I started as a Ships Cleaner on the Boeing 727-100 with Frontier Airlines in Denver, Colorado in 1965 cleaning the passenger cabin between flights. I upgraded to aircraft mechanic and performed engine changes, landing gear work, etc. After Frontier’s bankruptcy, I worked for several different airlines but all on the 727. I was a Flight Engineer, then a Co-Pilot and finally a Captain. I then taught 727 systems to new hire pilots and performed simulator training. It was a GREAT airplane. I retired at age 60, nineteen years ago and still fondly remember the “Three Holer”
I've flown the fake FlyJSim 727-200 on X Plane. No idea how accurate it is, but it's a serious handful vs newer jets. I think you were supposed to land with the flaps at 35 degrees or whatever the second to last setting is. But at full flaps and max landing weight, it requires tons of power, reacts slowly and has a tendency to porpoise, which can quickly result in hull-loss sink rates if not anticipated. It forces you to think 10 seconds ahead on every control input. I also don't think it will initially climb past about 22,500 feet at MGTW or is climbing so slowly as to be impractical, at least on the sim. Takeoff performance close to max weight also leaves virtually no margin of error in attitude, flap retraction, airspeed maintenance or climb rate. Are those descriptions accurate of the real plane? The tricky flight characteristics coupled with the analogue navigation and sparse, quirky autopilot make it a plane that required piloting skill on a much higher level than what you see today imo. Still, it is a very cool jet and extremely fast relative to its modern counterparts.
My father was a pilot with Eastern airlines and was a first officer on a 727 in '65, was promoted to Captain in '67 flying out of Chicago (ORD),. He flew the aircraft until 1979 when he switched to the A300 and retired on that jet in '82. He loved the 727, was always his favorite airplane. He started in 1951 on a DC-3 and flew many different aircraft through the years, including the Lockheed Constellation and Electra. Prior to that he was a pilot on a B-17 in WWII.
@@daveo532 I've always thought the SP was a cool aircraft. I know there weren't a whole lot of them. Read somewhere that some modifications had to be done to the wing and tail.
My late father, Milt Jensen retired from UAL as Captain in 1992. During his career he flew the 727 and served as a volunteer guide for this exhibit at the Museum Science and Industry until his uniform no longer fit.
I wonder if our dads knew each other, my father was Captain Greg Wright in the video, he passed 3 years ago, and he volunteered many years for the museum.
@@thurstythoughts hard telling. Milt was very active in the Chicago RUPA chapter, emceeing for many years. So if Greg was also active in RUPA, no doubt they were acquainted. Milt was among the Capital Airlines pilots assimilated into UAL when they merged I the late 1950s.
I was the United Airlines test pilot who landed this aircraft at Meigs Field, not Ray Wadell. I was asked by Manual Villamil (below) to explain why this landing looked bad with the bounce. Here is my explanation: I was an Air Force pilot for 22 years, flew numerous airplanes including the KC-135, RB-57F, U-2, F-104, and SR-71. I am a graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School. I have just over 1,000 hours of combat flying time in C-130s in the Vietnam War. The latter may have been the reason my boss chose me to fly the Meigs delivery. It was not my idea. Meigs’ runway length was just over 3,000 feet with Lake Michigan as the overrun. Dispatch had erroneously put about 12,000 pounds more fuel than I requested (they were working off of some standard fuel load, which I did not want). There was about a 15-knot gusty crosswind from the left, and as you can tell from the video, the aircraft responded sluggishly with full flaps. I knocked off 10 knots from the published approach speed (standard short-field landing procedure) which, in retrospect, due to the gusts, was a mistake because as I attempted to “flare,” the airplane just continued to the runway and was subjected to the bounce and the crosswind. If I had it to do over, I would not have reduced the approach speed. I completed the landing roll in just under 2,000 feet from the approach end. There are thousands of people each year who visit the magnificent display in the museum, which is a tribute to United Airlines. I have not received any remuneration or accolade for this flight or video, but it is part of the record and deserves to be seen by anyone interested.
Capt. Thomas thanks for your great service to our Nation! I appreciate your hard work on that approach, and like many others, now I understand what happened. As a former Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor in the USAF, I watched many hard landings at runways like Shemya AFB AK, where crosswinds and the everlasting fog made it impossible to achieve a smooth landing. Happy Landings!
There's one at the bottom of Lake Mich just north of Chicago. Crashed in August 1965 with 30 souls on board. Apparently pilots misread the altimeter and descended gradually into the water. Brand new plane w 2 months service.
I was a flight engineer on this airplane when I was a pilot for United Airlines 1986-2015. We knew it was going to the museum and on my last flight on this airplane, which I recall was the #4 built, I scratched y initials on the back side of the flight engineer panel.
727 was the first aircraft I ever flew on. I will never forget the journey as a child. I was so excited. I flew PSA one stop from SAN to LAX to SFO. I at 8 years old I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I still remember that plane ride fondly.
I remember Allegheny flying a daily 727-100 out of Binghamton, NY to Chicago back in the late 70's. The runway was 6300" back then. Also fun watching the DC-9's chew up runway on a hot day...
The Boeing 727. Far and away my FAVORITE aircraft. I've flown on dozens of the three holers all over the place. Even in Spain on Iberia. My VERY first airline trip was on an Eastern Airlines 727 from Miami to Washington, D.C. Flew it with Mom. I was five. 1967. I don't think I've ever read this nor seen ot in a documentary but, I think airline travel began to go WAY downhill when the 727's began retiring. I haven't flown since Mom passed over 8 years ago. Anymore, I'll just drive. That's how airlines have become anymore.
