The first Boeing 727 rolled out today, in 1962

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Sacto1654@reddit

And it way out-sold the Hawker Siddeley Trident because it could seat more people per plane than the Trident even on the 727-100 model.

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The stupidity of the Trident was that it ended up being optimized for a BEA specification, rather than the original spec, which was close to the 727 design. As a result, it was so underpowered that the final versions actually had a small fourth engine in the tail.

The post-war British civil airliner story is full of this. The VC-10 was another plane that was good on paper, if you were BOAC. Nobody else needed something to fill such specific roles, which became obsolete soon after it started flying anyway.

The BAC 1-11 seems to be the only one that managed to escape that curse.

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zasedok@reddit

That was the curse of the British postwar aviation industry. Their aircraft were invariably designed for the needs of a single state owned airline (whose opinion on what they actually needed changed every day). That led to aircraft that were beautiful and extremely innovative, but virtually unsellable on the open market.

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Sacto1654@reddit

This was the same problem that plagued the BAC TSR-2 project. I think had the British government allowed other European countries to buy the TSR-2, it's likely the project would have kept going, mostly because the Luftwaffe would have bought 75-80 planes and the Aeronautica Militare would have bought another 75-80 planes, which would have resulted in a production run of at least 310 planes.

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zasedok@reddit

The problem was not specific to the British though. At least as far as commercial airliners go, it was basically the same story in France. Although they had one (moderate) success with the Caravelle. Interestingly, the Caravelle's nose section was licensed from the Comet.

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wstsidhome@reddit

I had never heard about this fourth engine in the tail before…would love to learn more about this so I’ll see what I can dig up. Thanks for bringing this detail up! 👌🤜🤛

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Sacto1654@reddit

The Trident 3 models had a smaller Rolls-Royce RB. 162 engine in the tail, designed not only as an auxiliary power unit but also provided extras thrust on takeoff.

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Sacto1654@reddit

Correct. Had the D.H. 121 design been built around the more power Rolls-Royce Medway engine, it's likely the plane would have sold in surprisingly large numbers. Such a larger Trident would have certainly attracted the likes of Alitalia, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa (all of which ended up buying the 727).

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Dangerous-Salad-bowl@reddit

I’d say the HS146 gave it a good shot but American engines.

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Boeing367-80@reddit

It was more capable generally - longer range, etc.

There's an interesting little book on the 727, Bilion Dollar Battle by Mansfield. Very much a product of its time (the book).

One of the key issues for Boeing in that era was that American wages were very high relative to the rest of the world. Boeing was also struggling with the 707 and 720 at the time because it was far from immediately profitable.

So the 727 had to be a superior aircraft than whatever the alternatives might be in order to prosper because it was going to have to cost more. Luckily, it was a superior aircraft. The wing and the engines were key: the flap system and then Pratt bringing the JT8D to the party.

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dpdxguy@reddit

At one point, the 727 was the best selling airliner in the world. It eventually lost that distinction to 737

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SirHustlerEsq@reddit

It must have been a wild time that someone picked those colors for the roll-out of a plane.

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tenthousandlakes@reddit

You can see this plane at the Museum of Flight in Seattle

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FAJStracker@reddit

Last tri-jet from the Boeing family.

I don't count the step children, M/D-10/1.

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FrankReynoldsCPA@reddit

Ironically the 727 will likely be the last trijet flying.

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Just_a_Berliner@reddit

That will be the TU-154 thanks to russian air force and the last frame completed in 2013.

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ItsKlobberinTime@reddit

The Dassault Falcon 900 is still in production.

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Bon-Bon-Boo@reddit

And 8X

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Acc3ssViolation@reddit

That new Chinese triple engined triangle thing as well, if it ever ends up in serial production

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CyberSoldat21@reddit

They’re already onto the 2nd prototype so it’s likely to go into service.

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Rezolution134@reddit

Got to be an FE on these for a bit right near the end of their life. Very cool plane.

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virilixe@reddit

seeing one of these in person must've been incredible back in the day with that crowd.

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Corduroy_Sazerac@reddit

That was 59 years after the Wright brothers roll-out and flight.

We are now 63 years from the 727 roll-out.

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Mihnea2002@reddit

It's crazy to think that so many people think the world is getting worse when we've made so much progress in the last 100 years it is incomprehensible. Pessimistic bias in all its glory.

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1Rab@reddit

The jump in the first half of the 1900s mechanically was intense and clearly visible. The jump in the second half digitally was intense but less physically impressive.

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_HanTyumi@reddit

That’s an insane thing to think about

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Enough_Law6797@reddit

I loved flying that plane, as a passenger.

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jdbcn@reddit

I loved the stairs on the tail

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Praise-Breesus@reddit

Look at those cute little engines. Amazing how far jet engines have come since then.

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Familiar_Fee_7891@reddit

The Boeing 727 was built because of one particular runway at LaGuardia Airport in NYC.

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airfryerfuntime@reddit

Oh, so it was originally piss yellow. I just assumed those old wood models had yellowed over time.

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dohwhere@reddit

That was the Boeing house livery of the time. The 707 and 737 also rolled out/flight tested in yellow and brown.

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jjkbill@reddit

The Australian ATPL exams are still based on the 727, I get nightmares looking at them

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FluffusMaximus@reddit

One of the most beautiful planes ever built.

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Coreysurfer@reddit

TWAs getting one..only logo i can read )

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PFeezzy@reddit

First plane I ever flew on when I was a 10 year old kid.

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Aerogaia@reddit

I have had the opportunity to fly that model in various simulators since I was little and liked aviation. Very maneuverable. And I remember that I didn't need big runways to land. In the simulator I used to use cargo versions, with FedEx livery. There are just over 20 assets left around the world. Ah… what times

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