aviation

checking passenger amenities, such as

pressurisation and soundprooing, and was

used as a demonstrator. It clocked up more

than 175,000 miles (281,635km) along

the way, including a world tour taking in 26

countries during 139 lights, which included

local demonstration lights for media, airlines

and officials.

INTO SERVICE

The irst deliveries were in late 1963, with

three machines each handed over to United

and Eastern Airlines for pilot training. The

irst revenue light by a 727 was operated

by Eastern Airlines on February 1, 1964,

replacing a Lockheed Electra propliner

on a trip from Miami to Philadelphia via

Washington. A week later, United got into the

game with a San Francisco to Denver run.

In service, the 727 itself was

performing perfectly, without any defects

or shortcomings. However, it’s worth

remembering that the great leap into the

jet age was only 50 years after the Wright

brothers’ irst powered light. The airline

captains of the era had served decades on

the light decks of propliners that were not

only slow but, thanks to the prop wash over

the wings, gentle and forgiving to land.

Full laps on the 727, 40 ̊, created

enormous amounts of drag in landing

coniguration, to be countered by an iron ist

of thrust pounding out of the jet pipes of the

JT8Ds in the tail, without which a precipitous

rate of descent could build up – hard to arrest

close to the ground.

Most airline pilots converting from piston-

powered props thrived on the jets, relishing

the high cruising altitudes far above the

weather, and the mechanical simplicity of the

new powerplants. However, a few struggled

with the high speeds and quickened tempo

on the light deck. Some washed-out of the

type rating courses and went back to inish

their careers on props. And a few others

made it through the jet courses – just.

United 389 crashed into Lake Michigan 30

miles (48km) northeast of Chicago on August

16, 1965 while manoeuvring for landing at

O’Hare. On November 8, American 383 lost

altitude in the circuit for landing at Cincinnati,

Ohio, and crashed into terrain 225ft (69m)

below the elevation of the runway. Only three

days later, United 227, high on approach at

Salt Lake City, Utah, reached a sink rate of

2,300ft per minute and went down short of

the runway. On February 4, 1966, All Nippon

060 crashed into Tokyo Bay on approach to

Haneda airport.

The combined death toll from the four

eerily similar accidents was 263 (with only

52 survivors, most of them in Salt Lake City).

The travelling public began to avoid the new

Boeing, and Congressional committees even

discussed pulling the type’s airworthiness

certiicate with the FAA. In fact, there was

nothing wrong with the 727, but the new

jets had to be lown with precision, by the

numbers. In the defence of the early jet pilots,

those numbers and procedures were still

being igured out by the airlines, thus was life

and death at the leading edge of technology.

The ultra-high drag 40 ̊ lap setting was

outlawed by most airlines’ operating

procedures, and some went as far as to weld

a metal plate across the lap lever slot so 40 ̊

could not be selected.

DRAMA IN THE SKIES

On November 24, 1971, a Northwest Orient

Airlines 727-151 was involved in one of the

greatest mysteries of the jet age. It was

lying the last leg of a classic ‘bus stop’ run

64 Aviation News incorporating Jets November 2018

The irst three 727s for United Airlines,

including N7006U, were handed over in 1963.

Boeing 727-200s under construction

alongside the 737 line.