The best eras of aviation,1960s to 1990s. Now we have quiet and boring airplanes. My first plane ride was on a McDonnell Douglas MD80. I remember taxing and seeing DC10’s, Boeing 727s, Tristar L1011s, DC8, Boeing 737-200, DC9 etc while looking out the window. How times have changed.
My friend who's a commercial airline pilot thinks is funny how people think of the 60's and 70's as the "golden era" of flying. There were so many accidents during those years due to design flaws or lack of CRM. The reason we don't have as many major accidents today is because of what we learned from the disasters in the past. Today is definitely a much safer and better time to fly.
Great video! I was hired by Delta in '88. I spent 1.5 years on the panel of the 72 and then 5 years in the right seat before moving on to the 76/75. Fantastic airplane. Thin swept wing with remarkable high lift technology for slow speeds. A bit underpowered by modern standards but it was fast once it got up a head of steam. One of the best to fly in a gusty crosswind.
The video was made in July, 1999. Reducing the power too soon on landing would generally result in a very firm arrival. Some people explain this by saying the engine thrust at landing attitude does have some vertical component. The ideal touchdown occurs at the same instant that power is fully reduced. The 727 does not glide power off in the flare unless the speed is excessive.
The Hangar 12 crew was great. I remember a huge snow storm that shut down everything. The guys went out to Southern State Pkwy in the tractors, and brought people into the hangar, and put them in empty 707's, and showed movies! The commissary guys fed them, the hangar guys kept them warm with APU power. And, I heard, someone even delivered a baby! How could you not be proud of that.
@ie210 Yes, the speedbrakes are manually deployed. Some airlines did have them with the "auto deploy" option. Only three 727's were delivered to TWA with that option, but the option was removed after delivery.
Pilots who flew the older versions of the 727 learned to be aggressive when activating reverse thrust. The levers were difficult to move. Later, the linkage and cable system was equipped with Teflon bearings, and the levers worked much easier. The technique was to bring the levers rapidly up to the 12 o'clock position, where an interlock stopped the levers until the clamshell doors (reversers) moved.
outstanding flying bob! my dad was with delta in stl for 30 yrs and proudly retired. i spent most of my juvenile hours in the air in those 727's and miss them deeply. it is still my favorite and i respect the old rusty knuckles vets that took their controls! you good ole boys sure are a dying breed. thanks for your service!
As an engineering lab tech, I had the pleasure of helping develop the Sperry SP-50 AFCS (autopilot) for the 727, then wrote several of the maintenance manuals. Always had a fondness for this bird.
It was also an exciting time in electronics. Until the SP-50, earlier autopilots used vacuum tubes. With the SP-50, we learned much about semiconductors. Temperature stabilization was a whole new experience.
When I was growing up in the 1980s, the 727 is the jet gave me the, "flying bug". The sound of those JT8D jets, and the sleek proud lines. But alas! I was born too late. As I got older and started seeing these birds dwindle for quieter, basic, cookie cutter planes, I knew I wouldn't make a career out of it. the 727 is all I used to ever want to fly. Thank you for sharing this. I can live vicariously through the gentlemen in this video. With analog instruments and actual hands on, "pilot in command" flying, the 727 is a pilot's plane. Again, thank you for sharing.
Same here. I grew up flying in the era of the 727. I always felt it was the most jet-looking of all the airliners. Planes today, like most things, have become boring & generic.
Now the Jets, "Fly you" into the ground, into a mountain side, into a building, into the ocean, as everyone goes, "Humm, what possibly could have gone wrong. Oh shit, we forgot to tell them about 'that switch'!!
I've got 17,000 hours, and most Boeing type ratings. To say pilots don't fly now a days is pure BS. It's the exact same. The aircraft just present the information differently. That's it. It's far more busy at airports than it used to be. There is wayyy more "going on". Airlines encourage pilots to turn off the automation once in a while. Skills like hand flying don't "go away". We all had to cut our teeth either in the Military or in the bush.
@@robshef718there’s been no mass fatality crash since 2009. 15 years of safety is unheard of. You’re just making stuff up that feels right but just isn’t true.
