Vanguard Airlines 737-200 Solid Maple Tail Panel
Designed and crafted in the United States, this laser engraved solid maple panel depicts the vertical tail of the Boeing 737-200 in the markings of Vanguard Airlines (NJ). Planned by Boeing as its entry in the short- to medium-haul twin jet building race of the mid-1960s, the initial Series 100 model of the 737 was derived from the larger 727, but for 80-100 passengers.
With the 737, Boeing opted for underwing engine placement and a conventional tail structure, in opposition to the rear engine/T-tail layout favored by its competitors for the similarly sized BAC 1-11, DC-9, and F-28.
The 737-100 entered service in April 1968 with Lufthansa, and the stretched Model 200, typically seating 100-120 passengers, entered service almost simultaneously with United Airlines. The Series 200 was the better seller of the two, with nearly 1,100 -200s built, versus 30 of the -100.
Each tail panel is engraved to recall a 737 airline operator with carrier markings on one side, and a brief description of the airline on the reverse side. The 737 tail panel is approximately 3.35 inches (8.5 cm) tall, and 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) wide, with a matching maple base that measures 4.3 inches (10.9 cm) long and 1.35 inches (3.4 cm) wide.
The tail panel is cut from solid maple with a thickness of 1/8 inch (0.3 cm). The laser cutting and engraving produces a rich caramel-colored edge and image, that contrasts well against the wood grain of the panel. A low-gloss polyurethane finish protects the panel, and each will have its own characteristic wood graining, reflecting the position on the board that it was cut from.
These tail panels are a special way to recall a classic airliner and the airlines that flew it!
737 Tail Panel Q&A:
1. How technically accurate is the 737 tail panel? The tail panel is an artistic representation of the 737 vertical tail, rather than a technical drawing. It represents the tail's overall shape, appearance, and primary structures.
2. If the airline didn't have both its name and marketing image on it's fleet tails, isn't this design inaccurate? Great question! Many airlines didn't brand their aircraft tails, or used only color shading or stripes on their tails. This design was created to bring together the unique look of the specific aircraft's tail with the markings of the airline that operated it... but knowing that the actual aircraft may have been decorated differently back in the day.
3. If I buy one of this tail design, and one of your tail designs for another aircraft, will the two tail panels be to scale when compared to each other? Thanks for raising this! The tail panels were designed to be relatively sized against each other (meaning a 737 tail panel will be taller than a DC-9 tail panel), but are not scaled precisely to the actual aircraft dimensions.
4. What if I don't find a design for a particular airline I'm interested? Send us a note to tell us what you'd like to have, and we'll look into it for you!