I flew the Boeing 727, 737-200, 757 and 767-200s and -300s for United Airlines for 29 years and 20,000 hours. Never had a major system failure or engine shutdown thanks to a wonderful combination of Boeing quality engineering and P& W reliability. I LOVED Boeing and swore that if United ever forced me to fly an airbus, I would retire first. The old Boeing management let their engineers tell them how their airplanes should be designed and built, and life was good. Those were the airplanes I so loved to fly. Then, McDonnell Douglas management took over and the engineering department was replaced by bottom line financial people who put cheap over good. Now we have parts outsourced and IDIOTIC cost cutting ideas, which brought on the 737 Max, and disaster. After retiring from United, I started flying the Swiss built Pilatus PC-12NG, single engine turboprop. My airplane, like the 737 Max, also has a stick pusher that forces the nose down just before the wing stalls. On the PC-12, I have TWO angle of attack vanes, one on each wing. Both vanes must tell the pusher computer to force the nose down as the critical angle of attack is reached. BOTH vanes have to indicate the SAME angle before the pusher activates. It was more expensive to have the 2 vane system, but it prevented a false pusher activation in case one vane failed. To save money, Boeing only used ONE vane! And if that single vane failed, the pusher would push when no stall was imminent, even at 250 knots, causing a crash. On my SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE, I must test the pusher system before every takeoff. I also have a red button on my control wheel yoke that deactivates the pusher should it push when it is not supposed to push, such as at high speed. Boeing not only used a single AOA vane, there was no procedure for testing the pusher before takeoff, or an easy and logical way kill it instantly when it pushed when it shouldn’t push. And these dumbshits never even told the pilots their airplane had a pusher system installed. How in hell could a small airplane like my Pilatus have this kind of this advanced engineering, and a company like Boeing be so stupid as to not have it? As a life long Boeing fan, I am crushed at what they have become. But hey, money talks and bull shit walks was Boeing’s motto, until reality walked all over them. Man!
When you see this like this being built, you sometimes take a moment to appreciate what humans are capable of creating collectively. In a world full of shitty people and shitty things that go on, it makes me feel a bit better to see things like this. What an incredible thing to be a part of.
This is just beyond amazing. It’s amazing how fricking far we have come in aviation, this is where the turning point begins! Never stop flying ya’ll!!!
Yes, I agree! As with all the other Government mandates and regulations, I miss the days of the turbojets, where the noise was the highlight of the jet action. Jets are still cool to watch today, but without the noise it takes a lot out of it.
I still remember my last flight in a 727. Was a Pan Am flight from Florida to Costa Rica in 1989. Back here in Australia, TAA used to fly them from Sydney to Perth. They had special permission to shut down the number 2 (center) engine once at cruise in order to be able to make the 3933km distance
I came to the U.S. on McDonnel Douglas MD-11. I also liked flying the DC-9 and A310. Fantastic planes. Sure, I like the 707 and 747, but the Boeings of late seem to imitate Airbus too much, and they are a bit bland. Mind you, I like the original A300, it was quite beautiful. And so was the Concorde. But my favorite planes remain the DC-10 and 747. So it's not only Boeing I'd go in.
@@dvamateur Son you have it backwards !!! It was scarebus that copied the BOEING designs as BOEING set the standard !!! WHY scarebus looks like the Boeings !!!
@ 35:37 P&W had a few problems with this engine....per Wikpedia Pratt & Whitney faced difficulties with the JT9D design during the Boeing 747 test program. Engine failures during the flight test program resulted in thirty aircraft being parked outside the factory with concrete blocks hanging from the pylons, awaiting redesigned engines. Boeing and Pratt & Whitney worked together in 1969 to solve the problem. The trouble was traced to ovalization, in which stresses during takeoff caused the engine casing to deform into an oval shape resulting in rubbing of high-pressure turbine blade tips. This was solved by strengthening the engine casing and adding yoke-shaped thrust links.[
Update from the future: It's 2020, the program has stopped, and airlines are retiring them due to a pandemic that is causing people to fly less, lots are being fired, everyone's wearing masks, and we had a toilet paper shortage.
Heck yeah it was! LoL. the old Kia Tak. With it's sharp right turn just a few miles off the end of the runway......or it's into the red & white checkered hill.......