I recently took a flight on Southwest from Las Vegas to Portland, Or. No complaints at all. Couldn't have been more pleasant. There is one thing that I really notice is how much more powerful modern day engines are compared to jets from the 1960s/1970s when I did a lot of flying as a kid. The newer jet engines really kick ass.
I flew on business so very often a few decades ago on 727's. Just loved flying on them and of course we didn't have the nutcases on airlines that they attract now--just a few hijackers now and then! This tri-jet was quiet, smooth and the seats were actually comfortable. Boy, are those days gone!
Former Boeing Everett here... There are advantages to placing engines at rear of aircraft. It is quieter for the passengers. Both intake noise and exhaust noise is behind passengers. It will be noisy in lavatories, but not in passenger compartment. In the event of an engine failure, thrust induced Yaw is much less. Engines are very close to center-line. In a typical wing under design with engines hanging on bottom of wings, they are far from center-line. Lose an engine and plane will Yaw (turn) towards side of plane missing thrust. If not managed immediately by pilot, bad things can happen. Not only is Yaw introduced, but sometimes it starts to Roll (bank). 4 engine planes are less prone to this. Rear engine planes avoid most of that. Only thing that is bad about this layout is maintenance on engines. They are placed high on either side of vertical stabilizer. If Tri-Jet configuration, center engine is inside vertical stabilizer. Many business jets use twin rear mounted engines very successfully.
The problem with rear mounted engines though is they take away from the zero fuel weight of the aircraft and don’t provide bending relief for the wings. Thus.. the wings of a plane with tail mounted engines have to be made stronger and the wing attach fittings have to be stronger as well.
@@calvinnickel9995 You should see how massive wings are on 747. Main spar is just like a i beam on building. They hold engines, fuel, flights controls, and support all lift. They are really strong.
When the Boeing-727 aircraft (Number: N7017U) landed at Meigs Field, Chicago on September 28, 1992, to be an exhibit for the Museum of Science and Industry, the 3-man crew was: Captain: B C Thomas (me), First Officer: Bill Loewe, and Second Officer: Greg Hammes. We were a United Airlines flight test crew. The person, Ray Waddell, who was mentioned twice in the video as being the pilot, was the First Officer (copilot) for the last commercial flight the day before. I have no idea how Ray Waddell was identified as the pilot who flew the airplane to Meigs Field.
Thanks for sharing! You remind me of my father- Captain Greg Wright (shown in the video), if there was something inaccurate he wanted to clear it up! I appreciate hearing what really happened. How awesome that you got to fly it for the last time!
@@manuelvillamil9809 To be fair, I’m guessing he was a little out of currency with the type at the time. 🤣 Also with that short runway you can’t float - not that a bounce is great either, but I’m sure they briefed to GET the thing on the ground.
I never did fly the 727 but so many were made and operated by airlines world wide. When I arrived from overseas for flight training winter of 1965/66 arrived Chicago in a TWA 707, then TWA 727 to Reno. I still have the small advertising brochure. Some carriers were, SAA, PIA, Alitalia, JB Cooper Airlines etc. 😂. The flight deck was almost a carbon copy of the 707 which I did fly just one engine less.
I can remember as a kid boarding/deplaning by the rear stairs numerous times, it was totally cool!.......Western Airlines baby......'The only Way To Fly"........🦉
What always gets me is how a city with such ingrained corruption and criminality can have so many wonderful features, such as the University of Chicago, this museum, and others.
I flew the 727 for American Airlines, all 3 seats, as an engineer, then First Officer, and eventually Captain, I loved it. The last real pilots jet I’d say. The modern Boeing’s are awesome too thanks to glass cockpits and computerized flight controls.
The 727 and the DC-8 were my favorite airliners. They looked fast, sexy... As a boy, the coolest humans on earth were airline pilots... Later, I met a few and found out they are also some of the funniest folks out there... One told me that he stole his co-pilot's candy bars!
Oops, I meant the DC-9, though the '8' is sexy too. My dad once worked at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, and we toured the plant when I was a kid... Also, before it was sealed up, the rear access ramp for the 727 made that plane the favorite airliner for many skyjackers... and also one D.B. Cooper.
As a general Aviation Private pilot, Flying commercially would have taken a lot more training and experience. However I do have a lot of fanny time as a passenger flying all over the US as a large systems computer engineer. The 727 was great and comfortable. I also had a lot of fanny time in DC9's and A 300's as well as many commuter turbo props.
I remember back in 1976, when my family moved to New Jersey from Ohio, my father, brothers and I went to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. A British Airways 707, the very one that Queen Elizabeth flew on, was on display at the FI, and you could walk through it, but the cockpit was gated off.
The B727 is the hot rod of the Boeing family. Had the pleasure of flying many Eastern and People Express trijets back in the 80's....Would LOVE to see a resurrection of this aeroplane.......AND Concorde....
Regarding the move to get it into the museum... why did they move the entire thing with all those issues (taking down light poles in the parking lot, etc.) and THEN disassemble it to get it in the building? It sure would have been easier to disassemble in at the warehouse in Indiana and then transport those pieces all the way.
I worked on these 727 aircraft at the United overhaul facility in Oakland California back in the the late 80’s to early 90’s. They were in rough shape. And at LAX in the late 90’s. I could not believe how ancient these airplanes were. Compared to the new 777’s, Airbus 320, etc. my favorite project on these old 727’s was working on mods on the Aft Airstair door.
