The 727 Turns Fifty
Once a best-seller, the airliner’s pilots still swear by it.
- By George C. Larson, Member, NAA
- Air & Space magazine, January 2013
Once a best-selling airliner, the 727 now hauls cargo rather than passengers (a Federal Express 727 approaches a runway in 2009).
Michael Durning
To anyone born after 1990, the Boeing 727 is that odd-looking airliner in the far corner of the airport, the one with three jet engines clustered around the tail, one mounted atop the fuselage. What made the once-ubiquitous 727 such a rarity on today’s airport ramps was the noise from its engines, but at one time it was the world’s fastest-selling airliner. This year we celebrate 50 years since its first flight—on February 9, 1963—and first customer delivery (to United Air Lines, in October).
The 727 is the only airplane Boeing has ever built with three engines and a T tail, but that’s not what surprised people most when they first saw it. During its early appearances, as the 727 approached the runway, bystanders gaped at the expanse of sheet metal that extended from its wings. Like a raptor approaching its nest, the Seven Two completely changed the shape of its wings, with triple-slot flaps emerging from the trailing edge and leading edge devices protruding in front to create a low-speed airfoil of high camber, or curvature. Once in cruise, though, that flap array disappeared—folded or retracted like the blades of a pocket knife—and the wing became a scimitar enabling speeds of 600-plus mph.
Boeing created the oddly configured 727 because three important customers had somewhat overlapping requirements: American, United, and Eastern all needed an airplane to serve their shorter domestic routes and to feed their international routes, for which the 707 better fit the mission. At the same time, British European Airways was seeking a similar aircraft to serve its London-Europe markets, and the company tried to interest Boeing in a joint effort with de Havilland, which was designing its Trident for the role, with Rolls-Royce Speys providing the power. After Eastern’s chief, Eddie Rickenbacker, placed his chips on the newer and more powerful—though relatively untested—Pratt & Whitney JT8D, Boeing sent its regrets to the British. Rickenbacker also wanted that third burner to meet overwater regs for his Caribbean routes.
In addition, the airlines wanted equipment for operation at smaller airports; this requirement led to the 727’s having an airstair that deployed from the aft lower fuselage. That rear stair came in handy during D.B. Cooper’s famous 1971 hijacking of a Northwest Orient 727; he opened the door and parachuted out of the airplane and into legend.
The 727’s low approach speeds allowed Eastern to slip it into some of its smaller markets with short runways—such as Runway 9/27 at Key West International Airport in Florida, with 4,801 feet of asphalt—and its hub at New York’s LaGuardia. (Airline pilots talk of a test landing at Billings, Montana, that took 1,800 feet, from touchdown to wheels stopped.)
The Seven Two’s pilots still swear by it. Rob Buck flew all three seats during 18 years at Delta, and he still remembers the “WAGs”—wild-ass guesses, or estimates in which you take the airplane’s gross weight (150,000 pounds), drop the one and the three zeroes, divide the remaining 50 by 2, then add 2 to the 25, put a one in front of it, and that was one of your key rotation V speeds: about 127 knots (146 mph). It’s one reason he calls it “the greatest [Cessna] 172 ever made,” except that it “would go like hell.”
The stretched -200 sold like hotcakes, but the JT8Ds were loud. Hush kits kept some flying but added weight and complexity, and besides, Boeing had its single-aisle replacement ready: the 757, with an all-glass cockpit and just two engines, like a normal airplane.
Comments (9)
The first time I ever flew was a round-trip flight on Pacific Southwest Airlines 727s, on a business-related run out of San Jose International south to Orange Country/John Wayne airport, Calif. and back again. P.S.A. was well-known for their TV commercials featuring 727 aircraft sporting painted-on smiles.
It was raining fairly hard on the outbound trip, and I will never forget the incredible acceleration of those 3- turbojets as we shot down the runway and into the air. I was staring out my side window, marveling at the rain outside illuminated in the still activated landing lights of the right wing and zipping past sideways at 200+ mph when we took an unexpected lightning strike on the nose.
The sudden flash and loud crash of the thunder and bright flash startled me for a moment. Recovering, I mentioned to a co-worker friend in the seat besides me that we just took a lightning strike. Overhearing my words, a frightened woman with eyes as wide as coffee cups looked back over the top of her seat at me and asked "Is that what it was?". I assured her that strikes happen often with no damage to the aircraft, something I had read in aviation-related publications many times. I was certainly hoping they were correct.
Shortly after the incident, the pilot or co-pilot came on speaker to reassure us that there were no problems and that the flight was continuing as scheduled. I can't recall his exact words, but he said something like "Ahhh, we just a little bit of a lightning strike up here, but everything is fine. And if you think that flash was something, then you should have seen the light-show we saw up front here through the windshield!"