I don't know where some pilots get the idea that the cockpit of a 747 is 35 feet above the ground. Paul Havis, who is narrating this video and a pilot himself, says that the cockpit of the 747 is 35 feet above the ground. That is not correct! The cockpit is 29 feet above the ground, not 35 feet.
Actually, that is eye level, not the ceiling. Even the ceiling of the cockpit is not 35 feet above the ground. If I remember correctly looking at the blueprints, the hump of the 747 is about 33 feet.
Quite fast If we want to calculate how many Miles per Hour are 0.96 Mach we have to multiply 0.96 by 2070625 and divide the product by 2794. So for 0.96 we have: (0.96 × 2070625) ÷ 2794 = 1987800 ÷ 2794 = 711.45311381532 Miles per Hour So finally 0.96 mach = 711.45311381532 mph
Watching this video drove some tears into my eyes. As a former flight attendant I began my career on the Boeing 727 in 1982 and ended it on the Boeing 747-8 in 2015, with many more types of aircraft to follow in between. But the 727 and 747 will always be remembered as the key types of planes I worked on aboard as a flight attendant for 33 years.
There is just something about a 747. It looks strong, but so graceful at the same time. Its look will never get old and I think its the coolest looking comercial airliner ever built. No airliner will ever match the legend of this iconic miracle!!! It will always fascinate me.
@@Locutus : Concord is no more. Its impractical and was a failure from day 1. Yes it looks cool. I'll give you that. But it's not iconic. It went out on a bad note! And also; it's not an American company that made it. Concord is a European effort that failed. It was too expensive, uncomfortable and, it was restricted to fly over many areas. And that plane was also a headache to maintain for the airline companies that used them. So what makes it iconic? I suppose the aerodynamic shape it had was pretty gorgeous. And the adjustable cockpit was an innovative feature too. But other than that.....the plane was not profitable. And because it lacks that criteria it will never be able to have the prestige that an American Boeing 747 jumbo jet had for 50 years.
@@frankferriolo9212 Concorde is an iconic aircraft. And I never inferred, or suggested that the Americans made it. They made their own version with the the 2707, that never made it off the drawing board.
@@frankferriolo9212 You obviously don't know much about the Concorde...27 years of twice the speed of sound success in outrageous speed and outstanding comfort and just one single fatal crash caused by a poorly maintained DC 10...this plane has been quite a failure and killed a lot of people.!!!.Concorde was the first fly by wire marvel ,CG and balanced between fuel tanks ,a french technology applied for the F22 (as well as the side stick controls)..Concorde was not built to be profitable ,at least not among 'regular' passengers ,people who flew on Concorde never asked how much they paid for their flight..!!..It was the flag-ship of aviation ,when Concorde took off or landed ,anywhere in the world ,people stopped what they were doing ,and looked up in awe...Just like they do when they see an Airbus A380..Of course the great 747 was the first Jumbo Jet in aviation ,but it has been surpassed now....
well, what can I say: This airplane, the Three Holer as we used to call it was the finest transport I had ever flown. Not only was it beautiful to look at, it was beautiful to fly. Designed by genius jack steiner, built by the best craftsmen at Boeing, it is to my mind, the most fantastic looking and flying airplane yet. Still, state of the art looking.... I have flown them all, the B 727-100, 200, 2A were all stars. A true pilots airplane, you really felt you had something under you !
I completely agree. I am a retired Delta Captain with 21,000 hours PIC in the 727-200. Our nickname for the 727 was the 'Harley"because the airplane "Flew Fast and made a lot of noise".She was the finest aircraft ever built.
