This Day in Aviation History
February 9th, 1963
First flight of the Boeing 727.
 
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size narrow-body three-engine jet aircraft built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes from the early 1960s to 1984. It can carry 149 to 189 passengers and later models can fly up to 2,700 nautical miles (5,000 km) nonstop. Intended for short and medium-length flights, the 727 can use fairly short runways at smaller airports. It has three Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines below the T-tail, one on each side of the rear fuselage with a center engine that connects through an S-duct to an inlet at the base of the fin. The 727 is Boeing’s only tri-jet aircraft.
 
The 727 followed the 707, a quad-jet airliner, with which it shares its upper fuselage cross-section and cockpit design. The 727-100 first flew in February 1963 and entered service with Eastern Air Lines in February 1964; the stretched 727-200 flew in July 1967 and entered service with Northeast Airlines that December. The 727 became a mainstay of airlines’ domestic route networks and was also used on short- and medium-range international routes. Passenger, freighter, and convertible versions of the 727 were built.
 
The 727 was heavily produced into the 1970s; the last 727 was completed in 1984. As of July 2013, a total of 109 Boeing 727s (5× 727-100s and 104× -200s) were in commercial service with 34 airlines. Airport noise regulations have led to 727s being equipped with hush kits…..
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Boeing 727: http://gstv.us/1RjKjQ0
 
YouTube, Boeing 727-100 Prototype – “First Flights” – 1963: http://gstv.us/1RjKr20
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/1RjKviq
 
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