Love the old birds. I've talked briefly with a few pilots and they all raved about the 727. Seemed to be all you'd see at airports stateside for years. Nice video, thanks.
I loved sitting in my backyard & watching the jets departing & en-route to DFW. I miss the 727's. Don't see them anymore. You could always tell one from the sound, long before you spotted it in the sky.
I did as well in the early 1980s from our yard in Grapevine. I liked that Braniff painted their planes different colors. Made it fun to fly as a kid because we'd guess which color our plane would be.
Yes I come from Australia and many's the time the 727's would take off over our house in Brisbane and all the plates would rattle .I was probably the only person in the suburb who didn't mind .They were great aircraft both to look at and fly in
Thank you for posting this Bob! My 5 year old son wanted to watch some actual cockpit vidoes of real airline pilots in action, and this was the first one I showed him. He was in absolute awe! It took me back to when I was a boy taking my first airplane ride at 5 years old. It was on a TWA 727 in 1979. My dad was in the air force, and we'd been transferred from Carswell to Anderson AFB, Guam to begin his stint as a B52 pilot. The 727 took us from DFW to LAX where we took a 742 to Hawaii and then Guam. I'll never forget how awesome the 72 looked sitting on the ramp! That was a real airplane. I'll never forgot the Captain and flight crew either. They looked like pilots, acted like pilots, and were even dressed like pilots without a wrinkle on their shirts to be seen. Partway through the flight, a flight attendant asked me if I wanted to see the cockpit. I'm sure my dad put them up to this, but it was something I'll never forget. Hope you are enjoying every bit of your retirement!! I almost forgot.....that pilot greased the landing just like you did!
Have a similar story. My parents put me on a plane by myself to visit my grandparents when I was 5 from Lambert to Stapleton in Denver. TWA was the operator so likely a 727. I was fascinated by aviation as a young boy as my Grandpa was a retired pilot and col in the USAF. The flight attendants were very kind and took me to the cockpit when we cruising to speak to the pilots. They gave me a goody bag with the little toy golden pilots wings!
Wonderful and well managed approach and landing Capt Bob.The epitome of Pilot In Command. Smooth operator!. I flew my Commercial Pilot checkride (trained by a TWA Capt who owned a school in St Charles county near ST Louis) in similar conditions on an afternoon of Aug 11th 1990 at St,Louis Lambert field I was awarded my Commercial Single and Multi engine Pilot license. I will never forget that hot sweaty bumpy after noon(flew with my shirt unbuttoned). I will also never forget one of the hardest landings I ever experienced there on a TWA 727 from JFK. We might have flown through a windsgear but pilot did chop power hurriedly still in the air.. I did the 727 FEX exams earlier in 1990 but never got to fly this beautiful bird which is as old as myself.I got close to getting jobs on it twice in Yemen and Kenta. . I am currently on furlough PIC of VIP Embraer Legacy 650.I yesterday applied for a 727 -200F job in Africa and am expecting an interview.I am so excited at flying this old girl to punctuate my career with some invaluable history. It beats the excitement I had when I trained on my first Jet CRJ and a short while later on. A320 in 2010.I did my Legacy 650 initial type rating at FSI in St,Louis too in 2014.Watching this video takes me back home in terms of my career at St,Louis Lambert field.Thanks again Bob. Let’s chat over the 727 techniques sometime. I hear there is a difference between the 727-100 and 200 which requires some unusual methods in rotation and flare. Also saw some operators dropping Flap 40 after nose wheel on ground to help further with braking. Why was Flap 40 banned? I flew a single engine approach and GA on a Microsoft Sim and it was unbelievably manageable but high speed required. A minimum of 160KIAS I recall but closer to 180 at the heavy weight I had. .Best regards skipper!
I think all respondents realize now that this is pure 727. The comments to the contrary were not malicious. It is a learning and sharing experience. That was the spirit of this post. My cockpit was not one of high drama, so the You tube should be the same. Let's have fun.