I used to fly the Boeing 727 with the former Pacific Southwest Airlines, as a child living in Glendale, California. We flew from Burbank to Oakland to visit my Grandparents in Concord, sometimes. I always loved how the 727 looked. Especially with the orange and pink stripes and painted smile on the PSA fleet of 727's. I am sad that PSA is no longer around and that the 727 was retired from commercial airline service.
I remember flying with my dad out of DFW in a United 727, and after we pushed back from the gate the airport was put into a ground stop for a severe thunderstorm. I was probably like 8yo at the time, but already obsessed with aviation. We were probably in row 3ish, near the cockpit and flight attendants - just waiting for the storm to pass. One of the FAs asked if I’d like to see the cockpit (what kind of question is that?!) and wow, I can STILL remember how spectacular the taxiway lighting and massive airport looked (it was just getting dark) especially with the lightning in the background. Plane was fired up, all instruments on… I had NEVER experienced that before (I’d visit before or after a flight, but it was shut down.) They let me hang out there and laughed as I’d point out instruments and flight controls to them, asking a million questions, I’m sure they got a kick out of it. I hate what commercial aviation has become… being able to interact with your passengers or inspiring future pilots in that way is all but a distant memory these days. I’m 38, so to me those were the “golden days” of commercial aviation - though some still recall the prop liners I suppose. I’m glad they went to all the trouble of saving and displaying this bird - hopefully some day I’ll get to visit!
The left engine is still attached to the airplane but it has been cut away so you can see all the internal components such as the compressor, the combustion section, the turbines and the exhaust nozzle with the clamshell style reverser incorporated into it. As I recall its a turbojet engine and not a turbofan because there is no bypass duct is this particular engine.
UA looks wrong with the Continental logo. That being said.. I think the Continental globe livery was the best look for this aircraft. White on top.. grey on bottom separated by a gold stripe… and the blue tail with the white and gold globe on it.
The 727 is the sexiest airliner built in my opinion. Being the son of divorced parents, I have flown on the 727 dozens of times. I visited the cockpits many times and talked to the aircrews and toured the sim at the American Airlines Academy when still a kid in CAP. I studied it, flew it in FSX and low and behold, my daughters' director in a lot of their shows was a retired captain. Poor guy had to tolerate a middle aged dad living vicariously through hours of conversation.
Unless I'm remembering the 737, the 727 wasn't quiet after Piedmont Airlines in the 1980s ripped out all the insulation to save weight. It was a VERY noisy airplane. Earplug time. No fun at all. Piedmont was probably run by southern boys half deaf from duck hunting.
I have an original model kit of an American Airlines 727-100 from 1964. Still have yet to build it. Complete kit. That is SUCH a beautiful aircraft. I think that the airlines began scrapping them because the heavy checks started to be more expensive than the airframe was worth. Shameful but, it's all economics, I suppose.
I would fly 727 repeatedly growing up as a child and into my teenage years on Delta Airlines flying to Portland Maine from Tampa Florida. I flown on a lot of different types of aircraft but the 727 has the record for me.
Quiet until you got it up to speed. Air noise, window air leaks and smelling the forward lavatory gave it the affectionate nickname "the whistling $hithouse". Still out of all the types I've flown it's still my favorite.
Apologies if this has been answered already-- but if they had to disassemble it anyway, why fly it to Chicago and go through the hassle with the barge, storage in Indiana, Lakeshore Drive, modifying the museum parking lot, etc.? Couldn't they have separated the pieces first, shipped them, and reconstructed the airframe in the museum? (Not trying to be a troll--genuinely curious.)
I wish they haven't sawed off the whole left wing. It would have been nice to keep the whole airplane intact in the museum. It's because of a lack of space is why they had to probably do this. It still looks like a United 727 though. Nice job to the pilots, who landed it into Meigs Field's "small" runway. The airplane seemed pretty large enough to get it down into there at first. I would like to know what line number it was out of Renton. Does anyone know? The very first 727, which was also painted in the United Airlines classic scheme, is an exibit at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. That airplane is intact, and nicely displayed amongst a lot of other important relics.✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
Now, isn’t this the same model Aircraft that the D. B. Cooper jump out the rear exit with a suitcase holding a $100,000 dollars! No body has ever solved this case, after many years?
They should have let a senior line captain fly it to Meigs. Its a shame it made a really shitty landing being flown by a test pilot crew who probably had fewer flying hours on the 727 than the most junior captains... I plumbed on this exact jet when I was 25 years old...
@@thurstythoughts test pilot Thomas lists every error an experienced line Capt would not have made. About the 12,000 lbs of fuel..." standard load" the 727 with no passengers or cargo on board has a very aft cg and not knowing the zero fuel weight its hard to know, but the "extra fuel" was probably ballast for cg. Which was a common thing on the 727. I feel bad for the guy but as I said before...it should have been a line captain not test pilots in my opinion. It just made me sad to see its last flight end like that..
wasn't even born in this era but holy shit i wish this, the DC-9/MD-80/MD-90 came back i absolutely dig this shit. also what's that tail called and why are the horizontal stabilizers on the vertical stabilizer
I'm not sure if it's a 727 crew joke and i don't get it, but what is really funny is you trying to "teach" the PF a lesson and the first comment was made by the captain of the flight himself. And apparently he got in his flight hours experience, only the most amazing f*****ng plane that ever existed: SR-71. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@Parc_Ferme I got my flight hours in 60 different aircraft accumulating 36,000 + hours 8,000 in both models of 727's. Flap handles were blocked at 30 degrees flap to prevent very high sink rate on final with 40 flaps. Look up B727 short final accidents due to 40 flap high unrecoverable sink rate. Here's your free flight lesson.
