Grisly demolition of an old 727. "Thank you" Seattle....

I'll bet it was particularly distressing for the people at the Kansas City museum who wanted the airplane. But they had had four years to get it moved, so you can't really blame the county.

 

video

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=613708603004423

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Years ago the fine brains of Seattle decided that they should demolish the jewel of the city to make way for somebody's department store. So, they tore down the Orpheum theater that was one of those beautiful grand theaters built in the age of grace, beauty, and elegance. We'll never see the likes of them again. That 727 could have been used for educational and historical purposes for many years but the few hundred feet of shadow that it cast was worth far more to the bean counters and money grabbers than the good it would have done. I worked on that airplane and its brethren and this was a shameful way to waste it.

 

At least there is still the one in Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry. They raise and lower the landing gear and flaps several times each hour!

 

They did the same thing to most of the F-111s and F-14s to keep the Iranians from getting any of the parts. If it did not get put on a stick or into a museum, it was the guillotine.

 

A 727-23 at ORD back when it was still flying for AA.


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Glad we still have ours and it is helping future aviators and maintainers.

https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/news/archive/2013/02/uaa-welcomes-donated-boeing-727-jet-from-fedex/

https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/fedex-727-200-short-field-landing-with-audio-its-last-flight.400380/#post-142142376

 

That is SO cool, the video of the "Last Landing" and flyover....was like "Watch THIS!"....what a climb out and then landing, those guys knew that plane..

Thanks for sharing.....

 

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4000 foot runway. He slowed it down fast!

 

I watched Lew Wallick land the 727 prototype over the blast fence in an approach from the south at Renton and had it stopped less than 2500 ft. from the fence. It was roaring like a max take off on the way in to make the hi-lift system work. Beautiful customer demo that he was so good at.

 

At the 1969 Fort Lauderdale air races, an Eastern pilot demonstrated the short-field capabilities of the 727 at Executive Airport. That was impressive!

 

Saw some long field take-off demonstrations at Albuquerque on 8000' density altitude days. They shut off part of the bleed system for a little extra thrust.

 

I still think that the 727 is one of the best of Boeing's engineering accomplishments. Plenty of out-of-the -box creative initiatives that solved a lot of complex problems.

 

Since I can't get a real one, I'll enjoy my model ones. Great plane.
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727s had a much nicer galley and first class than the mostly 737s that replaced them. Flight attendants really liked them.

 

And other ends for non-US F-111's . . .
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The Courier Mail
Famous fighters dumped in hole
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/ipswich/famous-fighters-dumped-in-hole/news-story/44e5d93b98e780d8574472ea6f0b4e75

 

And a 727 isn't the oldest thing to land at Merrill Field...wheels up, too. See both videos.

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2021/12/08/transnorthern-plane-makes-emergency-landing-merrill-field-no-injuries-reported/?fbclid=IwAR0AQpNNgewHT4Lc6N1FycJsuLr2pft02dd8XeqSvuVgkDcfgMhsP5eW_sA