In Australian Service — Boeing 727 Part 2

Discussions which ceased over the Christmas–New Year period resumed in Melbourne on January 22 between Ansett-ANA and TAA with Boeing representatives. In parallel with these talks, the airlines also met with DCA to address the three safety issues raised. While the airlines accepted the 12g seats, they were strongly against the request for rearward-facing seats. The passenger seating limitation requested by DCA was related to the existing provision of escape hatches, and at that time it was understood that Boeing was now studying the installation of an additional two escape exits at their expense.

The contracts for the purchase were eventually signed on February 1, 1963, with both Ansett-ANA and TAA set to take delivery of their first aircraft in October 1964, followed by the second 727 during the following month. To reduce the cost of installing nonstandard equipment by Boeing, a few items were to be installed locally in Australia. However, the need to install several items to meet Australian conditions inevitably pushed up the unit cost. The Ansett contract, for example, had an outlay of $US4,598,711 per aircraft, and with spares, this would increase to about$US5,500,000. Some of the extra equipment included the additional installation of a third fuel tank in the belly, an APU self-starter, Sperry vibration monitor, the wiring and nose cone for Collins ST-108 weather radar, cockpit voice recorders, Australian AWA DME, and HF communications, autopilot, and low-pressure tyres.

On the subject of those additional escape hatches required by DCA, Ansett contributed $US58,000 towards the modifications, with Boeing agreeing to accept part of the cost. The addition of the extra hatches permitted an increase to 140 passengers.

These were the first of many orders for the 727 placed by the Australian airlines in the years ahead. A hint of this was announced at Ansett’s annual meeting on November 26, 1963, when Mr R M Ansett indicated the purchase of a third 727 in late 1965. At that stage, Ansett-ANA was also investigating the purchase of DC-9s and felt that it was a likely partner to the 727 in its fleet, serving trunk line services which did not have the traffic density to support 727 flights.

In early 1965, buoyed by a growing demand for air travel, both airlines were reassessing the need for additional 727s. The delivery of the airlines’ first aircraft was later than originally expected. The first 727s landed at Essendon on October 16, 1964, when VH-RME, flown by Captain A Lovell, and VH-TJA, captained by D A Winch, arrived at the end of their trans-Pacific delivery flight from San Francisco via Honolulu, Canton Island, and Nadi. At a ceremony after the arrival, VH-TJA was named James Cook. On October 17 and 18, both aircraft visited Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra for demonstration flights.

The first scheduled services took place on November 2, 1964, between Sydney and Melbourne. A new record for a domestic airliner was immediately established by VH-RME when it covered the distance in 47min 55sec, beating the previous 54min record held by a TAA Electra (try doing that today! Ed). Although honours for the route were then held by the Qantas 707 VH-EBC, which had previously travelled this sector in a very rapid 38min 25sec on July 18, 1964. The 727 services were extended a few days later on November 7 to Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.

The implications of the 727’s arrival in Australia were substantial. Apart from offering a new standard of comfort and speed, other aircraft were gradually released onto other routes. One effect was the use of Electras on routes previously flown by Viscounts.

There was considerable controversy at the time over the selection of the Boeing 727 in preference to the de Havilland DH.121 Trident 1E. The Trident was regarded by some observers as comparatively readily available, while the 727 was yet to fly. The airlines wanted the 727 as it was the more suitable aircraft for Australian routes. While convinced of the 727’s superiority, they were also concerned that the Government would decide to levy the 7.5% import duty which could potentially apply to the US-built Boeing 727. However, they were hopeful the duty would not apply as both aircraft were not directly comparable. There were both technical and economic differences which underlined the suitability of the Boeing 727.

A major disappointment for Ansett-ANA and TAA was the decision by the Federal Cabinet on April 8, 1965, that a 7.5% import duty would be applied to all Boeing 727s imported into Australia. The decision followed representations from the UK Board of Trade under the British-Australia Trade Agreement of 1957. This enabled the Commonwealth Government to impose a duty on non-British aircraft if a suitably equivalent aircraft is reasonably available from Britain.

The duty payable on each 727 amounted to £155,000. The airlines appealed against the decision and were later informed that the 7.5% duty applied to their Boeing 727s would also apply to the Douglas DC-9-30s on order, because of the availability of the BAC One-Eleven. The duty on each DC-9-30 would amount to about £118,000. An interesting aside to this chapter was the order some months later of some British transport aircraft for the RAAF: two BAC One-Elevens and 10 Hawker Siddeley HS.748s. Each airline received their third 727s during August 1965, and approval to purchase a fourth aircraft was received on October 21, 1965, for delivery in mid-1966. The Government stated that the airlines would be required to pay the 7.5% duty on these aircraft. There is no doubt that the duty levied on new US-built airliners was a continuing thorn in the side of both Ansett-ANA and TAA. During the annual meeting of Ansett Transport Industries held on November 23, 1965, the Managing Director Mr R M Ansett was very critical on the subject of the 7.5% duty.