Same here. I flew on TWA (as a passenger) from New York's JFK to Copenhagen, Denmark via Kastrup. Great flight and great service! I believe that was on board one of their Boeing 747-100 series.
This is the only cockpit video of a TWA jet that I can find on youtube. I've watched it about 2 dozen times since you uploaded it in 07. THanks again. I fly a CRJ and always try to hand fly the approach if the weather permits.
what a great plane. Really changed commercial aviation as we know it today by having the ability to access smaller airports, thus opening jet routes that were previously not possible. Many people forget the 727's historical significance here
The spoilers are deployed immediately after touchdown. On this aircraft that is done manually with the pilot's right hand. The pilot then uses his right hand to reverse the thrust of the engines. The two movements happen very quickly. At 3:55 you can see the pilot pulling the reverse thrust levers aft. Above the engine instruments, the amber "Reverser Operating" lights can be seen. The action was too fast to pan the camera. The frame at 3:55 is this channel's icon.
Hey, the auto exposure on the camera was going nuts as it was panned inside to outside among the cumulus clouds. Too bad we couldn't improve that. Thanks for the comments, and nice to have you along for the ride. Too bad the jump seats are empty when so many would love to ride up front. It was a fun job.
Great landing, I've always heard the 727 was hard to land soflly....I guess you had to get to know her. Thanks for the video! I remember at TL watching 727s takeoff and all the car alarms going off !
@sgilman I lived in StL for a few years. I used to hang out on the other end of this runway. There was a little car park under the approach path. Since it was higher than the runway surfaces, you got a great view of arriving flights. There was also an ANG base with 4 or 5 F-15s. I worked at McDonnell Douglas and sometimes would often stop there after work to let the traffic die down. TWA had a lot of 727s even near the end. You tend to forget what a big airplane it is.
@garyleak Actually, the first officer made the call out, "Half to go". During climbs and descents, the pilot not flying calls out, "one to go" when approaching by 1,000 feet, the assigned altitude. When air traffic control gives only a 1,000 foot altitude change, then the call out at 500 feet before the assigned altitude becomes, "Half to go". Before this approach begins, a 1,000 foot descent was issued, and the 500 foot call is heard. Good question!
Prompt and aggressive reverse thrust application gives the best results. Slow, smooth application allows the engines to spool down, thus delaying reverse, and the point of maximum aerodynamic drag for braking occurs immediately upon touchdown. While the application is prompt in this vid, the amount of power applied is modest. In the cabin, the ride is smooth and not abrupt. The 727 can have the reverse applied while the nose wheel is still off the ground. Almost no wheel braking is needed.
As you correctly stated earlier, the loud beep tone in the first part of the vid is the gear warning. Later, two types of altitude alerts are given. The first sounds at 500 feet radar altitude. The second starts softly and gets louder and stops sounding at 100 feet radar altitude. At both times the first officer makes the appropriate call out identifying the event and giving the speed and sink rate at the 500 foot tone.
Absolutely admire this bird! I remember as a young boy, my uncle worked for Fed-Ex, just as the 727 was beginning to retire from the commercial fleet and emerge as a cargo backbone for Fed-Ex and UPS. He flew the 727 for 20 years before retiring into general aviation as a CFI. He comments on missing the "sport's car" like feel of it's handling characteristics. The 727 is so primitive and basic in it's operation that it could easily qualify as a giant Cessna! Even it's autopilot was common of what is seen typically in today's GA aircraft!
@exexwhy Sorry I missed this question earlier. It was a passenger flight in the month that I retired. My retirement flight was a baseball charter, and it may be posted later. Thanks.
The Boeing 727 is my 2nd favorite single-aisle airliner (A320 being my #1). Always enjoyed flying that old bird in flight simulator, never boarded a real 727, but still have the pleasure to fly it virtually.
The hand must transfer from the spoiler lever to the reverse levers, and to be effective, it must be done quickly. In a crosswind, slowly deploying the spoilers can have unpredictable results and is not recommended. Both these controls are aerodynamic braking, which means they are most effective at high speed. In this landing, the wheel brakes were only briefly used as the prior aerodynamic braking slowed the A/C to taxi speed, smoothly and economically.