The return trip was uneventful...and I was JUST fine with that.
Posted by Steve on January 26,2013 | 05:50 PM
I always loved flying on the 727, although I have never used the airstair. Being a kid with an obsession for things flying, I never tired of watching the wings do their work on take-offs and landings. Ah, the days of being an airline brat.
Posted by MikeT on January 28,2013 | 06:20 PM
I logged over 7000 hours on the 727s during my career with TWA. We refered to them as "Miss Piggy" or simply "the Pig" due to the fact that they were slightly underpoweremd at heavy weights. Those of us who flew them insisted that however many hours we had logged, 2/3rds of that time was in climb! With that said, the 727 was a great airplane. Rugged and versitile fun to fly, and as slow a climber it was, it could descend like a red paving brick when you needed to.
Posted by Al Francis on February 6,2013 | 05:09 PM
I logged over 7000 hours on the 727s during my career with TWA. We refered to them as "Miss Piggy" or simply "the Pig" due to the fact that they were slightly underpoweremd at heavy weights. Those of us who flew them insisted that however many hours we had logged, 2/3rds of that time was in climb! With that said, the 727 was a great airplane. Rugged and versitile fun to fly, and as slow a climber it was, it could descend like a red paving brick when you needed to.
Posted by Al Francis on February 7,2013 | 11:39 AM
THE DELTA VERSION OF THE STRETCH 727 HAD AN EMERGENCY DOOR OPPOSITE THE REAR GALLEY. THE EMERGENCY DOOR MADE FOR A VERY WIDE EXIT ROW OF SEATS THAT I TRIED TO GET EVERY TIME I FLEW ESPECIALLY DCA TO BOS or ATL. THERE WAS MORE LEGROOM THAN AN NBA PLAYER WOULD WANT. I WAS FLYING ON THE SAME FLIGHT EVERY FRIDAY OUT OF ATL FOR DCA FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS, MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS THE SAME CREW, THEY SERVED A FULL MEAL ON THAT FLIGHT, ONE TIME THEY ZIPPED RIGHT INTO THE SOUTHERN/MOUNT VERNON APPROACH TO DCA AND I GOT RECRUITED TO PICK UP TRAYS. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT HANDED ME MY COAT AT THE END AND I HEARD A JINGLE IN A POCKET. SHE SAID CHECK IT LATER. WHILE WAITING FOR MY BAG, I CHECKED MY POCKET AND FOUND TWO AIRLINE SIZE BOTTLES OF MY FAVORITE SCOTCH.
Posted by JIM BOYD on February 8,2013 | 03:44 PM
An interesting story about the 727 in its early days: At the time the three-holer first entered Part 121 (airline) service, there were still four-engine piston airliners flying. On one occasion, an early 727 was descending for the final approach to landing ahead of a TWA Super Constellation. An air traffic controller gave a command for the Connie to descend, and the Captain of said plane replied:
"I'd be happy to do what you're asking, if that dam slow-moving jet would get out of my way!"
Posted by Alex Kovnat on February 8,2013 | 09:33 PM
I was a mechanic who worked the "Seven two" at both TWA and Northwest Airlines and I loved it. I've been out of commercial aviation for about 9 yrs now and I miss that airplane. It brings back a lot of memories when I think about those days. Aviation and the 727 will always remain my life passion.
Posted by Lou G. on February 9,2013 | 05:00 PM
In the early 1990's I was working the ramp in Québec City for Air Canada. From all the planes I had the chance to fly (as a passenger...), the 727 was my favourite. I was amazed how the 727 accelerated, and how loud it was compared to the DC9. I also remember on a cold october morning, how a mechanic solved an engine snag with a can of WD-40 and a screwdriver!
Posted by Francis Foy on February 13,2013 | 10:05 PM
I flew for American for 30 years. 13 of those years were in the 727, with time in all three cockpit seats. It was a fabulous airplane, honest, strong, solid and reliable. You could absorb virtually any problem or damage and keep flying to a usually uneventful landing. However, the plane was so well designed and built that you rarely needed that ability. When in landing configuration it could crawl through the air yet when cleaned up it flew faster than almost everything in the sky. The handling qualities were very nice, also, it was a joy to fly. The "shortie" was the best flying, but the later "stretch" versions flew almost as nicely.
When still in the Air Force, I flew parts in to repair the World Airways 727 that landed in Saigon with literally thousands of bullet holes in it after escaping from an outlying airport under fire. They got that beauty flying enough to get it out of Saigon before that city fell. With further repairs, it flew on for many years. I walked around that airplane on the ramp in Saigon with awe -- it absorbed all that punishment and flew its occupants to safety. What a plane!!
Posted by Bob Pustell on February 17,2013 | 03:50 PM