I'd (recently) flown the (RNZAF) B757-200 into McMurdo Station, and the 757, though a favorite plane of mine, I'd not flown that SIM, in my recent memory, till that flight. So, here, I continue my stint with the (CS version of) 757, but with the stretched (-300) variant of it...so, the "Flying Pencil", as someone had commented, in my earlier post,...gets even a more "Pencil" look, in this post...

BTW, this reminds me of an incidence...Once, at O'Hare, I happened to be in a rush to get to my departure gate (this was probably the only time I was in a rush to get to the gate, usually I'm there well-before the plane docks in the gate..🙂...)...no, actually, there was probably just one other incidence, also at O'Hare, I now recall...I was enjoying a bit of light lunch in an Airport Restaurant, one of those slightly less-crowded ones, beyond the Security clearance, while absorbed in a magazine, I'd just picked up from the (nearby) Book Stall...and, the magazine was likely "Travel & Leisure"...(you know, the one with (usually) highly inviting sceneries of exotic (touristy) places, on the cover...e.g. pictures of restful cottages neatly lined-up and extending into the Turquoise waters of the ocean...🙂...Anyway, to make things worse, the gate-assignment for the departure had been changed in the last minute...so, while hurrying, I asked a flight-attendant, I ran into, in the vicinity of the gates, for help with directing me to my flight. He took a quick look at my Ticket, and said, "Yours is the fourth gate down on your RHS, the plane is waiting for you, and, the plane is a very thin and very long one, you cannot miss sight of it", and, of course, he was right, so that was my RW introduction to the B757....even before I knew it was called the "Flying Pencil"...

Regarding the livery of my choice, here, Icelandair has always attracted my fancy. I'd, earlier, mentioned that, in 2015, Icelandair became the first airline to land the very first (regular) commercial B757 flight on Antarctica's Ice Runway...and, today, I just happened to find a (CS) B757-300 in the color of Icelandair, in the default (texture) pack. The stretched "-300" is ~24 feet longer than the "-200" (Condor was the launch customer), and this jet owns the distinction of being the longest single-aisle twinjet ever built (please see my images below, to appreciate this fact). With seating for ~250, it was a decent (and highly suitable) intermediate capacity long-haul plane, for its time...! For a bit of fun statistic, I was checking e.g. the former (aka: historical) fleet of British Airways (they had liked the 757 a lot). From Vickers Viscount (introduced 1974) all the way to A318 (introduced 2009), B757 stands out as the most numerous plane (61 total, all -200s) in BA fleet. In NAR, Delta holds a whopping 127 total 757s, in its fleet (several of my RW travels were on Delta's 757)...so, no doubt, the 757 was one well-liked plane, among the operators, worldwide...

And, regarding the SIM plane, here, if I were to recall, one payware maker, that sustained (and nurtured) my early interest in the SIM, and, helped keep me in the game, it has to be CS. Their products were (always) of sufficient depth, interest, and classic appeal to suit my (non-pilot/simming) objectives and curiosities, in the hobby. For example, their Animation Panel, was a remarkable interface, from my viewpoint, in those early days, and, even to this day, I still like it a lot, because, if you're not a Pro, it's a great way to familiarize yourself with the various external features of an airliner. Below, I've included one screenshot for the (RHS) fuselage of the 757-300, with all the (numerous) animations, shown. See e.g. if you can spot the RAT (Ram Air Turbine) Door, and, the Emergency Exits (2 per side). BTW, regarding RAT, if you're interested, here is a 46 second video clip, of a thrilling (RW) 757 touchdown, with RAT deployed. Please search for, "Emergency Landing Boeing 757 with RAT DEPLOYED!"