@ampicoab Just a little trivia. Captain Gordon Granger had all TWA aircraft lights switches reversed before delivery from the factory. So Captain Bob is actually turning off the landing lights. As a 727 Check Airman for over 5 years, I too miss "Miss Piggy" as we affectionately called the 727s. The 727 really loved the ground if you pulled the power off too soon so I told my students "leave the power on until you get to the gate"!
@LoadedSaiga Even with the handles stowed, the wheel and its notched area for the handles, can give a jolt to the Capt. right knee, and copilot left knee. If either handle is extended, the trim paddle cutout switch should be off to preclude a very strong whack on the knee.
@flirjock The left thumb switch is the electric trim switch. It is used to retrim as the aircraft slows, thus relieving the pressure the pilot has to hold on the wheel. The trim switch turns a wheel, not seen, that is rather noisy.
@patjparks That is a good question by a good observer. Yes, tower put someone on the runway for takeoff and advised us of that fact. It means slowdown if you want to land. We did by immediately extending the gear and the spacing worked out great.
Old 727 was my class plane when getting my FAA - Air Frame & Power plant license at TWA. Not many A & P can say that, most are stuck with Cessna little planes when going to technical school.
I love this video, thanks for posting/sharing. I only have my PPL but have flown the 727 in a simulator a few years back now. I also love flying it in flight simulator ;) Dreamfleet did a great job of recreating it.
We have the cockpit to one of these at my A&P school it’s so funny to watch airline pilots actually put a real conscious effort into actually flying the plane
Miss the old iron! Flew on all the them (as pax) back in the day. Spent some time on the ramp with Delta 30 years ago, lots of 727, L1011, MD80. And couple years later, fueled FedEx 727 almost every evening. Definitely a great airplane!
No, many commercial flights land using visual approaches. However, almost all flights are conducted on IFR (instrument) flight rules. In other words, IFR flights can make visual approaches and landings. The flight is still on an IFR flight plan even though it makes a visual approach. The flights at Laguardia often land using the "Expressway visual approach", as an example.
@ampicoab Perhaps sir . I dont know how i remembered this detail, but way before we d go to FL (as we had relatives in Miami} , I remember baseball practice in the summer of 1987 (i was 12} , and in Cedar Falls (where we lived} , was adjacent to Waterloo (ALO} , and in those times the Waterloo airport received 727 flights from Ozark airlines - i think . And just rememberd at baseball practice in the summer - at a place called Pfeiffer park . And seeing the beautiful 727 approaching into ALO
@malibularry Everything about the 727 was unique! Loved to have the AC packs running on the ground in a humid environment and the condensation streaming out of the overhead vent by 1L. The sound of all three engines in cruise - sounded like a well synchronized machine. Let's not forget the windscreen "noise" from those "square" angles on the front.
TWA.. Class airline.. Not only did I fly on TWA back n forth to the states from CDG for 10 years, where I spent my childhood growing up as an expat, but 16 years later I flew for TWA, 727/767 FO. The employees of TWA made the airline a class company to work for. I truly miss all them and I miss working for one of the last great and influential pioneers of the aviation world. So very sad how the new generation, and I can say its true, have never heard of TWA.... Such a shame...
That s abeautiful landing . i live in Chile, but lived in the US for 16 years; and briefly studied aeronautics up there , and made it up to a beginner to mid level. here in Chile i sometime wish to finish those studies as flying looks pretty fun. Considering all of the incredible detail and precision one needs to know and dominate to do it ..... Also .. we lived in Iowa, and in the summer when an adolescent -in the early 90s-we d take trips down to FL, on TWA . Connecting at Lambert in MO
I just noticed the speed breaks question... On the 72, the copilot would arm them on approach and they would automatically deploy when the nose gear touched the runway.