@@billakers6082 impressive resumé also, so I think you're qualified enough to understand that flight test crews go beyond the aircraft standard operational procedures very often, it's expected that they know what they're doing. I would bet that the flaps choice was because they knew that the historic landing was being recorded and video production at that time was really expensive, so slowest the better. Even me with 0 hours got it 😂😂😂
The plane was designed to land with 40 flaps. It also had nose wheel brakes originally. The reason you never used 40 units in service because it was never needed at average airports and it represented less risk to use less flap. However.. on a ferry flight to a small airport.. they needed those 40 units. You _could not_ have done it with 30 and not risked going into Lake Michigan.
Great video! Loved the footage of the final landing at Meigs field and how the aircraft was shoehorned into the museum. In my opinion the 727 was the sexiest subsonic airliner of all time. Only the supersonic Concorde surpassed it in the looks department and it was a close competition. I loved the 727 in all of the Braniff "flying colors" liveries and of course the bare metal American Airlines livery.
I thought that at first, too. It was a bit bumpy. But then I read the pilot's explanation. That the plane was landed at all at Meigs' Field on a windy day is remarkable. It would have been wiser for you to have respected the pilot for having done that.
As a retired airline captain with over 1000 hours in the B-727, I usually didn't criticize a fellow pilot's landing. (Pilots tend to be their worst critic.) We had a saying: "What goes around, comes around"...everyone has an occasional less than stellar landing. Meigs Field was only 3900 feet long which is a bit short for a 727 and for most large airline jets. They probably had a FAA waiver to land there and also had the airplane as light as they could legally fly it. My question is: why was the first officer landing it instead of the captain especially if there was a strong crosswind?
I'll take it. It was a large, heavy airplane on a very short runway. I stopped in under 2,000 feet. No one likes to bounce, but it beats overshooting the aim point and floating another distance, and then coming close to Lake Michigan (or in it). See my explanation at the top of the comments.
I started as a Ships Cleaner on the Boeing 727-100 with Frontier Airlines in Denver, Colorado in 1965 cleaning the passenger cabin between flights. I upgraded to aircraft mechanic and performed engine changes, landing gear work, etc. After Frontier’s bankruptcy, I worked for several different airlines but all on the 727. I was a Flight Engineer, then a Co-Pilot and finally a Captain. I then taught 727 systems to new hire pilots and performed simulator training. It was a GREAT airplane. I retired at age 60, nineteen years ago and still fondly remember the “Three Holer”
I've flown the fake FlyJSim 727-200 on X Plane. No idea how accurate it is, but it's a serious handful vs newer jets. I think you were supposed to land with the flaps at 35 degrees or whatever the second to last setting is. But at full flaps and max landing weight, it requires tons of power, reacts slowly and has a tendency to porpoise, which can quickly result in hull-loss sink rates if not anticipated. It forces you to think 10 seconds ahead on every control input.
I also don't think it will initially climb past about 22,500 feet at MGTW or is climbing so slowly as to be impractical, at least on the sim. Takeoff performance close to max weight also leaves virtually no margin of error in attitude, flap retraction, airspeed maintenance or climb rate. Are those descriptions accurate of the real plane? The tricky flight characteristics coupled with the analogue navigation and sparse, quirky autopilot make it a plane that required piloting skill on a much higher level than what you see today imo.
Still, it is a very cool jet and extremely fast relative to its modern counterparts.
My father was a pilot with Eastern airlines and was a first officer on a 727 in '65, was promoted to Captain in '67 flying out of Chicago (ORD),. He flew the aircraft until 1979 when he switched to the A300 and retired on that jet in '82. He loved the 727, was always his favorite airplane. He started in 1951 on a DC-3 and flew many different aircraft through the years, including the Lockheed Constellation and Electra. Prior to that he was a pilot on a B-17 in WWII.
I too had the pleasure of commanding this amazing aircraft.
727 was a fighter jet masquerading as an airliner!
Hopefully your landings were better than @ 5:10
What I wouldn't give to wear YOUR shoes for awhile, Ross. Would've been my lifelong dream.
The 747SP was no slug either
@@daveo532 I've always thought the SP was a cool aircraft. I know there weren't a whole lot of them. Read somewhere that some modifications had to be done to the wing and tail.
It even LOOKS fast. What a beauty.
My late father, Milt Jensen retired from UAL as Captain in 1992.
During his career he flew the 727 and served as a volunteer guide for this exhibit at the Museum Science and Industry until his uniform no longer fit.
I wonder if our dads knew each other, my father was Captain Greg Wright in the video, he passed 3 years ago, and he volunteered many years for the museum.
@@thurstythoughts hard telling. Milt was very active in the Chicago RUPA chapter, emceeing for many years. So if Greg was also active in RUPA, no doubt they were acquainted.
Milt was among the Capital Airlines pilots assimilated into UAL when they merged I the late 1950s.
She was the finest, most beautiful aircraft ever built. Love them. Sure miss them.
72 takes a back seat to the 75 in terms of beauty
@@IlIlIlIlIlIlIlIl-v9h never
Agree. In my book only the 747 matches it
I was the United Airlines test pilot who landed this aircraft at Meigs Field, not Ray Wadell. I was asked by Manual Villamil (below) to explain why this landing looked bad with the bounce. Here is my explanation:
I was an Air Force pilot for 22 years, flew numerous airplanes including the KC-135, RB-57F, U-2, F-104, and SR-71. I am a graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School. I have just over 1,000 hours of combat flying time in C-130s in the Vietnam War. The latter may have been the reason my boss chose me to fly the Meigs delivery. It was not my idea.
