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FIRST flight of the higher capacity Boeing 767‐300 in January this year was another step in the evolution of this twinjet designed to cater for airlines different requirements for range and number of passengers while retaining the maximum commonality of one design. From the initial appearance of the first aircraft in 1981 and its entry into service a year later, it was apparent that the passenger appeal of a twin aisle configuration with seven across seating was considerable together with the fact that there would be two window seats and four aisle seats in each row. The 767‐200 was the initial version in airline service for short to medium ranges with a standard 216‐seat mixed class layout which of course, could be varied by the operator to the optimum for any particular requirement. Two maximum take‐off weights (MTOW) were envisaged at this time, 280,000 lb and 282,000 lb, which gave ranges of 2,435 n miles and 2,525 n miles, respectively, with the number of passengers mentioned above.