Highly unusual Boeing 757 ‘Ferrari of the Skies’ is a 40-year-old legend with a third engine
Published on Jan 27, 2026 at 1:13 PM (UTC+4)
by Jason Fan
Last updated on Jan 27, 2026 at 2:42 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
In 2022, a Honeywell Boeing 757 test aircraft with three engines celebrated its 40th year with a legacy of high-flying innovation.
Most planes are long retired by this age, but this airborne legend is just warming up.
It’s part jet lab, part thrill-seeker, and part globe-trotter, proving that age really is just a number.
And with its signature third engine pylon sticking out like a badge of honor, it’s not your average airliner.
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Testing engines in real conditions
Most airliners have two engines under the wings.
Of course, exceptions do exist.
The Airbus A380, which is the largest commercial aircraft in use today, has four engines; the Boeing 747, affectionately known as the ‘Queen of the Skies’, also boasts four engines.
However, the Honeywell Boeing 757 sometimes carries a unique third on the fuselage.
This allows engineers to test engines in real conditions at altitude.
After all, ground test cells can’t replicate turbulence, airflow, icing, or other atmospheric factors.
The pylon often carries a ‘Golden Engine’, a consistent reference engine.
It calibrates sensors and ensures data is accurate, allowing engineers to compare results year after year.
This boosts confidence when testing new engines or upgrades.
Inside, the aircraft is mostly stripped out, like most other test aircraft.
Passenger seats are replaced with engineering stations and sensor bays.
Each flight can test multiple systems at once.
For example, one team will monitor the pylon engine, while another will check advanced avionics or connectivity hardware.
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Honeywell often pushes this Boeing 757 to its limits
According to Captain Joe Duval, Honeywell’s Flight Test director, the plane has intentionally flown into storms and toward mountains just to see what it could handle.
As of 2022, it has done more than 800 flight tests and more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 countries, making it a legend in the aviation industry.
Despite being over four decades old, there are no plans to retire it.
If you ever see a strange aircraft with three engines, don’t worry, it’s not missing an engine.
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Jason joined the editorial team at Supercar Blondie in April 2025 as a Content Writer. As part of the growing editorial team working in Australia, and in synergy with team members in Dubai, the UK, and elsewhere in the world, he helps keep the site running 24/7, injecting his renowned accuracy and energy into every shift.