Finally, regarding scenery locale, for Icelandair, what could be more appropriate to use than "Reykjavik"...(world's most northerly Capital city, with a rich history of its own, and its landscape, shaped by glaciers, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions...hence its name, Reykjavik, translating (roughly) to "Smoky Bay"...)...? At the start of my images, below, I've included several screenshots, of this sprawling metropolitan area and the airport (BIRK). Notice the (overhead) screenshot with the 3 Runways (01/19, 06/24, 13/31) of this Airport, interestingly criss-crossing one another. Reykjavik is surrounded by (stunning) mountains from nearly all sides, some of which, you can spot in my images. The city is located by Faxaflói Bay, over which, towards north (Rwy 01), I've lifted off in my B753, for the in-flight set of images, below.

So, hope you enjoy these pictures of the "Flying Pencil", and, after taking a look at my pictures (e.g. see #7 and the last one), judge for yourself, if you agree, why the Pilots had dubbed it with such a name...🙂...It's also worthy of note that, out of the total 1,050 757s built, there were 625, still in service, as of just 3 months ago, December 2020, comprising 572 757-200s and 53 757-300s....quite impressive, indeed...!

Thanks for your interest and good flying...!!

[CS(757-300), Orbx (Freeware Iceland/Reykjavik), REX]

Nice shots and interesting info, P. Actually, your lead in about O'Hare gave me the shivers, a bit. I used to do a lot of travelling, mostly in the USA and Europe, back when I was a software instructor in the '80s and '90s, and although I have no problem with the actual flying (apart from the legroom and general discomfort in cattle class), and pretty much always enjoyed the actual locations I went to (even Detroit, which felt like a bombed out city at the time), the one thing that drove me nuts was the hassle and endless delays at the major airports. Rushing what felt like miles from one end of the terminal to another, the crowds everywhere, the sheer time wasted, all contributed to the fact that once it all stopped you will never, ever, ever get me into an airport again (unless it's made of pixels). And that was all before 9/11 so I dread to think what it's like these days with all the additional security. Well, "these" days of course it's non-existent anyway, but you know what I mean.

Also, this set gave me a thought. I have this, and a lot of other CS aircraft for my currently unused FSX system. I look at a lot of your shots and enjoy them, and have even fired up my old FSX system a couple of times to check out the aircraft (like the Il-86 the other day) but I can never get on with it these days. But I just thought "Ah, maybe I should try it windowed". I have a big (40 inch) 4k monitor and I run everything else (MSFS, and if I use them these days XP and P3D) full-screen. They all scale up OK but FSX looks horrible but the lightbulb just went on (finally) and so I may try it later today in a smaller window. Thanks for the inspiration!

Andy, thanks, for the ruminating thoughts...!!

I've had my share of travels, in the past, but I have a feeling, you're lot more widely travelled across the world than I'm...and, agree, the world of air-travel is (and will now likely remain) so different from earlier times...

My fascination with Aircraft goes back way before my interest in (sim) aviation,...wished to become (not a Pilot), but, an aeronautical engineer, maybe, but did not...🙂...and, it was all freshly rekindled by ready availability of the wonderful (and numerous) SIM planes...e.g. here, while looking at that "dug-up-from-earth" C-130 post, I recall, I've not touched that marvelous SIM, for more than a year, now. And, the CS 757, this post is about, I last flew nearly a year ago...so, at this rate, it will probably take me two lifetimes...🙂...to catch-up and do reasonable justice that those great aircraft/SIMs (and their creators) deserve...

Of course, I'm also aware, whether one posts one screenshot or twenty, here, in this Forum, it takes nearly equal time to prepare it. That's why I respect pictures more than words, because, as we say, that's where, "The Rubber Hits The Road"...or, in other words, a picture is worth a thousand words...and, with our individual time constraints, we can only do so much, on our own, so, I'm here, to enjoy, what I don't have myself, at the moment, whether it's FS9.x...🙂...or the latest and greatest new SIM...

Glad, I'm inspiring you to look, a bit, into your hidden treasure trove...yes, FSX/SE is absolutely no match for later platforms, but, it has certain appeal, variety, and ease-of-use that suit me well...because, after all, the (more) experienced ones, here, among us, know well no one SIM can give it all to oneself...and, also, typically, two may be one too many...🙂...

Enjoy, the way(s), you see it for yourself...!!

Great set of shots!