I was a United Airlines pilot from 1986 to my retirement in 2015 at age 65. I was a 727 flight engineer based at Chicago O’Hare and an engineer check airman for 4 years. In those days, United flew the first 727 built, which I think was the prototype mentioned in this video, and it was N7001U. I flew as engineer on that plane many times, but one flight sticks in y memory. On the last day of a 4 day trip, the last 2 legs were from ORD to Raleigh Durham and back. Our captain had to catch his commute flight home and only had 15 minutes between our scheduled arrival time and the departure of his flight home. If he missed his flight, he would have to spend $50 on a hotel room and fly home the next day. He was NOT going to miss his flight!! I distinctly remember enroute from RDU to O’Hare that we were flying at Mach .89 and in continuous Mach buffet. A flight attendant showed up in the cockpit with a round of coffee. She asked the captain when we could expect to be out of this turbulence. His terse one worded reply was “Never!”. Puzzled, she looked at me for an answer. I told her we were flying so fast we were making our own turbulence. Her reply was “ Great! I have a commute flight to catch!”. On an extended downwind leg at O’Hare, for Runway 27R, at 13,000 feet, we were indicating 410 knots! We made it from RDU to ORD, engine start to shutdown, in 1 hour and 35 minutes while burning 5000 lbs of fuel more than the flight plan called for,. Chivalry aside, the captain was the first one out the door at the gate, muscling ahead of our paying passengers. Oh, he made his commute flight. I loved the 727! 👮♂️👮♂️Oh, the way we were....
joel, I also lived that flight ! coming back from GEG-DTW, flew at .88 nudging .89, kept my hand on the throttles the whole time so didn't overspeed....we were doing about 11 miles a minute; got close to DTW and tracon guy asked our speed...I grabbed the mike and lied (had my commute to BDL to make....he said, "sir, you are overtaking all traffic , turn to 090 and slow to 250k !!! well, I was a half hour early, the gate was still occupied and I ended up spending 50 bucks to overnight!!! guess we all do the same dumb stuff
This was just an awesome airplane! It could fly on short routes like ORD to Cedar Rapids, Iowa’, or from ORD to LAX. It could also land on short runways. I was a flight engineer on the 727 for 4 years and loved this amazing Boeing creation.
This is so 70s! Luv it. I miss the good ole 727! I'm from San Diego where PSA had a bunch. One crashed in North Park Sept of 78. Wasn't the plane's fault! I also miss the good ole DC-10 and L-1011 too. Good looking planes.
ME, TOO!! Luckily, though, you can still see the DC-10 at airshows now and then (actually, the KC-10), but it's the closest I know of, anymore. Up until just recently, the British RAF were still using L-1011's as troop transports.
When I was 12 in 1976, flying to London with my parents, I asked our B747 pilot too many questions at the entryway. He sent back a flight attendant midway to invite me forward to the cockpit. I spent an hour enthralled at the design & complexity of this mythical airliner, with the Flight crew patiently answering my every question What a blast ! I only wish I recalled his name. It was a clear sky & the view of Iceland & Greenland from 36,000' was breathtaking to the senses. I'm sure I chattered my parents senseless the rest of the way enroute to London. Belated thanks to that thoughtful 747 Captain - seeing this documentary brings it all back !
Had a smilar experience in 1982. 747 aerolíneas Argentinas. Maybe an SP version. I Was allowed into the cockpit, for an hour. I was 11 yrs old. Flying between Lima peru, and México DF, enroute to LAX. Clear Night over Pacific. Incredible.
@@mrgotan Great story Probably a wide eyed boy asking questions & showing genuine interest in a pilots somewhat predictable routine & plane is irresistible. "Sure Son let me show you how we Fly this ship..."
I think the Boeing 777 killed the Boeing 747 in the late 90s. Little by little the airlines of the world got rid of the 747 at the beginning of 2000s. Not only the 747, but also the DC-10 and L-1011. At the moment I hardly see any 747 of passengers in each airport of USA and the world, I only see some, most freighters. For me I'm sick of seeing too many 777 and Airbus A330 and A340. I want to see back the old days that had the 747s from the 70s to 90s.
You are right. In 1997 United and British Airways were converting 747 orders with Boeing into 777 orders. The 777-200 replaced the DC-10 (at United's request!) and the L-1011. The 777-300ER replaced the 747-400. :(
We should all blame bin laden it's all his fault the bastard since he died strains of weed have become weak as fuck I have to smoke twice as much to get stoned these days
Some musician sat years ago putting together the music for this video with no idea we'd be listening to it on RU-vid in 2021. Dunno why I thought of that.
I knew a retired Eastern Airlines Pilot. He called the 727 a "Flying Ferrari" He said it was a ball to fly . He said that it would climb at an angle that would have caused most passengers to freak out and puke.
