Boeing 727

Boeing · United States · first flew 1963 · airliner

The Boeing 727 was a medium-range trijet with a T-tail and three rear-mounted engines, long the best-selling jetliner in the world.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	3 × turbofan, tail-mounted
F — Fuselage	46.7 m fuselage
T — Tail	T-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Three-engine rear cluster with T-tail
Centre engine S-duct intake at base of fin
Clean low swept wing, no underwing pods

The unmistakable signature is the three-engine tail cluster, with two pod engines on the rear fuselage flanking a third buried in the fin and fed by an S-duct intake at the fin base, all topped by a T-tail.

Specifications

The Boeing 727 has a length of 46.7 m (153 ft).
It has a wingspan of 32.9 m (108 ft).
Its maximum speed is 964 km/h (599 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1963, the 727 used advanced triple-slotted flaps and leading-edge devices for excellent short-field performance from smaller runways. A total of 1,832 were built between 1963 and 1984, making it the airliner sales leader for many years until the 737 surpassed it.

Variants

The original short-body 727-100 was followed by the stretched 727-200 and the improved 727-200 Advanced with more powerful JT8D engines and greater range, plus convertible and freighter conversions.

Where you'll see it

BEA and British Airways never flew it, as UK policy favoured the Hawker Siddeley Trident; Dan-Air was the principal British operator, flying 727s from Gatwick from 1973 until BA absorbed the airline in 1992. The worldwide last scheduled passenger flight came in 2019, and no complete UK museum airframe is recorded.

Related aircraft

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