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.