In service, the 727 proved a major improvement over its predecessors. It was the aircraft that introduced domestic passengers to the comforts, speed, and reliability of jet airliner travel. It also notched up some memorable records. One such achievement was on September 13, 1966, when an Ansett-ANA 727 flew the 1165nm (2155km) from Perth to Adelaide in 1hr 53.5min. The 191kt (355km/h) tailwind resulted in the aircraft achieving a maximum ground speed of 665kt (1230km/h).

The other by-product in the 727’s use was the upgrading of airports to jet standards to allow operations. This saw approval granted to extend the 1980m (6500ft) runway at Coolangatta by 150m (500ft) and the widening of the taxiways. Launceston had also experienced an upgrade to enable 727 operations to commence. To vividly confirm the success of the lengthening to 1980m (6500ft) and attendant strengthening, the Qantas 707-138B VH-EBM City of Launceston landed at Launceston shortly before the opening. It was the first visit of a Boeing 707 to Tasmania.

To help cope with peak traffic demands during school holidays in 1966, both Ansett and TAA used their 727s on additional services flown at night to Port Moresby to boost capacity on the route which was operated by Electras during the day.

Australian industry became involved in 727 production when an order valued at $1,564,000 was received by Hawker de Havilland on March 3, 1971, for 50 aircraft shipsets of wing ribs for the 727-200. The domino effect of this order was CAC’s involvement as a subcontractor. The receipt of further orders saw the Australian aircraft industry as the sole supplier of wing ribs for the 727-200. These were valuable orders, which established the framework for substantial offset orders which were received in the years ahead from various manufacturers.

The Australian airlines again featured in the 727 story with the placement of early orders for the new Advanced 727 version in December 1970. Ansett and TAA had been looking for a larger capacity aircraft to handle increasing Perth–East Coast traffic, and the Advanced 727 was selected in preference to the much larger Douglas DC-10, which had also been under consideration.

58 Australian Aviation July 1996

The first TAA 727-276 to arrive in Australia was VH-TBG, which landed at Tullamarine on December 11, 1972, prior to entering service on January 7, 1973. Ansett’s first 727-277 was VH-RMU, which entered service on February 26, 1973.

The 727-200 series was an important aircraft in both Ansett and TAA service, with each airline acquiring 12 of the model. They were the mainstay of the Australian airline system until the arrival of the widebodies in the early 1980s. In addition to those purchased, three other 727-200s were leased and operated by Australian Airlines for short periods: Ansett’s 727-277 VH-RMZ and, as a result of the Australian airline pilots dispute, two Dan-Air aircraft, the 727-2J4 G-BHNF from 10/1/90 to 28/4/90, and 727-277 G-BPNS from 1/11/89 to 13/1/90. This latter aircraft was the former Ansett VH-RMW.

The only serious incident involving an Australian registered Boeing 727 occurred on the evening of January 29, 1971, at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport. At approximately 2137 hours, TAA’s VH-TJA struck the tail fin of Canadian Pacific Airlines DC-8-63 CF-CPQ while the 727 was taking off on runway 16 at the beginning of Flight 592 bound for Perth. The Canadian Pacific DC-8 had just landed and was taxying down the runway towards the parking apron. After impact, the 727 was able to continue its climbout and went to a location offshore where it dumped fuel, prepared for an emergency landing, and landed safely on runway 16 at 2216:30 hours. Both aircraft were substantially damaged in the collision.

At the initial impact, 1917m (6286ft) from the end of the runway, the main wheels of VH-TJA were 8.85m (29ft) above the ground, the body angle was 11 degrees, and climb angle 2.5 degrees. The fin and rudder of the DC-8 above the impact point were torn off. The 727 suffered extensive damage to the lower fuselage, starting on the starboard side main wheel bay fairing approximately 127cm (50 inches) forward and 20 inches below the leading edge of the wing. The damage to the 727 included the loss of hydraulic pressure in their “A” system.