No. TWA's 727 did not have the auto-speed brake (spoiler) feature. The captain always deployed the spoiler after landing, regardless of who was flying. Copilots were permitted to operate the speed brakes inflight, but the manipulation of the handle was awkward as it was on the far left of the throttle quadrant.
ampicoab Thanks for the info. I have a friend who was a DC9 pilot prior to 9/11 and was furloughed to the 727 for one year before he was laid off and the aircraft were retired. He's back at Delta now.
The radar altimeter makes the tone when the aircraft descends through 500 feet above the ground. The pilot not flying calls out the airspeed and sink rate at that time.
The best eras of aviation,1960s to 1990s. Now we have quiet and boring airplanes. My first plane ride was on a McDonnell Douglas MD80. I remember taxing and seeing DC10’s, Boeing 727s, Tristar L1011s, DC8, Boeing 737-200, DC9 etc while looking out the window. How times have changed.
727, l1011 best planes ever
My friend who's a commercial airline pilot thinks is funny how people think of the 60's and 70's as the "golden era" of flying. There were so many accidents during those years due to design flaws or lack of CRM. The reason we don't have as many major accidents today is because of what we learned from the disasters in the past. Today is definitely a much safer and better time to fly.
Unbeleivable footage!!! *****
Airforceproud95 Omg I found you
From back in the days of only subsonic hot air balloons :-/
yo? is that groundpound69?
@Karmen Gallamore You're advertising your scam in a virtually dead reply section?
Great video! I was hired by Delta in '88. I spent 1.5 years on the panel of the 72 and then 5 years in the right seat before moving on to the 76/75. Fantastic airplane. Thin swept wing with remarkable high lift technology for slow speeds. A bit underpowered by modern standards but it was fast once it got up a head of steam. One of the best to fly in a gusty crosswind.
The video was made in July, 1999. Reducing the power too soon on landing would generally result in a very firm arrival. Some people explain this by saying the engine thrust at landing attitude does have some vertical component. The ideal touchdown occurs at the same instant that power is fully reduced. The 727 does not glide power off in the flare unless the speed is excessive.
Superb! If you’re reading to this, this video when was first uploaded was an inspiration for me to become a pilot! I fly a 73 now! Thank you, sir!
The Hangar 12 crew was great. I remember a huge snow storm that shut down everything. The guys went out to Southern State Pkwy in the tractors, and brought people into the hangar, and put them in empty 707's, and showed movies! The commissary guys fed them, the hangar guys kept them warm with APU power. And, I heard, someone even delivered a baby! How could you not be proud of that.
@ie210 Yes, the speedbrakes are manually deployed. Some airlines did have them with the "auto deploy" option. Only three 727's were delivered to TWA with that option, but the option was removed after delivery.
Pilots who flew the older versions of the 727 learned to be aggressive when activating reverse thrust. The levers were difficult to move. Later, the linkage and cable system was equipped with Teflon bearings, and the levers worked much easier. The technique was to bring the levers rapidly up to the 12 o'clock position, where an interlock stopped the levers until the clamshell doors (reversers) moved.
outstanding flying bob! my dad was with delta in stl for 30 yrs and proudly retired. i spent most of my juvenile hours in the air in those 727's and miss them deeply. it is still my favorite and i respect the old rusty knuckles vets that took their controls! you good ole boys sure are a dying breed. thanks for your service!
As an engineering lab tech, I had the pleasure of helping develop the Sperry SP-50 AFCS (autopilot) for the 727, then wrote several of the maintenance manuals. Always had a fondness for this bird.
The systems you had a hand in always seemed just fine to me. No complaints.
It was also an exciting time in electronics. Until the SP-50, earlier autopilots used vacuum tubes. With the SP-50, we learned much about semiconductors. Temperature stabilization was a whole new experience.
When I was growing up in the 1980s, the 727 is the jet gave me the, "flying bug". The sound of those JT8D jets, and the sleek proud lines. But alas! I was born too late. As I got older and started seeing these birds dwindle for quieter, basic, cookie cutter planes, I knew I wouldn't make a career out of it. the 727 is all I used to ever want to fly. Thank you for sharing this. I can live vicariously through the gentlemen in this video. With analog instruments and actual hands on, "pilot in command" flying, the 727 is a pilot's plane. Again, thank you for sharing.