Meigs’ runway length was just over 3,000 feet with Lake Michigan as the overrun. Dispatch had erroneously put about 12,000 pounds more fuel than I requested (they were working off of some standard fuel load, which I did not want). There was about a 15-knot gusty crosswind from the left, and as you can tell from the video, the aircraft responded sluggishly with full flaps. I knocked off 10 knots from the published approach speed (standard short-field landing procedure) which, in retrospect, due to the gusts, was a mistake because as I attempted to “flare,” the airplane just continued to the runway and was subjected to the bounce and the crosswind. If I had it to do over, I would not have reduced the approach speed. I completed the landing roll in just under 2,000 feet from the approach end.
There are thousands of people each year who visit the magnificent display in the museum, which is a tribute to United Airlines. I have not received any remuneration or accolade for this flight or video, but it is part of the record and deserves to be seen by anyone interested.
Capt. Thomas thanks for your great service to our Nation! I appreciate your hard work on that approach, and like many others, now I understand what happened. As a former Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor in the USAF, I watched many hard landings at runways like Shemya AFB AK, where crosswinds and the everlasting fog made it impossible to achieve a smooth landing. Happy Landings!
What was your favorite aircraft that you flew? I know which one was fastest, SR-71!
@@joemueller4738 My favorite is the SR-71, my second is the F-104. Both designed by Kelly Johnson.
@@bcthomas2h90 thank you for replying!
@@bcthomas2h90 did you know Col. Sheffield?
There's one at the bottom of Lake Mich just north of Chicago. Crashed in August 1965 with 30 souls on board. Apparently pilots misread the altimeter and descended gradually into the water. Brand new plane w 2 months service.
I loved the 727, they had incredible takeoff power and really pulled you into your seats on takeoff. Quite cabin, reliable, safe and looked awesome.
Love the 727!!!!! The 727s and the DC9s both made me fall head over heels in love with aviation when i was a kid in the 80s 💙💙💙💙
B-727 is an excellent plane I've flown 22 different types of planes. B-727 is number 1 on the list, it was a dream to fly with it
I was a flight engineer on this airplane when I was a pilot for United Airlines 1986-2015. We knew it was going to the museum and on my last flight on this airplane, which I recall was the #4 built, I scratched y initials on the back side of the flight engineer panel.
Thank you so much for posting this! The museum no longer shows this video and I miss it. I never tire of seeing all this great footage!
bring Boeing 727 back again. I love to flying 727
727 was the first aircraft I ever flew on. I will never forget the journey as a child. I was so excited. I flew PSA one stop from SAN to LAX to SFO. I at 8 years old I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. I still remember that plane ride fondly.
As Kid I thought flying a 727 was the coolest thing in the world. Now I'm over 50 yrs old and still think the same.
I remember Allegheny flying a daily 727-100 out of Binghamton, NY to Chicago back in the late 70's. The runway was 6300" back then. Also fun watching the DC-9's chew up runway on a hot day...
Allegheny’s 727-100s were purchased from United. I flew on a couple as a kid.
The Boeing 727. Far and away my FAVORITE aircraft. I've flown on dozens of the three holers all over the place. Even in Spain on Iberia. My VERY first airline trip was on an Eastern Airlines 727 from Miami to Washington, D.C. Flew it with Mom. I was five. 1967. I don't think I've ever read this nor seen ot in a documentary but, I think airline travel began to go WAY downhill when the 727's began retiring. I haven't flown since Mom passed over 8 years ago. Anymore, I'll just drive. That's how airlines have become anymore.
I recently took a flight on Southwest from Las Vegas to Portland, Or. No complaints at all. Couldn't have been more pleasant. There is one thing that I really notice is how much more powerful modern day engines are compared to jets from the 1960s/1970s when I did a lot of flying as a kid. The newer jet engines really kick ass.
Love how loud these were!💨✈️
I used to think of them as king of the thunderjets. They would set off car alarms!
LOVED The Museum Of Science and Industry when we lived in Chicago 60 years ago.
I flew on business so very often a few decades ago on 727's. Just loved flying on them and of course we didn't have the nutcases on airlines that they attract now--just a few hijackers now and then! This tri-jet was quiet, smooth and the seats were actually comfortable. Boy, are those days gone!
Yeah, the hijackers have been replaced by Karens in the cabin today. At least with a hijacker you knew where you stood.
Lol.. they weren't quiet taking off!
@@brentj.peterson6070
Outside, no. Inside the cabin, you bet they were quiet.
Former Boeing Everett here... There are advantages to placing engines at rear of aircraft. It is quieter for the passengers. Both intake noise and exhaust noise is behind passengers. It will be noisy in lavatories, but not in passenger compartment.
In the event of an engine failure, thrust induced Yaw is much less. Engines are very close to center-line. In a typical wing under design with engines hanging on bottom of wings, they are far from center-line. Lose an engine and plane will Yaw (turn) towards side of plane missing thrust. If not managed immediately by pilot, bad things can happen. Not only is Yaw introduced, but sometimes it starts to Roll (bank).
4 engine planes are less prone to this. Rear engine planes avoid most of that. Only thing that is bad about this layout is maintenance on engines. They are placed high on either side of vertical stabilizer. If Tri-Jet configuration, center engine is inside vertical stabilizer. Many business jets use twin rear mounted engines very successfully.
The problem with rear mounted engines though is they take away from the zero fuel weight of the aircraft and don’t provide bending relief for the wings.
Thus.. the wings of a plane with tail mounted engines have to be made stronger and the wing attach fittings have to be stronger as well.
@@calvinnickel9995 Thank you... great information
@@calvinnickel9995 You should see how massive wings are on 747. Main spar is just like a i beam on building. They hold engines, fuel, flights controls, and support all lift. They are really strong.