The accident arose from a combination of factors: the crew of the DC-8 misread an instruction “… take taxiway right-call on 121.7” as “… backtrack if you like change to 121.7”, the error was not detected by the aerodrome controller who cleared VH-TJA for takeoff, and the flight crew of VH-TJA, on detection of the obstructing DC-8, did not adopt the most effective means of collision avoidance. A Boeing field repair crew arrived in Sydney soon after the accident and made temporary repairs to the 727 to enable it to fly to Melbourne, where extensive repairs were then carried out.

The delivery of the 727-200s gradually made the Ansett and TAA 727-100 fleet redundant. During the late 1970s, both airlines progressively withdrew them from service. This led to the disposal of the 727-100s during 1976/80. The last flights by Australian 727-100s took place on January 29, 1980. The TAA flight was operated by 727-76 VH-TJB on TN2806 from Launceston to Melbourne, and by Ansett’s 727-77 VH-RMS on flight 213 from Adelaide to Melbourne.

An unusual task for TAA’s VH-TBL was a charter by Boeing in February 1976 to enable the aircraft to make a demonstration tour to South East Asia. Following the tour, Singapore Airlines placed an order with Boeing for the 727-200. Some months later, VH-TBL departed from Melbourne on July 26 bound for Tehran to commence a one-year wet lease charter to Iran Air. The 727 was repainted in Iran Air livery but retained its Australian registration. At the conclusion of the lease, VH-TBL returned to Melbourne on August 2, 1977.

During the late 1980s, Australian Airlines chartered a Boeing 727-276 to the Department of Territories. The 727 was used to operate a weekly service from Perth to Cocos and Christmas Islands. The 727 service continued until August 1989, when the pilots dispute caused a cessation of flights. They resumed in 1990, initially on May 29 with the 727-276 VH-TBN, and thereafter flights were operated by 737-376s.

Ansett announced a substantial order for Boeing aircraft valued at $400 million on March 17, 1980. Included in the order were five Boeing 767-277s, 12 Boeing 737-277 Advanceds plus four options, seven Boeing 767 or 757 options, and four Boeing 727-277 LR Advanceds.

TAA gained some limelight of its own later that year when it revealed its new livery to coincide with the delivery of its Airbus A300 aircraft. On November 12, the TAA Boeing 727-276 VH-TBL was shown in these colours for the first time.

The first of Ansett’s 727-277LR Advanced aircraft, VH-ANA, arrived at Melbourne Airport on June 14, 1981, and entered service on June 20 operating Flight 50 from Melbourne to Brisbane. On June 21, VH-ANA displayed its long-range capabilities when it initiated a nonstop service from Sydney to Perth, which could be operated at maximum all-up weight at headwinds up to 100kt (185km/h). This was beyond the scope of the airline’s existing 727-277s. Ansett’s second 727-277LR, VH-ANB, is noteworthy as the 4000th Boeing jet to be built.

The establishment of Ansett Air Freight on July 1, 1980, saw the 727 placed in a new role in Australia as a freighter. From April 5, 1983, VH-RMX was used as a freighter between Perth and Melbourne. On September 28, 1983, VH-RMX was flown to the US where it was converted to full freighter configuration by Hayes International. With an 18-tonne capacity, coupled with its speed, it offered a useful advantage over the slower 13-tonne capacity Electra. Because of VH-RMX’s withdrawal from freight use, VH-RMZ was used as a freighter between August 1983 and April 1984. After conversion, VH-RMX arrived in Melbourne on January 7, 1984, and was introduced into use on January 16 in services to Tasmania.

During April 1984, TAA Cargo commenced a long-term dry lease of the Air Nauru 727-77C C2-RN7. The aircraft was used to operate return flights four times a week between Perth and Melbourne, in addition to some overseas charters. On January 28, 1987, C2-RN7 was flown to Christchurch for an overhaul by Air New Zealand and repainted with Australian Cargo titles and a change of identity to VH-TBS. This Australian registered 727 has had a varied list of operators and liveries over the past few years. In 1990, VH-TBS had a change of livery when National Jet titles were applied. During the first three months of 1991, Qantas used it for frequent flights of bloodstock between Australia and New Zealand. On March 30, 1991, it departed for Los Angeles for a major service in the USA. This flight coincided with the termination of the Australian Cargo lease in late March. After the service was completed in Arizona, VH-TBS returned on June 2, 1991, in an all-white colour scheme, and resumed the Qantas trans-Tasman livestock flights on June 13.

