DONE @p.5 +++ 1:144 Boeing 727-301, Aéromexicana, late Seventies

[zenrat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, it took some time, but the quad-engine 727 is finally done:


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The Boeing 727 was an American midsized, narrow-body three-engine jet aircraft built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes from the early 1960s to 1984. Intended for short and medium-length flights, it could carry 149 to 189 passengers and later models could fly up to 2,700 nautical miles (5,000 km) nonstop. It was originally powered by three Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines below the T-tail, one on each side of the rear fuselage with a center engine that connected through an S-duct to an inlet at the base of the fin.

The 727 followed the 707 and the 720, both quad-jet airliners, with which it shared its upper fuselage cross-section and cockpit design. The 727 was designed as a more economical alternative to the 707/720s and was tailored to operations from smaller airports, so independence from ground facilities was an important requirement. This led to one of the 727's most distinctive features: the built-in airstair that opened from the rear underbelly of the fuselage, which initially could be opened in flight (a feature that was later blocked). Nose wheel brakes were available as an option to reduce braking distance on landing, which provided reduction in braking distances of up to 150 m. In order to protect the tail section in the event of an over-rotation on take-off, the 727 was equipped with a retractable tailskid. Another innovation was the auxiliary power unit (APU), which allowed electrical and air-conditioning systems to run independently of a ground-based power supply, and without having to start one of the main engines. An unusual design feature was that the APU was mounted in a hole in the keel beam web, in the main landing gear bay.


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The 727's fuselage had an outer diameter of 148 inches (3.8 m). This allowed six-abreast seating (three per side) and a single aisle when 18-inch (46 cm) wide coach-class seats were installed. An unusual feature of the fuselage was the 10-inch (25 cm) difference between the lower lobe forward and aft of the wing, as the higher fuselage height of the center section was simply retained towards the rear.

The 727 proved to be such a reliable and versatile airliner that it came to form the core of many startup airlines' fleets. The 727 was successful with airlines worldwide partly because it could use smaller runways while still flying medium-range routes. This allowed airlines to carry passengers from cities with large populations, but smaller airports, to worldwide tourist destinations. One of the features that gave the 727 its ability to land on shorter runways was its clean wing design: With no wing-mounted engines, leading-edge devices (Krueger, or hinged, flaps on the inner wing and extendable leading edge slats out to the wingtip) and trailing-edge lift enhancement equipment (triple-slotted, fowler flaps) could be used on the entire wing. Together, these high-lift devices produced a maximum wing lift coefficient of 3.0 (based on the flap-retracted wing area).


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The 727-100 first flew in February 1963 and entered service with Eastern Air Lines in February 1964; the stretched 727-200 flew in July 1967 and entered service with Northeast Airlines that December. After the global success of the -100 and especially the stretched -200 series, Boeing considered another version, the -300 series, a thoroughly modified variant, dedicated to the South American and Asian markets and optimized for "hot and high" climate operations.

The basis for the -300 was the extended -200 airframe, but in order to improve security as well as landing and starting characteristics, a fourth engine was added for extra thrust. This changed the tail layout completely, since the central JT8D and its S-duct were deleted. Instead, the 727-300's four engines were re-arranged in two new twin-nacelles along the reinforced rear fuselage, similar to the Vickers VC-10 and Ilyushin Il-62 long-range airliners, which were both bigger/heavier aircraft, though. With the fourth engine's extra power, the -300 became the Boeing 727 variant with the shortest take-off run: only 1.5 miles were necessary to get airborne (vs. 2 miles for late 727-200 variants and even less than 1,6 miles for the lighter, early 727-100). It also had the highest operational ceiling and an improved rate of climb, but top speed and range remained virtually unaffected.


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In order to better cope with smaller airfields with less-than-perfect runways and higher landing speeds, the -300's landing gear was reinforced and the twin wheels on the 727's main legs replaced with four-wheel bogies. This necessitated bigger landing gear wells and the relocation of the APU into the rear fuselage, occupying the space of the former middle engine. The 727's tail-mounted airstair was retained, and basically any interior feature and layout of the 727-200 cabin could be ordered for the -300, too, including side freight doors and equipment for mixed cargo/passenger operations.

Even though thrust-reversers were planned for all four engines, the inboard devices were omitted for serial production aircraft due to continued tail plane buffeting on the prototype, which flew in March 1970 for the first time. In order to compensate for this loss of braking power, Boeing's engineers added a unique feature to the 727-300: a drogue parachute, which could be deployed to relieve the brakes and augment the outer JT8D's thrust reversers, once the landing speed had been reduced to 80 knots or less. The parachute was mounted in a clamshell compartment in the now empty tail section.


