Boeing 727 Memories

[Tri-holer]

I've got 1532 hours sitting sideways watching other people fly. That was 1500 hours too many. But, I loved the 72. Never got to be a Captain in it but had lots of fun flying it. Flying an CRJ now and still miss the old lady. I wish I could say it was the best of the big jets but it was my only big jet and I don't have the experience base to say that. But what a jet!

Best description of plumbing the 72 was like watching two people make love - kinda cool, but you would much rather be up there doing it yourself.

And as far as the 2-person 72 mod, it wasn't feasible. They determined that losing the birdstrike protection for the FE was an unacceptable loss.

Boeingav8r, you sound like you were at Kevin's airline. Nothing like running a good operation into the ground.

By the way, just because Delta et al doesn't fly it anymore doesn't mean it's gone. I flew it at a 3rd tier airline and there are many more of those still flying the Lady. Mostly at night. It will work on for a long time.

 

[KDA or DEATH]

727

Right Seat: 3 years

Left Seat: 6 years

I loved Her more than ANY of my ex-wives.

She was honest, true, sleek and fast...My ex's only met two of these requirements, and NOT the important ones.

Dang, I'm a little "verklempt"...that's all I can say right now.

YKW

 

[PastV1]

We still have a few left here at FDX. 124 I think. Saw on our info TV that we just took the last Eastern 727 to Fayetteville, AR and donated it to an aviation school.

Don't give up on the 727 yet. "When the last Airbus is flown to the desert, the crew will jumpseat home on a 727"

Past.....

 

[EOpilot]

That plane is a tank. Built back when Boeing was less concerned with cost and more concerned with never having to worry about sturctural or control failure.

Any newer aircraft will seem flimsy in comparison. More efficient, sure, but still not the same.

Almost 3 years and 1100 hours in the FE seat and a bit over a year and 600 hours in the FO seat.

Fininshing initial ground school was the proudest I've ever been in accomplishing a task. After that it was cake.

I love telling some of the stories about flying over in Europe (free speed!) and 350 to the marker. Unfortunately I only experienced that as an FE. And the ballistic trajectory climb to 330 from TUS to ELP. And 350 knots at 10000, 10 miles from the airport and getting unexpectedly cleared for the straight-in visual at IND (we were trying to make up for the 1 hour late departure. with the clacker cruise at 240 and the shortcut taxi route at JFK, it almost worked.)

As an FE I'd slap the side of the nose twice during the walkaround to signal the FO that it was all clear to open the hydraulic interconnect. In the beginning I did it as a matter of procedure. Towards the end I did it as kind of an "atta boy" for another cycle. One of these days I'll go down to Goodyear and visit one of those old postal birds. And if I get close enough, I'll give ol' 316 two pats on the nose.

 

[Rick1128]

The 72 is the Learjet of the airline set. Pour fuel in at one end and make noise out the other. Got over 1800 hours in the right seat. Was very fortunate to have a couple of very experienced Captains my first few months, who taugh me everything they knew on the airplane. Systems wise is was a bear, but the 70 was worst.

Ran across one of my one 72's in Africa being flown by Trans Afrik. They always seemed to be breaking through the runways and taxiways. They would jack em up and off they would go. While I was there one was hit by a 40mm AA shell. The crew landed safely. They replaced the flap, did a little sheet metal work and it was back on the line. Angola was tough on airplanes. I asked one of the crews, how heavy they flew the aircraft, which were all 100 series. The answer I got was that the performance charts went to 200,000 pounds. On a 169,500 pound GTOW aircraft. It is one tough bird.

Before the 'experts' start jumping in here, I do believe them on their weights as I have seem them load and unload, takeoff and I knew them well enough to know they were telling me the truth as they knew it.

 

[peter185]

727

General Lee, My experience is that those that bad mouth the three- holer never flew it, couldn't fly it, or were afraid of it. Which one of these categories do you fall into?
Also, in my limited experience, those that were unhappy as S/O's, are unhappy as F/O's, and are unhappy as Captains. Too bad you couldn't get along with one of Mr. Boeing's best airplanes: it is your loss.