Knew Paul Havis personally awesome person and recently retired. He showed me the 747,DC10,A300R,737,777 cockpits and a 727 flight simulator. It's a dream come true. Thank You! Captain Paul Havis.
39:51 What he says between there and 40:05 implying that automatic landing was not a feature seen previously in commercial aviation isn't actually true. To my knowledge (and please correct me if anyone is aware of any earlier examples) the first aircraft with that feature in commercial use was the Vickers VC10. There a video by the RU-vid channel "British Pathe" entitled "Gander To London - BOAC Vc10 Automatic Landing (1968)", showing that this automatic landing system was in commercial service a year prior to the 747 first flight. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-biLlTH19On4.html Video of the automatic landing of the VC10
I work on the 747 flight test program. Had 5 planes for certification. What a great plane. Left alot of details put but still interesting . Brought back a lot of memories. Also worked on 727 functional test. Flew one every 3 days
my dad worked on the very first 727 and the very first 747 he snuck me in as a child to see the 27 and a teenager to see the 47 I I watched the 47s Maiden flight and from Edmonds Beach Awesome awesome awesome!
@@jeffpalmer5502 You know Jeff....that just might be God's way of telling you he's waiting on you up there, and just like when you were a kid. He's gonna take you on a grand tour of the place when you first arrive....lol. God works in mysterious ways you know.... God bless!!!
@@jeffpalmer5502 This morning I was laying back in my bed watching this documentary and reading some of the comments. I didn't meet my own father until I was 15. Oddly...we meant each other at Orlando International Airport back in 1975. We hugged and cried that eventful day, but we never got to be chum's like you and your dad were. When I read your comment.... I was happy for you....because you had a real dad growing up. My dad later asked Christ into his heart and so I'm expecting to one day see him again. Anyways... my meeting you this morning shows me to not take it lightly when I respond to someone's comments. Sometimes... God is behind what we are doing. I think he was behind our meeting each other today. Because your smiling ear to ear...lol. I thought I would give you a gift that I hope will bring even more joy to your heart. I moved to South Africa many years ago and God has helped me to produce a wonderfully anointed Christian music album here. It took us a full 7 year's to produce it. Like a puzzle it was put together piece by piece and song by song. The album is sorta named after song number 2 and 16, which is a slighty different arrangement of the same song. I suppose to most...this theme song is also the most anointed song on the album. I hope the song and indeed, the entire album brings you a spiritual blessing. Father God has so richly given to us, and so we find it an honor to give this album to the world for free. Keep our ministry here in your prayers Jeff. We sure could use them. Link to album: ru-vid.com/group/OLAK5uy_ncD4ftpvJQfZGO7sXcazjuYsAh2viVw1U Please stay in touch and let us know what you think of our music.... Maranatha!!!
Well my friends, this was before the age of the 737 MAX. For my generation, that grew up with the 727 and 747, Boeing had always been at the forefront of technical innovation, progress and dependability. And now? - Which values have shifted over the decades that despite an unprecedented advance in technology and all the experience gathered in aeronautical engineering, a company allows such things, as they surface more and more, to have happened? And this in a field where there is no room for a margin of error.
I flew on the 727 very often in the 1970s. We once had a compressor stall on takeoff at LaGuardia (Eastern), a missed approach also at LGA (American), and the shortest flight I've ever had from Newport News to Norfolk (National). First 747 flight was JFK-LAX on TWA in 1974. Those were the days.
What I loved most was the TAP 727 landing on the old 5.000 ft runway at Madeira, starting at 28:33. I did this only once back in 1993 in a 737-500, and I can testify that it was an experience! The return flight from Madeira to Frankfurt, operated non-stop on the same type, took a mere 20 seconds from brake release to rotation. 727s in those days however, could not fly such sectors from the short runway and had to do an intermediate stop at Porto Santo island for refuelling if they were to fly such a route. I have also flown on the 727, mostly with Lufthansa and Pan Am on the internal German services (IGS), and I loved this bird, which was very quiet in the cabin and was fascinating to watch when operating the flaps and slats. Those were the days my friends.