Same here. I grew up flying in the era of the 727. I always felt it was the most jet-looking of all the airliners.
Planes today, like most things, have become boring & generic.
That's what I call a cockpit!
The ending is perfect. :) Great video, thanks for sharing.
Back when pilots really flew passenger jets
Now the Jets, "Fly you" into the ground, into a mountain side, into a building, into the ocean, as everyone goes, "Humm, what possibly could have gone wrong. Oh shit, we forgot to tell them about 'that switch'!!
amen to that pilots loved it back then 70s 80s
Yep, and lot of them learned their stuff in the military, tons of WW2 vets keeping things safe, up until forced to retire in the mid-late 1980s...
I've got 17,000 hours, and most Boeing type ratings. To say pilots don't fly now a days is pure BS. It's the exact same. The aircraft just present the information differently. That's it. It's far more busy at airports than it used to be. There is wayyy more "going on". Airlines encourage pilots to turn off the automation once in a while. Skills like hand flying don't "go away". We all had to cut our teeth either in the Military or in the bush.
@@robshef718there’s been no mass fatality crash since 2009. 15 years of safety is unheard of. You’re just making stuff up that feels right but just isn’t true.
Yep,TWA was great. And so was the 727.
Sure miss the ole 727. One of the best handling airplanes I've had the pleasure of flying, and there've been a lot.
The L-1011 was an easy bird to fly too.
Nice landing Capt. Bob; even with the thermals, you make landing “Miss Piggy look so easy. Truly the mark of a consummate professional airman.
Love the old birds. I've talked briefly with a few pilots and they all raved about the 727. Seemed to be all you'd see at airports stateside for years. Nice video, thanks.
I loved sitting in my backyard & watching the jets departing & en-route to DFW. I miss the 727's. Don't see them anymore. You could always tell one from the sound, long before you spotted it in the sky.
I did as well in the early 1980s from our yard in Grapevine. I liked that Braniff painted their planes different colors. Made it fun to fly as a kid because we'd guess which color our plane would be.
Yes I come from Australia and many's the time the 727's would take off over our house in Brisbane and all the plates would rattle .I was probably the only person in the suburb who didn't mind .They were great aircraft both to look at and fly in
Thank you for posting this Bob! My 5 year old son wanted to watch some actual cockpit vidoes of real airline pilots in action, and this was the first one I showed him. He was in absolute awe! It took me back to when I was a boy taking my first airplane ride at 5 years old. It was on a TWA 727 in 1979. My dad was in the air force, and we'd been transferred from Carswell to Anderson AFB, Guam to begin his stint as a B52 pilot. The 727 took us from DFW to LAX where we took a 742 to Hawaii and then Guam. I'll never forget how awesome the 72 looked sitting on the ramp! That was a real airplane. I'll never forgot the Captain and flight crew either. They looked like pilots, acted like pilots, and were even dressed like pilots without a wrinkle on their shirts to be seen. Partway through the flight, a flight attendant asked me if I wanted to see the cockpit. I'm sure my dad put them up to this, but it was something I'll never forget.
Hope you are enjoying every bit of your retirement!!
I almost forgot.....that pilot greased the landing just like you did!
Have a similar story. My parents put me on a plane by myself to visit my grandparents when I was 5 from Lambert to Stapleton in Denver. TWA was the operator so likely a 727. I was fascinated by aviation as a young boy as my Grandpa was a retired pilot and col in the USAF. The flight attendants were very kind and took me to the cockpit when we cruising to speak to the pilots. They gave me a goody bag with the little toy golden pilots wings!
That was very well done!! Great job, pilots and thank you for the upload!! RIP TWA and we thank you.
Teedub was a great airline and the three holer was a great airliner!
When I lived in Chicagoland, I was under the 14L approach pattern. O'Hare was my base, then. Great airport, great city.
