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Aviation History
1977
1977 - 0078.PDF
*Sh •f i i • • show just how finely balanced the customer's choice is. Success breeds success in commercial aerospace. Posters in the 727 plant at Renton exhort assembly-line workers to maintain the productivity levels achieved during the great slump of the early 1970s: PRIDE IN EXCELLENCE —-one manhour per pound. Thus the cost per seat of the 727 is highly competitive even with that! of the larger A300. Boeing claims a figure 35 per cent lower, but that is based on a 151-seater 727 and a 249-seater A300, which are hardly comparable (A300 seats 281 at 34in pitch, all economy, and a 727 seats 155 to the same standard). Boeing puts the flexibility of the 727 family well up among the reasons for its continued success. The develop- 14 13 12- *: 10 •- 9 5,000ft 84° F Air conditioning off #" / 7 i • i J/l > '// V / // -/ / /• i V * // • , M • / / ; . i • ' / . °l •' 1 s/.- • •»# * / /•' 1 /-: i i i 140 150 160 170 1£ 190 200 210 Brake-release weight —1,0001b ment process which produced the stretched, 2,500 n.m.- range Advanced 727-200 has left in its wake a number of options in powerplants, weight and fuel capacity. One benefit of the latest uprating of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D, the D-17R with automatic performance reserve, is to allow the heavier 727s to climb out steeply enough to meet FAR Part 36 noise regulations; with the latest engines the 727 can meet FAR 36 at 205,5001b, only 4,0001b short of the structural limit. But there is no need for the operator to choose the heaviest or most powerful aircraft. "You can buy what you need and upgrade when you like," says Gregoire. Boeing offers,one, two or three auxiliary fuel tanks in the lower hold, four thrust ratings and six gross weights from 173,0001b to 210,0001b. The price differentials are however not vast, and it is unusual for new customers now to select the lower thrust and engine options. Alitalia, one exception, chose a 178,5001b weight and the 14,5001b-thrust JT8D-9A for the sake of engine commonality with its DC-9-30S. Continuous development has kept the 727 systems youth ful. Now available are area and inertial navigation systems (SLA selected the latter option) and automatic landing to a 50ft decision height and a 700ft runway visual range. Anti-skid and automatic braking systems have been im proved as maximum gross weight is increased. The narrow-body, Boeing now contends, is better suited than the wide-body to short hauls. Most of the 727 systems, such as fuel, air conditioning and hydraulics, are accessible from ground level without maintenance platforms. The rear self-contained airstair is standard and a second is optional. The baggage hold is conveniently close to the ground. Another advantage claimed by Boeing is that the 727 is a fast aeroplane. It has a comparatively small wing by con temporary standards, using complex high-lift devices to keep approach speeds down. Engine-out cruise perform ance, which tends to fix the wing area of high-bypass- ratio twins, is not critical with three JT8Ds. The small wing is fairly efficient in the cruise and Boeing points out that the 390kt equivalent maximum operating airspeed of the trijet gives it a substantial cruising-speed advantage
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