 

[corpguy]

Single engine CFIs should keep their opinions to themselves.

Open a thread of 'memories of the 172'.

 

[dogman]

I really enjoyed sitting sideways on the 72. Sure, its was really busy at times and really boring at times, but it wasn't hard, except for ground school and the checkride. One of the funniest things I ever saw, was on the inside lid of the FE desk. It said, "Insert d*ck, slam lid hard!"

 

[peter185]

727

My dad posted that under my user name, he has sat in all 3 seats on the 727, and was a check airman, so has the experience to make that kind of statement. I tried to tell him that people would get on to me for posting something like that with the profile that I have but he insisted.

 

[mobs]

We have a pilot that when a new hire FE caught alot of flack. Terry Morgan and his dad(Len of Flying mag.) co-wrote the book The Boeing 727 Scrapbook. After Braniff went under Terry was hired by Piedmont and went to 727 grd. school, you can guess when he asked a question that everyone said "well you wrote the book"! He went on to be a 737 check airman,but his next book was about tanks.

 

[boeingav8r]

General Lee, My experience is that those that bad mouth the three- holer never flew it, couldn't fly it, or were afraid of it. Which one of these categories do you fall into?
Also, in my limited experience, those that were unhappy as S/O's, are unhappy as F/O's, and are unhappy as Captains. Too bad you couldn't get along with one of Mr. Boeing's best airplanes: it is your loss.

My dad posted that under my user name, he has sat in all 3 seats on the 727, and was a check airman, so has the experience to make that kind of statement. I tried to tell him that people would get on to me for posting something like that with the profile that I have but he insisted.

DOH!

 

[HvyjetFO]

727 memories

The 727 is a great airplane. She has a classical sexy look about her, and she's a lot bigger in person on the ramp than she appears from the terminal window. Great firey display starting the APU on a cold day as a 10 foot flame shoots out of the APU exhaust on the right wing root. (Rare but it happened). Great hand flying airplane. Landing her was always a challenge. Never the same landing twice even if you do everything the same. Great speed...terrible wind noise. Don't use Manual Glideslope on the A/P unless you want to go for a ride. Manual generator adjustments before you can bring them online, and always had to "taste" the power before you could put it online. Flaps 25 takeoffs out of LGA that would leave everyone breathless. Check and roll, baby, check and roll.

Hvy

 

[brucek]

I've never been on the flight-deck of a 727, let alone fly one. But if you can rate an aircraft by how it looks, the 72 has to be right up there with the DC-10 (just my preferences).

I'm interested in who's still flying the 72. I think FedEx still do? Anyone else still flying this bird these days?

Thanks,

Bruce.

 

[RyanB727]

Who's still flying the 727?

The question is who is NOT flying the 727.

I know a lot of people like to look at thew majors and say "The 727 is almost gone". Not true...its just moved on to its new life as a freighter.

On the Emery ramp in Dayton on any given weeknight there are at least 20 727's sitting there from Ryan International, Express.Net, Custom Air Transport, and a variety of others. Add to that the Kitty Hawks, Capital Air Cargos, and, yes, even UPS and FedEx, and you have quite a bit of 727's running around out there. They just see a lot more moonlight than sunlight these days.

1100 hours in the back and 2500 in the right seat. Got a trip from PHX to DAY about 4 hours from now. I can't BELIEVE anyone could rag on this airplane.....

 

[brucek]

Thanks for the info. Yes- a cool plane.

 

[mobs]

I know some will disagree,but the 100 was more fun than the 200,411 ias vmo was a blast. That was way back when fuel was cheap and FAs were young. Mobs

 

[Airpiraterob]

oh it wont be gone......

A TWA 727 was the first plane i ever flew in. 1985, I was 9 and with my dad. From St.Louis to Indy in 'bout a half hour' he said. Made it there that morning for the race on Memorial day weekend. I heard about how long the 727 has been in service even then. Information was confirmed with a look at the white plastic paneling of the walls and around the windows, flaked with bits of sparkly chrome embedded in intricate 60's fashionable patterns. We took off with my eyes frozen in place at the window for the whole trip. Climbed up steep, sat up on top for 5 minutes, then back down again all too brief. I always knew I wanted to do 'something' with airplanes as my future. This helped me make one of the biggest decisions in my life. Banks and credit ratings can kiss it, Yessir ima gonna be a pilot!