Wonderful and well managed approach and landing Capt Bob.The epitome of Pilot In Command. Smooth operator!. I flew my Commercial Pilot checkride (trained by a TWA Capt who owned a school in St Charles county near ST Louis) in similar conditions on an afternoon of Aug 11th 1990 at St,Louis Lambert field I was awarded my Commercial Single and Multi engine Pilot license. I will never forget that hot sweaty bumpy after noon(flew with my shirt unbuttoned). I will also never forget one of the hardest landings I ever experienced there on a TWA 727 from JFK. We might have flown through a windsgear but pilot did chop power hurriedly still in the air.. I did the 727 FEX exams earlier in 1990 but never got to fly this beautiful bird which is as old as myself.I got close to getting jobs on it twice in Yemen and Kenta. . I am currently on furlough PIC of VIP Embraer Legacy 650.I yesterday applied for a 727 -200F job in Africa and am expecting an interview.I am so excited at flying this old girl to punctuate my career with some invaluable history. It beats the excitement I had when I trained on my first Jet CRJ and a short while later on. A320 in 2010.I did my Legacy 650 initial type rating at FSI in St,Louis too in 2014.Watching this video takes me back home in terms of my career at St,Louis Lambert field.Thanks again Bob. Let’s chat over the 727 techniques sometime. I hear there is a difference between the 727-100 and 200 which requires some unusual methods in rotation and flare. Also saw some operators dropping Flap 40 after nose wheel on ground to help further with braking. Why was Flap 40 banned? I flew a single engine approach and GA on a Microsoft Sim and it was unbelievably manageable but high speed required. A minimum of 160KIAS I recall but closer to 180 at the heavy weight I had. .Best regards skipper!
I think all respondents realize now that this is pure 727. The comments to the contrary were not malicious. It is a learning and sharing experience. That was the spirit of this post. My cockpit was not one of high drama, so the You tube should be the same. Let's have fun.
+ampicoab could you please transcribe the short exchange after the "Later that night" title??? (I am not a native English speaker... ;0) Thank you!
You were probably a captains CAPTAIN!
I love tri-holers! The 727 is a rare site, even here at KLAX. Great video, great approach, great landing, great handling by the skilled pilot!
Wow! Nice video. Always flew TWA in the 50's, 60's and 70's and especially overseas.
I sure miss TWA
Same here. I flew on TWA (as a passenger) from New York's JFK to Copenhagen, Denmark via Kastrup. Great flight and great service! I believe that was on board one of their Boeing 747-100 series.
Me too
@@nenblom
Thank you.
Thank you.
You and me both. I flew (as a passenger) from TPA to JFK in 1996 or 1997 on a TWA Boeing 727-200.
I miss TWA. Flew them often out of St. Louis. I might have been on that flight.
Thank you.
Ahh, the old 72...she stole my heart almost 40 years ago, and she still refuses to let go :-)
I find myself coming back to this video time and again!
What a great clip! and a great demeanor with that pilot!!! 5* !!!!!!!!!
This is the only cockpit video of a TWA jet that I can find on youtube. I've watched it about 2 dozen times since you uploaded it in 07. THanks again.
I fly a CRJ and always try to hand fly the approach if the weather permits.
No there an TWA 880 cockpit video on UA-cam
what a great plane. Really changed commercial aviation as we know it today by having the ability to access smaller airports, thus opening jet routes that were previously not possible. Many people forget the 727's historical significance here
guitarman 727 was DB Cooper's plane
Cooper is the reason the rear doors were sealed.
The spoilers are deployed immediately after touchdown. On this aircraft that is done manually with the pilot's right hand. The pilot then uses his right hand to reverse the thrust of the engines. The two movements happen very quickly.
At 3:55 you can see the pilot pulling the reverse thrust levers aft. Above the engine instruments, the amber "Reverser Operating" lights can be seen. The action was too fast to pan the camera.
The frame at 3:55 is this channel's icon.
Hey, the auto exposure on the camera was going nuts as it was panned inside to outside among the cumulus clouds. Too bad we couldn't improve that.
Thanks for the comments, and nice to have you along for the ride. Too bad the jump seats are empty when so many would love to ride up front. It was a fun job.