In September 1992, the 727 was leased to Qantas and began operating QF573/574 Sydney/Auckland/Sydney. In November 1992, the registered owner was changed to Rothschild Aircraft Leasing. During September 1993, VH-TBS was repainted in DHL Airways livery by Ansett and commenced a service on weeknights between Sydney and Auckland. It operated the last service for National Airlines (formerly National Jet) on September 5, 1994. The following day, it commenced operations with Premier Airlines/Terry Vickers on lease to DHL. The next move came on March 31, 1995, when VH-TBS was retired from DHL service at Avalon due to noise restrictions and replaced by VH-DHE. VH-TBS was then hushkitted by Air Cargo Australia, leased from Rothschild Aircraft Leasing, and then in turn leased to Australian Air Express.

Premier Airlines took delivery of Boeing 727-2J4F freighter, VH-DHE, in Sydney on June 3, 1995, after a delivery flight from Miami. The 727 has DHL International livery, and like VH-TBS, operates a return flight each weeknight between Sydney and Auckland. This hushkitted 727 was originally built as a 727-2J4 for Sterling Air, who took delivery of it as OY-SBF in March 1980. It was sold in January 1995 and converted to 727-2J4F configuration for DHL Worldwide Courier in the US.

An interesting venture involving a 727 freighter was Bloodstock Air Services of Australia Pty Ltd, which registered a Boeing 727-25F as VH-LAP Phar Lap on April 15, 1983. During its brief career, this 727 was used for charter freight services by both Ansett and TAA. On April 16, 1984, VH-LAP was purchased by Ansett. It was then ferried from Perth to Melbourne to be operated by Ansett Air Freight. However, despite these intentions, it was stored at Tullamarine and never entered service with Ansett. The 727 was subsequently sold in the USA and departed from Melbourne on November 25, 1984, carrying its original US registration N8119N. Bloodstock Air Services of Australia was wound up in August 1984.

Some international flights were carried out by Australian Boeing 727s. In an effort to secure Government approval for a service between Townsville and Singapore, Ansett flew VH-RMO Spirit of North Queensland from Townsville to Singapore via Darwin on April 18, 1980. In addition to this route, Ansett was also keen to fly a trans-Tasman service between Hobart and Christchurch. Both Ansett overtures were rejected by the Government on May 6, 1980, as Qantas was to remain Australia’s overseas carrier until 1981. Not long after, the Government announced on July 9, 1980, that both Ansett and TAA were to be granted approval to operate services from Hobart to Christchurch using a Qantas flight number.

As a flag-showing exercise, TAA then landed its new Boeing 727-276 VH-TBR at Christchurch on September 22. Inaugural services between Hobart and Christchurch were flown on December 3, 1980, by Ansett’s VH-RML, which was named Southern Connection for the service, and by TAA’s VH-TBP on December 6. The services were initially proposed as a three-month trial period. Ansett was to operate on Wednesdays via Melbourne, and TAA on Saturdays via Adelaide. On February 19, 1982, Ansett and TAA issued a joint statement that Ansett would withdraw from the trans-Tasman service after the flight on March 3. The Hobart/Christchurch route continued to be operated by TAA, Australian, and later by Qantas.

Another overseas venture carried out by Ansett 727s was the inauguration of Air Vanuatu leased 727 services on March 1, 1987, to Vanuatu after the Port Vila runway had been upgraded. The previous equipment on the route were either Boeing 737s or Douglas DC-9s.

During the 1980s, the arrival of new equipment led to a gradual withdrawal of several 727s from airline use in Australia. During November–December 1983, three Ansett 727-277s, VH-RMU, VH-RMV, and VH-RMW, were leased to Wien Alaska for three years. During the lease period, when Wien Alaska ceased operations in November 1984, the aircraft were sold to Republic Airlines on December 1, 1984.

On July 10, 1988, Ansett Airlines withdrew the 727-277 VH-RMP from use, in advance of A320 deliveries which commenced some months later in November. VH-RMP departed on July 16 to its new owner Federal Express, where it became N246FE. With the accelerating delivery of A320s, more 727s departed, with VH-RMZ withdrawn from service on March 5, 1989, before delivery to Federal Express some days later.

During the following months, VH-RMM, VH-RMY, VH-RML, and VH-RMO were also withdrawn from service and sold overseas. This latter aircraft was given an artistic and colourful paint scheme on June 10, 1989, courtesy of artists Rolf Harris, Clifton Pugh, and David Rankin. VH-RMO was then put to good use to operate a series of flights called “Dream Flights” for the Variety Club of Australia over the next two days, carrying over 800 children.