Danny Sullivan won that year. I sat on the exit inside of turn 4 unfortunately behind some shirtless noisy sweaty dude. That guy contaminated all my pictures from my Kodak Disc camera. At least I have a hostorical account of what a real mullet looked like.

 

[embdrvr]

Re: 727

My dad posted that under my user name, he has sat in all 3 seats on the 727, and was a check airman, so has the experience to make that kind of statement. I tried to tell him that people would get on to me for posting something like that with the profile that I have but he insisted.

Tell Dad to get his own account!
Sounds like he'd have some good contributions to make.

 

[AceCrackshot]

My father and cousin were both pig drivers long after either could have transistioned to higher paying aircraft. That says alot.

My cousins favorite line, "The terrorists didn't want 72s because the would have just flown right through the building."

The 72 was always a schoolhouse airplane. At my father's airline he would often be paired with an F/O and F/E that both had less than 100 hours of total time at the airline. Single pilot 727.

I have an hour and a half of panel time. Showed up to jumpseat to work on a freighter...F/E looks about three shades of green and is hitting the lav about every three minutes. BS with the Capt and FO for a few minutes, and Capt asks if I'd run the panel if they help me out. What a lottery ticket! My oral consisted of "What do you do if we lose an engine of takeoff." We where at a mountain airport.
I pointed at the fuel dumps..."OK, lets go."

I'd trade alot for that again.

 

[BMD]

Sounds like

Loud, Hard to Land, Old, Love it or hate it. Sounds like the P-3 (Electra). BMD

 

[TriStar_drvr]

The 727 was the first jet aircraft I flew (the TriStar is the second). I still think it's the nicest looking airliner ever built. Loved flying it, although flaps 25 takeoffs at Midway were eye openers, and all landings there made you sit up straight and fly right.

I must have a thing about old, fast, three holers...

 

[flx757]

I must have a thing about old, fast, three holers...

*_____________________________________*(Insert clever remark here)

 

[TriStar_drvr]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by TriStar_drvr

I must have a thing about old, fast, three holers...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



*_____________________________________*(Insert clever remark here)



Boy, I knew I left myself open on that one

 

[F/O]

My favorite 727 moment:

One night we were headed into ORD from the southeast. There were very strong thunderstorms northwest of the field moving southeast and we were trying to beat them in. The captain got a shortcut direct BEARZ direct O'Hare. We were doing about .89 at the time. The noise level in the cockpit was earsplitting, although I was wearing earplugs as usual. I was on the ACARS almost non-stop trying to get the latest updates on the rapidly changing weather at ORD and MKE, our alternate. I'm literally screaming the info up to the other pilots so they could hear me.

Long story short, we haul ass in there and land, beating the TSRA by about 5 minutes. We pull off onto the taxiway and right away I go off onto COM 2 to verify the gate. I explained to the pilots that many of the gates were still occupied due to the weather and we would need the penalty box. The only thing was that without realizing it I used the same volume level I had been regulary screaming at them at for about the last hour (my plugs were still in). They looked at each other and started cracking up....."OK, OK, we heard ya...."
===================================

Along the same lines, here's a 727 crew out on their layover

Engineer: "Boy it sure is windy!"

F/O: "Naw, it's not Wednesday it's Thursday."

Capt: "Yeah, I'm thirsty too let's go grab a beer....."

 

[Tri-holer]

I've always heard the perfect 727 layover is:
Engineer doesn't spend any money
First officer gets laid
Captain has a BM.

And three things you don't want to hear in a 72 cockpit:
Engineer saying "In my experience..."
FO saying "I was just thinking..."
Captain saying "Let me show you what this baby can really do"

kinda along the lines of "here, hold my beer"

 

[Huck]

Let me add: you don't ever want to hear an old captain say, "Watch this sh!t - this is how we did it in 'Nam!"