That old Madeira airport with its small runway and filthy cross winds could only be safely handled by top TAP pilots (probably Top Gun graduates....LOL)
What a magnificent plane the boeing 727 was, the only plane I would fly on, just a spectacular machine, I loved them, I'm sure that the pilots would agree with my feelings, when you stepped off of one, you knew that you had been on an awesome machine.. It had to be very hard to build a plane better than this one, and I'm not sure that they have!!!!
I worked on these 727(also 747) in an overhaul facility for many years. Mostly on the airframe due to aging and corrosion. Beautiful airplane ✈️. As a technician not a fan of those high engines. The aft airstair was a great idea. DB COOPER liked it also.
wow 1990 I was 10 and dad worked for continental airlines in ewr and I fondly remember those aircraft, 74's and 727s especially the 737 200s were my favorite in the old continental red meatball, I remember the 747s they had too! thanks man keep these vids coming!
What a beautiful, sexy hot rod airliner with many great features- years ago I sat over the wing flying into Ketchikan Alaska during heavy rain and watching the saturated airflow as flaps, slats, and spoilers were extended was better than a wind tunnel view- a revelation to a new A &P tech- it was fascinating! I love the 727. The 747 is a whole 'nother story and love affair. Once on a field trip, my A & P class got to climb all over/inspect one un supervised- couldn't believe how small the cockpit was- very tight quarters. This was at Moffet field in Calif. It's no wonder I love Boeing airliners!
There's an entire generation of people who just can't help themselves, they feel that have to right every wrong even when they are wrong in doing so. But they feel better now.
The 727 APU was a Garrett-AiResearch GTC85. I replaced many of them as a former, now retired, AMT (Aircraft Maintenance Technician) for Delta Air Lines. The APU was right in the middle of the forward part of the main gear wheelwell. I really loved the 727-200, and enjoyed working on it as a Line Maintenance Mechanic for Delta.
APU stands for Auxiliary Power Unit and it's a small turbine engine. The APU provides electrical power (via generator) and pneumatic air (from the APU itself, via a bleed air valve). The 727's APU is installed in the forward area of the right and left main gear bay (with exhaust on the top of the right wing root). The APU is used on the ground only and can independently provide electrical power, pneumatic air for air conditioning, and engine starting. Most jetliners, such as the 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, DC-9 (Boeing 717 & MD-90), DC-10, MD-11, and Airbuses all have the APU installed in the tail section. Generally speaking, most airlines only use the APU to start the engines after push-back. Aircraft that layover at the gate all night are powered by external power, and air conditioning via the airport terminal. APUs are costly to run due to high jet fuel prices, so they are used only when needed. Here is a RU-vid video of the general description of the 727's APU: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nXK7ewyBYxg.html
The massive Boeing Everett manufacturing plant is literally two blocks from my house, where I'm sitting watching this right now. 👍 I believe it's still the World record holder for the largest industrial manufacturing campus on the Planet, to this day. But, you wouldn't know it from looking, with a low profile and environmental impact mitigation. The giant assembly line hangars even have enormous, beautifully designed painted murals across the sliding doors. When they're closed, they look like appropriate parts of the surrounding scenery, but that's just the outward aesthetic. The real mitigation is in the cutting edge environmentally friendly technology that's implemented, like solar panels, etc., and an all-inclusive support system, it's own water supply towers and sewers, restaurants and cafés, and grounds flooding control and noise diminishing tech built in to the plant's design complements. Even at the multi-million dollar wind tunnel and engine testing bays. The campus still rolls out multiple finished airframes a day off the assembly line, so take-offs and landings are definitely something anybody in my community needed to become accustomed to early on. Even my WiFi is interrupted periodically whenever a fresh off the line 747 flies a couple hundred feet over the roof of my house lol more often than anyone should have to learn to tolerate. It certainly takes a bit of getting used to, but having been born and raised here, it's essentially something I've experienced my entire 40 something years. 👍
The 727 was the 720 killer. It could more oe less do the same job from existing regional centres for much lower operating costs and had self-sustaining design features like for and aft staircases and an APU. These babies could show up anywhere and not need stairs or ground power unlike the more ungainly 720.
