In Australian Service — Boeing 727 Part 1

During 1956 there was steadily mounting competition from other manufacturers for a market which Boeing knew existed, but had yet to formulate a firm proposal of its own. Chief contenders were the Trident, DC-9 and Caravelle jets and the turboprop Electra, Vanguard and Viscount. The decision to proceed with the study of the 727’s feasibility was taken by Boeing on May 6 1958. A team headed by Jack E Steiner was set up to investigate which course Boeing should take. Many vexing questions were to be solved before the 727, as we know it, was to emerge. A total of 150 different airliner designs over four and a half years were analysed in detail, and of these, 68 designs were subjected to more than 1500 hours of wind tunnel testing. Design objectives included the use, wherever possible, of the tooling used in the construction of the 707/720 series in order to keep costs down.

An early design was a twin engined airliner, the Model 727-257 which featured two engine pods mounted on struts above and behind the wing. This was abandoned in favour of the Model 727-625 in which two engines were mounted conventionally in pods below and forward of the wing. Analysis of this model and of another twin engined airliner, the Model 727-264C, with the engines in pods on either side of the aft fuselage, was followed by studies of all the major US domestic airlines’ routes. In these route studies, the operational limitations of twin engined airliners were explored in great detail. The economics of a four engined airliner, the Model 727-475 (called the Model 720 Jr in Boeing engineering offices because of its similarity to that aircraft) were also taken into consideration. The use of three engines resulted in operational flexibility compared to that of four engine designs, while maintaining operating costs close to that of a two engine aeroplane.

A guiding influence in these various deliberations were the views of the leading US airlines. Eastern Airlines needed an airliner that could operate from New York’s LaGuardia Airport which had a then 1520m (4980ft) runway. Eastern felt that a four engine airliner was too expensive to operate and that a twin did not offer an adequate safety margin. United Airlines on the other hand needed an airliner which could effectively cope with hot conditions from Denver’s high altitude airport and thus its bias was towards a four engine 727. Trans World expressed interest in a three engine 727 to add to the variety of views.

On June 1 1959, Boeing initiated the full scale 727 project. Designers, engineers, production men, financial experts and operations analysts were formed into a team under Steiner’s leadership. Following the survey of possible customers and investigating the powerplants of the size and efficiency required for an airliner of the 727 type, it was decided that the design effort should be towards a three engine airliner. Actually the team’s earlier preference was for a twin engine underwing layout but the surveys disproved that course as being the best option. Having elected to use three engines, studies undertaken at that time included designs with three engines grouped around a ‘butterfly’ tail, engines grouped around a twin tail, two wing pods and an engine in the tail, and finally, the arrangement found in the 727.

Climb out of TAA 727-200 VH-TBC. The primary reason for Boeing’s selection of a three engined layout for the 727 was good field performance, something that the aircraft was well regarded for. (Rob Finlayson) 38 Australian Aviation June 1996

Australia’s oldest 727 is VH-TBS. This aircraft was originally delivered to Ansett in late 1969 as VH-RMS and after a decade of service was sold to Air Nauru in May 1980, and registered C2-RN7. Four years later TAA leased C2-RN7 for freight operations before acquiring the aircraft outright (by then Australian Airlines) in 1987 when the aircraft was re-registered VH-TBS. Since 1992 TBS has been registered to Rothschild Aircraft Leasing, who leased it to National Airlines and then Premier Airlines for operations on behalf of DHL, flying between Sydney and Auckland. Premier Airlines replaced TBS with a 727-200 mid last year and the aircraft was subsequently leased to its current operator, Australian Air Express. (Boeing, Rob Finlayson, Rob Finlayson, Howard Geary)

Analyses of three engine airliner advantages continued and showed that, compared with a comparable twin engine airliner, the 727’s range is better, direct operating costs are similar and operational flexibility and reliability are superior. The three engine airliner could operate under lower visibility and ceiling limitations which results in better schedule reliability than is possible under limitations for operation of a twin engine aircraft. Statistical analysis showed that operating from New York, a twin engine airliner can be expected to be delayed by weather more than three times as often as one powered by three or four engines. Jack Steiner noted that the 727 was Boeing’s first three engined airliner since the Model 80A of three decades earlier.

Aircraft systems already proven on the 707 were retained in the 727, except for alterations which would result in improvements. A good example of this was that the basic 707 tooling was used in the construction of the upper lobe of the 727 fuselage, which was the same width and cross section as the 707. Besides using $3 million worth of 707 tooling in the construction of the upper lobe, the retention of the 3.76m (148in) wide fuselage conferred the same fuselage width benefits familiar to passengers already used to the big jets. Although the upper lobe of the 727 is identical to that of the 707, the fuselage has a circular cross section which differs from the ‘double-bubble’ used on the 707. When one considers that the 707 fuselage was itself based on the earlier military C-97 (minus the external crease) the family resemblance becomes even more apparent.