A colourful change of guise saw the Ansett Australia Boeing 727-277 VH-ANE repainted in Eastwest colours. In addition to the Eastwest livery, promotional markings for the Hotel Conrad and Jupiters Casino were also applied. Services commenced on January 18, 1992, with VH-ANE initially flying four return flights daily between Sydney and Coolangatta in an all-economy configuration. The introduction of the 727 into the route was accompanied by the withdrawal of BAe 146-300 VH-EWN from Eastwest service on the same day. To meet demand, Boeing 727s VH-ANF and VH-RMN also joined the Eastwest fleet. When Eastwest aircraft were repainted in Ansett livery in 1993, the 727s were also returned to Ansett colours. The last ex-Eastwest 727 to be returned to Ansett colours was VH-ANE in April 1994.

With the influx of new 737-376s, Australian Airlines commenced the disposal of its 727-276 fleet in late 1987. The first aircraft to depart was VH-TBK, which was sold to Dan-Air. It flew its last Australian service on November 22 and departed for the UK on December 5. The withdrawal of the 727s accelerated during the 1990s. On June 8, 1991, VH-TBH left for the US on delivery to its new owner. It had been withdrawn from use in March awaiting a sale. On July 11, VH-TBI left Melbourne for its new owner, the Memphis Group in the US. Air Vanuatu replaced the 727-276 VH-TBN with the leased Australian Airlines 737-476 VH-TJI in late October 1992. This saw the VH-TBN operate its last Air Vanuatu service on October 28, followed by its last Australian Airlines service two days later.

Australian repainted one of its 727s during the same month, and VH-TBN emerged with Air Vanuatu titles. It operated Air Vanuatu services during weekends and on Australian routes during the week.

During 1992, the further expansion of the Australian Airlines 737-476 fleet paved the way for the withdrawal of its remaining 727s. A historic last scheduled passenger flight by an Australian Airlines 727 was made by VH-TBR on December 31, 1992, when it operated flight TN403 from Sydney to Melbourne with 129 passengers. VH-TBR then joined the six other Australian 727-276s which were in storage awaiting disposal at Tullamarine: VH-TBG, VH-TBM, VH-TBN, VH-TBO, VH-TBP, and VH-TBQ.

The 28 years in TAA/Australian Airlines service was a record for any type to have served with the airline. During that time, the 727s acquired by the airline (six 727-76s and twelve 727-276s) flew 743,535 hours, made 557,344 flights, and carried over 52 million passengers. All seven Australian Airlines 727-276s were sold overseas in Mexico, and departed overseas progressively during 1993 to join their new operator Aeroejecutivos SA de CV/Aeroexo. The last aircraft to depart was VH-TBO, which left Melbourne on December 9, 1993.

Apart from Australian registered Boeing 727s, several executive foreign registered aircraft have been based here over the years. These included the Bond Corporation’s 727-100 VR-BHK, the Ric Stowe/The Griffin Group’s 727-31 N505T, Westfield’s N727WF, and the Bell Resources Group’s 727-76 N727RE, which later became the late Robert Holmes à Court’s VR-CCB. This latter aircraft was the former TAA-owned VH-TJE.

The ubiquitous Boeing 727 is now approaching the end of its passenger-carrying days in Australia.

It is likely the 727 freighters will be with us for some time, and may be joined by additional aircraft with the availability of economically converted hushkitted 727s. But its prime function as a passenger-carrying aircraft is nearing a close. As David Rees, Ansett’s Manager, Engineering and Planning, pointed out, the 727 is a good aircraft which is extremely reliable. But it is inevitable that environmental considerations will hasten their departure, probably by 1997. For example, the 727’s noise level prompted its removal during 1995 from services to Coolangatta, whilst at Sydney the aircraft is subjected to a special noise tax. The rate of withdrawal from other destinations will depend on how quickly Boeing 767s can be placed onto additional services to fill the gap to be vacated by the 727. Ansett plans to retire all its 727s from passenger service by late 1997.

No other aircraft which has served the Australian airline industry can boast an operational career even remotely approaching the Boeing 727. Its younger sibling, the 737, introduced into Australian service in 1981, may in time be able to eclipse it, but the sobering thought is that it will have to be around until the year 2013 to achieve that goal. Given the ever-widening use of the 737, it seems that it will be the most likely candidate to topple the 727’s crown in 17 years’ time.

Have you enjoyed our latest In Australian Service Articles? If so, you won’t want to miss our two-volume Airliners books detailing the service histories of every major airliner type to see service in Australia, based on our In Australian Service series. Look for Airliners Vol 2 out soon.