When the Boeing-727 aircraft (Number: N7017U) landed at Meigs Field, Chicago on September 28, 1992, to be an exhibit for the Museum of Science and Industry, the 3-man crew was: Captain: B C Thomas (me), First Officer: Bill Loewe, and Second Officer: Greg Hammes. We were a United Airlines flight test crew. The person, Ray Waddell, who was mentioned twice in the video as being the pilot, was the First Officer (copilot) for the last commercial flight the day before. I have no idea how Ray Waddell was identified as the pilot who flew the airplane to Meigs Field.
Thanks for sharing! You remind me of my father- Captain Greg Wright (shown in the video), if there was something inaccurate he wanted to clear it up! I appreciate hearing what really happened. How awesome that you got to fly it for the last time!
@@thurstythoughts Thank you, Amy, any idea how they got that so wrong? And they're a museum, supposedly interested in factual information.
Thanks for the correction Capt. Thomas! However, you must admit that was not your best landing ever… was it?
@@manuelvillamil9809 To be fair, I’m guessing he was a little out of currency with the type at the time. 🤣
Also with that short runway you can’t float - not that a bounce is great either, but I’m sure they briefed to GET the thing on the ground.
I never did fly the 727 but so many were made and operated by airlines world wide. When I arrived from overseas for flight training winter of 1965/66 arrived Chicago in a TWA 707, then TWA 727 to Reno. I still have the small advertising brochure. Some carriers were, SAA, PIA, Alitalia, JB Cooper Airlines etc. 😂. The flight deck was almost a carbon copy of the 707 which I did fly just one engine less.
I can remember as a kid boarding/deplaning by the rear stairs numerous times, it was totally cool!.......Western Airlines baby......'The only Way To Fly"........🦉
What always gets me is how a city with such ingrained corruption and criminality can have so many wonderful features, such as the University of Chicago, this museum, and others.
I flew the 727 for American Airlines, all 3 seats, as an engineer, then First Officer, and eventually Captain, I loved it. The last real pilots jet I’d say. The modern Boeing’s are awesome too thanks to glass cockpits and computerized flight controls.
Fresh out of A&P school first day on the job with CAL in Denver 7/27/87 working on B 727 !
That is so cool, having a real Boeing 727 in the museum.
The 727 and the DC-8 were my favorite airliners. They looked fast, sexy... As a boy, the coolest humans on earth were airline pilots... Later, I met a few and found out they are also some of the funniest folks out there... One told me that he stole his co-pilot's candy bars!
Oops, I meant the DC-9, though the '8' is sexy too. My dad once worked at Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach, and we toured the plant when I was a kid...
Also, before it was sealed up, the rear access ramp for the 727 made that plane the favorite airliner for many skyjackers... and also one D.B. Cooper.
A UA 727 took me in my first ever flight from Omaha to San Diego - 1981 for MCRD USMC Boot Camp.
I was O'hare to San Diego for MCRD, last week of December 1981. United 727. Semper Fi...
I flew some old -100's but also flew the last 727 built when it was N217FE
As a general Aviation Private pilot, Flying commercially would have taken a lot more training and experience. However I do have a lot of fanny time as a passenger flying all over the US as a large systems computer engineer.
The 727 was great and comfortable. I also had a lot of fanny time in DC9's and A 300's as well as many commuter turbo props.
The economy class seats were as comfortable as the current first class ones.
Thanks for posting! I remember watching this over and over again as a kid at MSI
I remember back in 1976, when my family moved to New Jersey from Ohio, my father, brothers and I went to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. A British Airways 707, the very one that Queen Elizabeth flew on, was on display at the FI, and you could walk through it, but the cockpit was gated off.
Great memories John!
That landing was nice! Pressure is on…FO knew everyone was watching
I met Captain Taylor Sanford in Munich Germany in 1985 . He explained every about the 727 .
The B727 is the hot rod of the Boeing family. Had the pleasure of flying many Eastern and People Express trijets back in the 80's....Would LOVE to see a resurrection of this aeroplane.......AND Concorde....
Regarding the move to get it into the museum... why did they move the entire thing with all those issues (taking down light poles in the parking lot, etc.) and THEN disassemble it to get it in the building? It sure would have been easier to disassemble in at the warehouse in Indiana and then transport those pieces all the way.
The first 727 is at the Boeing museum in Seattle.
Thanks for This vídeo about the 727 a wonderful Aircraft ever
United never invested in the refurbishments to the oldest 727s the way American did.
Loved flying as a passenger on the 727. Fast and quiet! Miss them.
Wow. This is absolutely amazing!!!
Favorite plane of D.B. Cooper
D.B. Cooper: I approved this me$$age🪂🛫💰
I worked on these 727 aircraft at the United overhaul facility in Oakland California back in the the late 80’s to early 90’s. They were in rough shape. And at LAX in the late 90’s. I could not believe how ancient these airplanes were. Compared to the new 777’s, Airbus 320, etc. my favorite project on these old 727’s was working on mods on the Aft Airstair door.
Planes today in the same "rough shape" as those 727s were in their latter years, wouldn't be airworthy. The 727 was a tank.
I used to fly the Boeing 727 with the former Pacific Southwest Airlines, as a child living in Glendale, California. We flew from Burbank to Oakland to visit my Grandparents in Concord, sometimes. I always loved how the 727 looked. Especially with the orange and pink stripes and painted smile on the PSA fleet of 727's. I am sad that PSA is no longer around and that the 727 was retired from commercial airline service.