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


However, the improved performance came at a price: through its additional engine, the 727-300 turned out to be costly to operate, being almost on par with the 707 and 720 models, which the 727 was originally intended to replace. In consequence, this specialized variant was only built in small numbers and found only a few operators. Launch customer was Aéromexico in 1972, ordering ten -301 machines primarily for domestic and South American routes. Other major civil operators became Air India with eight -302 machines, TAME (EP Linea Aerea del Ecuador) with six -303 aircraft, and Aerolíneas Argentinas with five -304 aircraft. A total of six machines were furthermore built under the designation C-22D for military operators; two of them flew as VIP transports for the USAF (also carrying out CIA missions, the integral airstair was a convenient detail of the type), and two each flew for the air forces of Mexico and Pakistan.

The highest production rate of the 727 was in the 1970s. Airport noise regulations have led to 727s being equipped with hush kits, the last 727 was completed in 1984. Successor models include variants of the 737 and the 757-200. The last commercial passenger flight of the 727 was in January 2019 in Iran, even though a few machines of the type still remain in government and private use or operate as freighters.


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr




General characteristics:
    Crew: 3 (+ 3 flight attendants)
    Length: 153 ft 2 in (46.68m)
    Wingspan: 108 ft (32.92m)
    Height: 34 ft 11 in (10.65m)
    Wing area: 1,650 sq ft (153 m²), 32° sweep   
    Empty weight: 100,700 lb (45,720 kg)
    Max. takeoff weight: 209,500 lb (95,100 kg)
    Fuel capacity: 8,090 US gal (30,620 l)
    Cabin width: 140 in/3.56m
    Two-class seats: 134 (20F@38" + 114Y@34")
    Single-class seats: 155@34", absolute maximum of 189 passengers

Powerplant:
    4× Pratt & Whitney JT8D-11 low-bypass (0.96 to 1) turbofan engines,
       delivering 15,000 lbf (66.72 kN) each

Performance:
    Maximum speed: Mach 0.9 (961 km/h; 519 kn)
    Cruise speed: Mach 0.86 (917 km/h; 495 kn)
    Landing speed: 151 ml/h (244 km/h; 135 kn)
    Rate of climb: 1,920 ft/min (9.8 m/s)
    Maximum service ceiling: 44,550 ft (13,600 m)
    Range: 1,900 nmi (2,173 ml, 3,500 km)
    Takeoff distance to 35 ft (11 m): 7,860 ft (2,400 m)
    Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 2,160ft at maximum gross landing weight with thrust reverser,
                                                             1,800ft with additional drogue parachute deployment




1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:144 Boeing 727-301; "XA-DOK", operated by Aeroméxico (Aerovías de México, S.A. de C.V.); late Seventies (Whif/modified Minicraft kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

This conversion appears simple at first sight, but the execution caused some headaches. The challenge was not so much building this model, but rather getting all the major input parts and pieces together. Creating a new fin shape was also more challenging than one would expect at first sight. However, the result is quite subtle, and I guess that this fictional 727-300 might make some people look twice, since it reminds a lot of the (bigger) Vickers VC10. Indeed, the outlines are very similar.

[Tophe]

So gorgeous!
The final pics are a marvel!

[TheChronicOne]

     Stupendous!!


More things like this, yeah? Thomas, I think my two favorite builds of yours, at current, are both civvie birds.  This and the stretch passenger Vampire I think it was.

[PR19_Kit]

A veritable MASTERPIECE Thomas! 

To my mind your best yet, but then I am an airliner nut. 

A great backstory to match a great model too. Love the braking chute idea.

[nighthunter]

The 727's biggest claim to fame, or infamy, depending on who you talk to, here in the PNW, is the D.B. Cooper hijacking, who used the airstair to escape, somewhere over southwestern Washington state, near the Columbia River.

Thomas, it's a beautiful piece, wish they released a kit of it as you've made it.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much!!! I am surprised that this one finds so much (positive) resonance - after all, airliners and/or 1:144 scale are not my "home turf". But the result is really pretty, if not elegant. 

[TheChronicOne]

Now you can make some more to go with it because ......   we can't be having her lonely, now can we?   


Your background information was really well done, as well, and very plausible to my mind so methinks it would be something right up your alley to just go on ahead of open up the civil division at Dizzy Worx.

[Old Wombat]

Brilliant job, Dizz! She looks awesome & the story is hugely believable!

[TomZ]

Looks great! Good job. 

TomZ

[loupgarou]

Beautiful model and beautiful glamour photos!

[Spey_Phantom]

amazing work, i think we have a winner on our hands 

[TallEng]

Wonderful
It looks so normal
And I love the Silver/Natural metal finish, Spot on.
(I take it that somebody has already nominated this for the Wiffies?)

Regards
Keith

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Great story, beautiful model & excellent pictures!

[PR19_Kit]

(I take it that somebody has already nominated this for the Wiffies?)

They have indeed.