The highly sophisticated wing is an outstanding feature of the 727 design. As the 727 was planned for operation from smaller airfields, where a low approach speed and a short ground run were of the utmost importance. Chiefly responsible for these characteristics are the high lift devices incorporated in the 727 wing. The unique trailing edge flap is triple slotted and extends aft down to a 40° angle, increasing the wing area by 9.3m2 (100sq ft). As the trailing edge flaps are being extended, the wing leading edge flaps and Krueger flaps are actuated automatically. The four segment outboard wing slats and the three segment Krueger flaps on the inboard wing extend over virtually the entire span of the wing.

This combination of leading edge and trailing edge flaps gives the 727 unusually high lift at low speed during the landing approach and during takeoff, and a fully loaded 727 is thus capable of operating from a 5000ft runway. The approach speed is 20kt (37km/h) lower than that of an early 707 and even below that of an Electra.

Various other improvements were incorporated into the 727 design. To facilitate passenger loading and unloading at smaller airports without ground equipment, the 727 is equipped with self-contained airstairs. All 727s had stairs located under the aft fuselage which retract flush with the body. The forward entrance stair, an optional feature, telescopes under the door, into the fuselage. Although the 727 retained the same spacious cabin width of the 707 and 720 aircraft, the air conditioning system has been further refined for greater passenger comfort.

During 1960, the time for hard decision making had come for Boeing management. The existing economic climate could hardly have been worse. Boeing was already experiencing huge costs in the 707 programme and as at the end of 1959, losses had amounted to $200 million, which was equivalent to Boeing’s working capital.

The 727 designs and data were put before the Board of Directors during February 1960. When one considers the 707 problems, the $100 million tooling costs for the 727 was a daunting prospect. It was decided that the 727 seemed to offer what the airlines required, but it was resolved that 100 orders were needed to launch production and December 1 was set as the deadline. During this period a valuable potential order was lost when American Airlines ordered the Lockheed Electra.

One of the final stumbling blocks was the engine selection. The Steiner team favoured the Allison built Rolls-Royce Spey but Eastern Airlines refused to accept a 727 with a non US sourced engine. Boeing finally turned to Pratt & Whitney for the JT8D which was fan conversion of the well proven J52 core. On November 30, just one day before the appointed deadline, Eastern and United each ordered 40 three engined 727s. Although both airlines had earlier expressed reservations with a three engine version, they were now convinced of the viability of the Boeing design. On December 5 1960, the Boeing president ordered the go-ahead and the construction of a legend was about to begin.

The first 727-100, N7001U, was rolled out at Renton on November 20 1962. The first flight took place on the morning of February 9 1963, with a crew comprising Lew Wallick (who was later to become Boeing’s Chief Test Pilot and Director of Flight Tests), Dix Loesch copilot and Marvin Schulenburger as the flight engineer. The flight from Renton Municipal Airport concluded at Paine Field to the north, after a 2hr 6min test flight. The takeoff weight was 59,020kg (130,000lb) and the takeoff roll was about 915m (3000ft). Wallick was later to say “When the 727 landed for the first time at Paine Field in about 3000ft everybody was quite impressed! This was pretty astounding compared to the other jet transports flying at that time that needed 7-8000ft. The 727 offered jet service to many airports that were being serviced by propeller airplanes”.

During the flight test program, the 727 proved to be much better than the performance guarantees. Jack Steiner recalls that everyone was amazed when United Airlines took delivery of its first 727 and the company’s president announced in a news conference that the 727 was 10% better than what they had ordered. Steiner said at that time it was unheard of for a customer to admit something like this.

Just prior to its FAA certification, the 727 embarked on a 66,035nm (122,285km) world tour visiting 26 countries. Type approval of the 727 was granted on December 24 1963, with deliveries to the major US airlines commencing soon after. On February 1 1964, United Airlines had the distinction of operating the first 727 service from Miami to Washington and Philadelphia.

As befits such a distinguished marque, there were several basic versions of the 727 developed over the span of production. During August 1964 Boeing announced that the 727C was in production. This cargo convertible version drew heavily on Boeing’s freight expertise gained from the 707 family. A large 231cm x 340cm (91 x 134in) cargo door, which had the same dimensions as that offered on the 707-320C, was fitted to the forward fuselage of the 727C. Additional commonality was offered as both aircraft had similar pallet sizes and handling systems. The 727C had a 16,685kg (36,750lb) cargo capacity accommodated on eight pallets.

A further development was the 727QC announced during June 1965. This expanded the versatility of the 727C by offering a quick change from cargo to passenger use and vice versa. The rapid turnaround in configuration was made possible by mounting the seats on 183cm x 318cm (72 x 125in) carpeted pallets and to further aid the transformation, the galleys and toilets were also mounted on pallets. 40 Australian Aviation June 1996

The initial version of the 727, later referred to as the 727-100, also was updated during production. Interestingly enough, some important changes were instituted as the result of representations from the Australian operators. Ansett-ANA and TAA were interested in the 727, but the 1735nm (3200km) range required for transcontinental flights was beyond the reach of the existing design. Boeing responded by increasing the gross weight by 3630kg (8000lb) to 73,095kg (161,000lb) and the fuel capacity by 1915 litres to 29,070 litres (506 US gal to 7680 gal).