My dad flew for TWA from 67-95. Flew the 27s and 9s. He preferred the 27.
My dad was the crew scheduler for TWA for fifteen years so he probably knew him
I miss my Term Pass as I'm sure you do also.
I remember flying with my dad out of DFW in a United 727, and after we pushed back from the gate the airport was put into a ground stop for a severe thunderstorm.
I was probably like 8yo at the time, but already obsessed with aviation. We were probably in row 3ish, near the cockpit and flight attendants - just waiting for the storm to pass.
One of the FAs asked if I’d like to see the cockpit (what kind of question is that?!) and wow, I can STILL remember how spectacular the taxiway lighting and massive airport looked (it was just getting dark) especially with the lightning in the background. Plane was fired up, all instruments on… I had NEVER experienced that before (I’d visit before or after a flight, but it was shut down.)
They let me hang out there and laughed as I’d point out instruments and flight controls to them, asking a million questions, I’m sure they got a kick out of it.
I hate what commercial aviation has become… being able to interact with your passengers or inspiring future pilots in that way is all but a distant memory these days. I’m 38, so to me those were the “golden days” of commercial aviation - though some still recall the prop liners I suppose.
I’m glad they went to all the trouble of saving and displaying this bird - hopefully some day I’ll get to visit!
The left engine is still attached to the airplane but it has been cut away so you can see all the internal components such as the compressor, the combustion section, the turbines and the exhaust nozzle with the clamshell style reverser incorporated into it. As I recall its a turbojet engine and not a turbofan because there is no bypass duct is this particular engine.
It has the JT8D engine that is a low bypass turbofan.
I LOVE this unique exhibit.
The orange, red, blue and tulip livery is STILL my favorite 727 livery to this day!
UA looks wrong with the Continental logo.
That being said.. I think the Continental globe livery was the best look for this aircraft. White on top.. grey on bottom separated by a gold stripe… and the blue tail with the white and gold globe on it.
The 727 is the sexiest airliner built in my opinion. Being the son of divorced parents, I have flown on the 727 dozens of times. I visited the cockpits many times and talked to the aircrews and toured the sim at the American Airlines Academy when still a kid in CAP. I studied it, flew it in FSX and low and behold, my daughters' director in a lot of their shows was a retired captain. Poor guy had to tolerate a middle aged dad living vicariously through hours of conversation.
Unless I'm remembering the 737, the 727 wasn't quiet after Piedmont Airlines in the 1980s ripped out all the insulation to save weight. It was a VERY noisy airplane. Earplug time. No fun at all. Piedmont was probably run by southern boys half deaf from duck hunting.
I have an original model kit of an American Airlines 727-100 from 1964. Still have yet to build it. Complete kit. That is SUCH a beautiful aircraft. I think that the airlines began scrapping them because the heavy checks started to be more expensive than the airframe was worth. Shameful but, it's all economics, I suppose.
I would fly 727 repeatedly growing up as a child and into my teenage years on Delta Airlines flying to Portland Maine from Tampa Florida. I flown on a lot of different types of aircraft but the 727 has the record for me.
Quiet until you got it up to speed. Air noise, window air leaks and smelling the forward lavatory gave it the affectionate nickname "the whistling $hithouse". Still out of all the types I've flown it's still my favorite.
That's the best museum in the world!!!
5:09 "Alright Ray, the news is filming this, they're going to say your name on TV, don't mess it up!"
*slam*
*bounce
Wonderful video. Enjoyed it
These planes were stronger than 10 acres of garlic.
Thanks for this Amy! I devoured this upload, you're the best ;)
Apologies if this has been answered already-- but if they had to disassemble it anyway, why fly it to Chicago and go through the hassle with the barge, storage in Indiana, Lakeshore Drive, modifying the museum parking lot, etc.? Couldn't they have separated the pieces first, shipped them, and reconstructed the airframe in the museum? (Not trying to be a troll--genuinely curious.)
I’ve actually been at the museum and walked through this airplane
That’s some Chicago history.
Better to have this Bird exhibited outdoors, but complete, than showing inside but cut into pieces.
I wish they haven't sawed off the whole left wing. It would have been nice to keep the whole airplane intact in the museum. It's because of a lack of space is why they had to probably do this. It still looks like a United 727 though. Nice job to the pilots, who landed it into Meigs Field's "small" runway. The airplane seemed pretty large enough to get it down into there at first. I would like to know what line number it was out of Renton. Does anyone know? The very first 727, which was also painted in the United Airlines classic scheme, is an exibit at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. That airplane is intact, and nicely displayed amongst a lot of other important relics.✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️✈️
Yes, it is line number 47, and the 17th United 727.
DAN COOPER!!
I flew on it several times when I was a kid.
:56 I didn’t know Brett Kavanah was a airline pilot 🤔
Feel sorry for the guy that landed it at 05:08! That's possibly the worst landing I've ever seen and everyone was watching. 😆
The runway at Meig’s Field was exceedingly short. The idea was getting it onto the ground and stopping it before he ran out of runway.
@@scottnichols3685 hah yes I was being a little mischievous and thought that was probably the case. But it's still a terrible landing :)
The pilot who did the landing (BC Thomas) has given an explanation on here for the rough landing. I've pinned his comment to the top.
@@thurstythoughts thanks
I was on it. As a passenger and at the museum!!!
Actually the British Trident flew before the 727.
I have seen a few 727-200's loaded to the gills use most of a 10,000 ft run way on a warm, no wind day.Not many chances to see that anymore......
Waddel? Wonder if he's related to Boeing test pilot Jack!
