Southwest Airlines PMDG NG3 Configurations
Boeing 737-700/800
(Revised 28 AUG 2022)
Jviation Liveries (Jordan)
Table of Contents
Preface
Page 3
Boeing 737-700 (Southwest Original)
Page 4
Boeing 737-700 (Ex-Airtran/Foreign)
Page 8
Boeing 737-800 (Non-ETOPS - Older)
Page 12
Boeing 737-800 (Non-ETOPS - Newer)
Page 16
Boeing 737-800 (ETOPS)
Page 20
Preface
Southwest Airlines is the world's largest Boeing 737 operator, with 739 aircraft and
hundreds more on order. Among those 739 Boeing 737s, 435 are Boeing 737-700s and 206 are
Boeing 737-800s. As the launch customer of the 737-700, Southwest Airlines has flown the very
first NGs and some of the last NGs to roll off the line. Of course, not all specific customer
options will be possible; however, I’ve chosen to write this document to help configure
Southwest PMDG liveries to be as close to the real-world Southwest 737s as possible.
Depending on when the aircraft was manufactured, some things will be different. Southwest has
also acquired second-hand 737 aircraft, most notably from carriers such as AirTran and China
Southern. These second-hand 737 aircraft also feature several cockpit differences.
Within this document, I’ve divided the different types of 737s depending on their origins
and variants. I’ve also provided notes and comments for some options, explaining why
Southwest has opted for certain settings, how they should be used, how they comply with
Southwest SOPs, and other things.
This document is not affiliated with Southwest Airlines, nor any other airline/aviation
company. All flight and aeronautical information within this document is for simulated use only
and should not be used for real-world aviation, navigation, or operation. All the information listed
below is gathered from personal experience, online resources, and discussions with real-world
Southwest 737 pilots and crew members. This document is subject to revisions and changes as
new information, procedures, and configurations are rolled out.
Boeing 737-700
(Southwest “-7H4” Original)
Notes:
- Southwest aircraft, whilst CATIII capable and authorized, are not autoland equipped.
CATIII approaches are hand-flown using the HUD.
- The cost index sometimes varies; however, the general principle is: 737NG = 40. 737
MAX = 30.
- Whilst Southwest does not have a “V1” callout, the pilot monitoring is to call “V1”.
- There are very few callouts for Southwest aircraft. The pilot monitoring provides many of
these callouts instead of the EGPWS.
- None of Southwest’s 737-700s are ETOPS equipped and should not be used for ETOPS
flights.
- All Southwest 737-700s feature retractable external lights. Some external halogen lights
have been replaced with LEDs; however, PMDG is rather “all-or-nothing” (either a very
modern, LED setup, or very old setup. No in-between). Because of this, external lights
should be left “original”.
Boeing 737-700
(Ex-Airtran/Foreign)
Notes:
- The only major difference between original Southwest 737s and foreign 737s is the
addition of ISFD standby instruments.
Boeing 737-800
(Non-ETOPS - Older)
Notes:
- The only major difference between older -800s and newer -800s is the addition of LED
landing lights, 737 MAX style cutoff switches, newer panels, and Performance
Improvement Package. Everything else is essentially the same.
- An easy way to note if the aircraft is older or newer is to see if it features retractable
halogen landing lights (older) or LED, 737 MAX style, landing lights (newer).
- The aircraft will feature “ETOPS” text on the nose gear and near the aft door to indicate if
it is an ETOPS aircraft or not.
Boeing 737-800
(Non-ETOPS - Newer)
Notes:
- The only major difference between older -800s and newer -800s is the addition of LED
landing lights, 737 MAX style cutoff switches, newer panels, and Performance
Improvement Package. Everything else is essentially the same.
- An easy way to note if the aircraft is older or newer is to see if it features retractable
halogen landing lights (older) or LED, 737 MAX style, landing lights (newer).
- The aircraft will feature “ETOPS” text on the nose gear and near the aft door to indicate if
it is an ETOPS aircraft or not.
Boeing 737-800
(ETOPS)
Notes:
- The only major difference between older -800s and newer -800s is the addition of LED
landing lights, 737 MAX style cutoff switches, newer panels, and Performance
Improvement Package. Everything else is essentially the same.
- An easy way to note if the aircraft is older or newer is to see if it features retractable
halogen landing lights (older) or LED, 737 MAX style, landing lights (newer).
- The aircraft will feature “ETOPS” text on the nose gear and near the aft door to indicate if
it is an ETOPS aircraft or not.