I remember this combo video very well from my aircraft maintenance training days back in the early 90's. I once had a copy of this but it was stolen in from me in 92. I cannot thank you enough for posting this. Brings back some great memories. If it ain't a Boeing I ain't going ;)
I flew on a Boeing 727 in 1982 as a 12 year old with my parents. The 727 was a wonderful plane to fly with. Even today it`s a plane that made a milestone in jet powered aviation. Even there are only a few 727 still in active service today it is a masterpiece.
Flew many 727s to Washington National airport from O'hare airport to visit my Grandmother. Standby fare thanks to my dad being a United employee? $3 ea way, $6 for first class.
The music is irritating and loud, overriding the narrating. Why do you cover up the voice with this stupid noise? Very sad. I flew N7002U (the second B-727 built) when I received my B-727 Type Rating on September 9-1973. I flew N720AA on the last day for Boeing 727 flights for American Airlines (April 30-2002). I love that airplane, and was looking forward to a great video, but instead it was so full of irritating noise you think is music I could not finish it. Great idea, totally crap sound track.
Sad so many were junked from airframe hours. I saw where one guy brought a 727 out in the woods and made a motorhome out of it wings and all. It was pretty cool. He said the stripped hull was free but the transportation cost a fortune.
They developed the 747 in under 5 years from scratch until entering commercial service. A plane twice the size of anything built before. Almost no computers, everything drawn on paper, no simulation software, no e-mails, no internet, no mobile phones. The 777X development began in 2013, it 's doubtful if Boeing can maintain their schedule for full certification until 2025. A refurbishment of an already existing design. Things must have gone very, very wrong in the last 50 years.
Very Nice and Interesting documentary ! I really enjoyed this video and 2 me also a little Sad since they don't produce these Birds No More !! This was my Era and ofcourse my Favorite Airplane was and still is the Boeing 747 !! I do hope 2 C the 747 Flying well into the 21 st Century !! 😊😊
I would dread being the Pilot of any Plane delivered to the Airline. It is like a New Car, what is going to Break/Malfunction on the Drive home? At least in a Car, you just park the POS, and walk, in a Plane, Gravity wins every time.
Give you a clue on my age iPhone everything up to the sub 67ers the 727 is a most impressive airplane ever made I could do barrel rolls in that damn thing and remember I don't fly passengers the 727 can do barrel rolls all day long and it does fly over mock not Mark .97 but more like 1.3
Update from the future: It's 2020, the program has stopped, and airlines are retiring them due to a pandemic that is causing people to fly less, lots are being fired, everyone's wearing masks, and we had a toilet paper shortage.
The rear stairway on the 727 allowed it to operate at unimproved airports. The infamous "D.B. Cooper" escaped through this rear stairway while plane was in flight. An Airworthiness Directive was subsequently issued for the 727 to prevent the lowering of the stairway while the airplane was in flight.
Most commercial pilots I’ve seen and heard who flew the 727, comment that it was a speed demon and flew nimbly, reminding them of their military aircraft experiences.
back when Boeing meant something for excellence in workmanship after the MAX ill never ever fly a Boeing i mean im scared to anyway but if im forced into a flight ill take my chances on Airbus
The narrator really should know a little something about the subject matter, at least the difference between 'parameter' and 'perimeter' (at 6:20 and 33:55). Such errors undermine confidence in the accuracy of the entire presentation.
jrc99us All they need to do is update the flight systems, maybe add some winglets, and install some more efficient and faster engines.... Which would take millions of dollars. But think of how nice that would be to have a 727-400! Think of all the opportunities there would be for a cheaper, faster medium range jet!
Boeing had tried to keep the 727 configuration. After consulting the with the Airliners, first to go the tail mounted engines, then the T-tail, and finally the 707 based flight deck, then we got a 757! killing the 757 was a mistake, but if Boeing could graft 757 undercarriage to 737MAX, then it can afford larger engine, then it got a fighter chance against A321. Best: redesign the 737 with slightly wider fuselage than A320m, undercarriage from 757, full fly by wire, composite fuselage and carried over most of 737 max components, flight deck commonality with 787, 777
Look on Controller.com. there are 4 Valsan Super-27s available. These are the 727s you really want. Engines one and three are upgraded to meet modern noise requirements, which makes them much more long-legged, as well.
Yes my husband wants one also the tooling is probably gone but Boeing does have spare parts for them in stock find one send it to them for a complete check and rebuild and your good to go :)