Excellent video. My only thought is why they did not dismantle the plane after the final landing, to the extent needed to get it in the building?
Now, isn’t this the same model Aircraft that the D. B. Cooper jump out the rear exit with a suitcase holding a $100,000 dollars! No body has ever solved this case, after many years?
I love the 727 but the Hawker Trident was technologically more impressive solely because of its autopilot.
They should have let a senior line captain fly it to Meigs. Its a shame it made a really shitty landing being flown by a test pilot crew who probably had fewer flying hours on the 727 than the most junior captains... I plumbed on this exact jet when I was 25 years old...
The actual pilot who did the landing (BC Thomas) has given an explanation on here for the rough landing. I've pinned his comment to the top.
@@thurstythoughts test pilot Thomas lists every error an experienced line Capt would not have made. About the 12,000 lbs of fuel..." standard load" the 727 with no passengers or cargo on board has a very aft cg and not knowing the zero fuel weight its hard to know, but the "extra fuel" was probably ballast for cg. Which was a common thing on the 727. I feel bad for the guy but as I said before...it should have been a line captain not test pilots in my opinion. It just made me sad to see its last flight end like that..
Yes continue 727 apprenticeship s and internship call Michael Pope if have questions
Guy at 8:33 is a bit shakey.
Excellent!👍
wasn't even born in this era but holy shit i wish this, the DC-9/MD-80/MD-90 came back i absolutely dig this shit. also what's that tail called and why are the horizontal stabilizers on the vertical stabilizer
Was this a follow on after the Hawker Siddeley Trident
This aircraft crashed a lot Especially in its early years but even after that they crashed much more than the jets we have today.
727 was a great Airplane, very reliable, sold to many countries around the world, and also copied by foreign Aircraft manufacturers.
it was very nice...
I missed flying this aircraft back in 1999 and early 2000. And yes, I flew with United Airlines.
Awesome!
But Tri jets were very susceptible to deep stalls . BE 548 1972 . Noise abatement procedures etc .
Thats how not to land a 727. Never use 40 flaps.
I'm not sure if it's a 727 crew joke and i don't get it, but what is really funny is you trying to "teach" the PF a lesson and the first comment was made by the captain of the flight himself. And apparently he got in his flight hours experience, only the most amazing f*****ng plane that ever existed: SR-71.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@Parc_Ferme I got my flight hours in 60 different aircraft accumulating 36,000 + hours 8,000 in both models of 727's. Flap handles were blocked at 30 degrees flap to prevent very high sink rate on final with 40 flaps. Look up B727 short final accidents due to 40 flap high unrecoverable sink rate. Here's your free flight lesson.
@@billakers6082 impressive resumé also, so I think you're qualified enough to understand that flight test crews go beyond the aircraft standard operational procedures very often, it's expected that they know what they're doing.
I would bet that the flaps choice was because they knew that the historic landing was being recorded and video production at that time was really expensive, so slowest the better. Even me with 0 hours got it 😂😂😂
Man !! Considering that was the last landing that was awful . 😩
The plane was designed to land with 40 flaps. It also had nose wheel brakes originally.
The reason you never used 40 units in service because it was never needed at average airports and it represented less risk to use less flap.
However.. on a ferry flight to a small airport.. they needed those 40 units. You _could not_ have done it with 30 and not risked going into Lake Michigan.
Great video! Loved the footage of the final landing at Meigs field and how the aircraft was shoehorned into the museum.
In my opinion the 727 was the sexiest subsonic airliner of all time. Only the supersonic Concorde surpassed it in the looks department and it was a close competition.
I loved the 727 in all of the Braniff "flying colors" liveries and of course the bare metal American Airlines livery.
Didn't Elvis's Convair 880 land at meg's?
N7004 as I recall.
First officer nodded off at 5:07.
The pilot who did the landing (BC Thomas) has given an explanation on here for the rough landing. I've pinned his comment to the top.
Wase round we to mouve the plane dèsmontle from the aeroporte ad pice by pice to the museum
I hate when air traffic control accidently gets me high
This video was made in the 1990s
The airplane certainly deserved a much softer last landing...
I thought that at first, too. It was a bit bumpy. But then I read the pilot's explanation. That the plane was landed at all at Meigs' Field on a windy day is remarkable. It would have been wiser for you to have respected the pilot for having done that.
As a retired airline captain with over 1000 hours in the B-727, I usually didn't criticize a fellow pilot's landing. (Pilots tend to be their worst critic.) We had a saying: "What goes around, comes around"...everyone has an occasional less than stellar landing. Meigs Field was only 3900 feet long which is a bit short for a 727 and for most large airline jets. They probably had a FAA waiver to land there and also had the airplane as light as they could legally fly it. My question is: why was the first officer landing it instead of the captain especially if there was a strong crosswind?
The pilot who did the landing (BC Thomas) has given an explanation on here for the rough landing. I've pinned his comment to the top.
What was the total cost to get that plane inside? I'm guessing several million dollars.
I thought the comment about the plane being quiet was funny, having sat in those last rows seats too many times! Not quiet back there!
Where is this Museum located? Great video.
Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois
@5:10 .not the best landing
I'll take it. It was a large, heavy airplane on a very short runway. I stopped in under 2,000 feet. No one likes to bounce, but it beats overshooting the aim point and floating another distance, and then coming close to Lake Michigan (or in it). See my explanation at the top of the comments.
You can always go around.
Looks to me like First Officer Ray Waddel crash landed at Meigs Fields
I’m glad they weren’t planning to use the airplane again, hahaha!
The pilot who did the landing (BC Thomas) has given an explanation on here for the rough landing. I've pinned his comment to the top.