In addition, Ansett and TAA also requested the installation of a Collins Flight Director, two additional escape hatches which would permit an increase in accommodation from 109 to 135 under DCA regulations, and larger mainwheel tyres. All 727s delivered after the first Australian delivery were at the new increased gross weight.

Boeing announced a major change in the 727 design on August 5 1965 with the unveiling of the 727-200 series. An increase in length of 6.10m (20ft) was accomplished by the insertion of two 3.05m (10ft) sections, fore and aft of the wing. The gross weight of 77,180kg (170,000lb) was identical with the latest 727C and 727QC aircraft but the empty weight of the 727-200 was 3735kg (8225lb) heavier. Passenger accommodation was either 170 in a high density single class configuration or 126 in a mixed class arrangement.

Apart from the obvious increase in length, other engineering changes were made to the 727-200 series. These included the raising of the inlet lip surrounding the centre engine and the redesign of it into a circular shape. Heavier capacity brakes were fitted, the centre engine tailpipe was fitted with a protecting skid to resist minor impact damage caused by runway contact, while the existing tail skid was strengthened.

The first flight of the 727-200 was on July 27 1967 and the type gained certification on November 30. Northeast was the first airline to place it into service on December 14 on its route from Montreal to destinations along the US East Coast extending from Boston to Fort Lauderdale.

727-200 VH-RMV enjoyed a decade-long service career with Ansett before being leased out to Wien Alaska in late 1983 and sold to Republic Airways in early 1984. It is pictured here in the pre-News/TNT red and black Ansett colours of the 1970s. TAA’s royal blue and gold painted 727-200 VH-TBM at Sydney evokes memories of the airline’s ‘Up, up and away with TAA’ advertising jingle. This aircraft was withdrawn from Australian Airlines service in 1991. (Jim Thorn)

Initial deliveries of the 727-200 had the existing 14,000lb (62.7kN) JT8D-7 of the earlier -100 series installed. There was some loss of airfield performance because of this, however, this was partially rectified when the intended 14,500lb (64.4kN) JT8D-9 eventually became available. The more powerful engine enabled a gross weight increase to 78,540kg (173,000lb) and permitted some improvement in range which had been lost in the stretch to the 200 series. The increased engine power, coupled with later developments in systems, had successfully restored and increased the range as well as reducing takeoff and landing lengths. With full payload and the less powerful engines fitted, range was just under 1305nm (2415km).

Boeing realised that in the 727-200 they had increased passenger capacity with a commensurate improvement in economics, but this was achieved with a sacrifice in performance. This did not seem to deter the airlines from ordering large numbers of this version and gradually the demand for the 727-100 and 100C began to lessen with production terminated in 1971. Production of the 727-100 amounted to 408 aircraft with a further 164 examples of the 727-100/QC version.

Despite the considerable success of the 727-200, Boeing was keen to further improve the design. In the next and final version, the Advanced 727-200, probably the best narrow body airliner then put into production was to evolve. Faced with competition from the newer generation of more efficient and quieter wide body airliners, Boeing successfully embodied much new technology into the proven design. Pratt & Whitney’s continued improvement of the JT8D was to provide the necessary increased power to cope with the higher gross weight.

The changes were substantial. Fuel was increased to 30,960 litres (8180 US gal), with a further lift to 37,015 litres (9780 US gal) offered as an option. The powerplant was the TAA 727-100 VH-TJC ‘Arthur Phillip’ at Brisbane in June 1968 having just arrived from a regular service from Lae and Port Moresby. (Wally McLeod) Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9 rated at 14,500lb (64.4kN) or the JT8D-15 of 15,500lb (68.9kN), both engines fitted in new quiet nacelles to meet FAR noise limits.

Structural changes included thicker wing skins, a tougher main landing gear and a heavier nosewheel well. The undercarriage changes also included larger tyres and brakes. Improved passenger accommodation was provided in a widebody style interior fitted with overhead storage compartments blended into the cabin wall. Near vertical side panels and increased indirect lighting contributed to the widebody look which was standard on the Advanced 727 and available in retrofit kit form for earlier models. All these improvements in the Advanced 727 resulted in a price increase of 5 to 6% over the previous model. The first Advanced 727 entered service during June 1972.

Boeing 727 production came to an end on August 14 1984 when a 727-2S2F, registered N217FE, line number 1832, was rolled out. This aircraft was a freighter for Federal Express, the last of an order for 15 such aircraft. The last 727 passenger aircraft had been rolled out some months earlier on March 3 at Renton. It was fitting that Lew Wallick, who had flown the first 727 some 21 years earlier, was on the flight deck for the final 727 rollout. The contribution of the -200 series to the ultimate production tally was an impressive 1260 aircraft.

If the role played by the Boeing 727 with overseas operators was substantial, its contribution to the development of aviation in Australia is equally impressive. The 727 ushered in the jet era on Australian domestic routes in a highly efficient manner.

Australia first saw a Boeing 727 when Boeing 727-100, N7003U, arrived in Sydney via Darwin on September 29 1963 as part of a world demonstration tour. The 727 also visited Canberra and Melbourne.

Part two of the 727 in Australian Service in our next issue will detail the complete history of 727 operations in Australia. Don’t miss it!