 7110.65T in case you're wondering):Appendix A is being revised to harmonize FAA weight category standards with those of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). All aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of more than 41,000 pounds but less than 300,000 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight will now be classified as a “Large” aircraft according to FAA standards. Aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 300,000 pounds or more will now be classified as a “Heavy” aircraft according to FAA and ICAO weight classification standards. This change reclassifies all B757 aircraft as “Large” aircraft; however, controllers are required to apply the special wake turbulence separation criteria as specified in paragraph 5-5-4. This change cancels and incorporates N JO 7110.525, Appendix A, Aircraft Information Fixed-Wing Aircraft, effective April 8, 2010.

Thanks for your answers guys. From your responses it seems that none of the 737 series has the term heavy applied. The internet search I came up with had contradictory answers.

I agree with most people above. The rule I go by is a 767 and up has the title "Heavy" appended to the call sign. However, all aircraft that I know of create wakes that should be taken seriously, whether flying a Cessna 152 or a Boeing 747.

Okay the Cri Cri doesn't have much...

The internet search I came up with had contradictory answers.

It's the internet... everything you read is 100% fact. :(

It's the internet... everything you read is 100% fact. :(

The Strategic Air Museum near Omaha, NB printed out binders worth of information from Wikipedia about the exhibit.