Great landing, I've always heard the 727 was hard to land soflly....I guess you had to get to know her. Thanks for the video! I remember at TL watching 727s takeoff and all the car alarms going off
!
I really miss TWA,........thank you for posting this & God Bless you.
The classic 727 is back!
@sgilman I lived in StL for a few years. I used to hang out on the other end of this runway. There was a little car park under the approach path. Since it was higher than the runway surfaces, you got a great view of arriving flights. There was also an ANG base with 4 or 5 F-15s. I worked at McDonnell Douglas and sometimes would often stop there after work to let the traffic die down. TWA had a lot of 727s even near the end. You tend to forget what a big airplane it is.
Those were the real pilots, mechanics and planes!
Very well done! Love the "Crew meals" segment. Excellent footage of a classic. Thanks for sharing.
@garyleak Actually, the first officer made the call out, "Half to go". During climbs and descents, the pilot not flying calls out, "one to go" when approaching by 1,000 feet, the assigned altitude. When air traffic control gives only a 1,000 foot altitude change, then the call out at 500 feet before the assigned altitude becomes, "Half to go". Before this approach begins, a 1,000 foot descent was issued, and the 500 foot call is heard. Good question!
Prompt and aggressive reverse thrust application gives the best results. Slow, smooth application allows the engines to spool down, thus delaying reverse, and the point of maximum aerodynamic drag for braking occurs immediately upon touchdown. While the application is prompt in this vid, the amount of power applied is modest. In the cabin, the ride is smooth and not abrupt.
The 727 can have the reverse applied while the nose wheel is still off the ground. Almost no wheel braking is needed.
RIP TWA and 727 ❤❤ Hard working pilots!!
A classic airline AND a classic airliner! Great job!
As you correctly stated earlier, the loud beep tone in the first part of the vid is the gear warning. Later, two types of altitude alerts are given. The first sounds at 500 feet radar altitude. The second starts softly and gets louder and stops sounding at 100 feet radar altitude. At both times the first officer makes the appropriate call out identifying the event and giving the speed and sink rate at the 500 foot tone.
Absolutely admire this bird! I remember as a young boy, my uncle worked for Fed-Ex, just as the 727 was beginning to retire from the commercial fleet and emerge as a cargo backbone for Fed-Ex and UPS. He flew the 727 for 20 years before retiring into general aviation as a CFI. He comments on missing the "sport's car" like feel of it's handling characteristics. The 727 is so primitive and basic in it's operation that it could easily qualify as a giant Cessna! Even it's autopilot was common of what is seen typically in today's GA aircraft!
@xylotone0110 Really a nice comment. Thanks. I did many flights from Lambert to Florida during the time you mentioned. Perhaps I gave you a ride!
@exexwhy Sorry I missed this question earlier. It was a passenger flight in the month that I retired. My retirement flight was a baseball charter, and it may be posted later. Thanks.
Now that is flying!! No FMC or Auto Pilot, just your skills!!
The Boeing 727 is my 2nd favorite single-aisle airliner (A320 being my #1). Always enjoyed flying that old bird in flight simulator, never boarded a real 727, but still have the pleasure to fly it virtually.
Back when a flight deck looked like it belonged in an airplane instead of an office cubicle
Impressive to watch...wow.... great respect for these guys!
Y is it
The hand must transfer from the spoiler lever to the reverse levers, and to be effective, it must be done quickly. In a crosswind, slowly deploying the spoilers can have unpredictable results and is not recommended. Both these controls are aerodynamic braking, which means they are most effective at high speed. In this landing, the wheel brakes were only briefly used as the prior aerodynamic braking slowed the A/C to taxi speed, smoothly and economically.
I miss jump-seating in the 727, Beautiful bird.
Love the 727!!
Nice video.
R.I.P., John.
@ampicoab Just a little trivia. Captain Gordon Granger had all TWA aircraft lights switches reversed before delivery from the factory. So Captain Bob is actually turning off the landing lights. As a 727 Check Airman for over 5 years, I too miss "Miss Piggy" as we affectionately called the 727s. The 727 really loved the ground if you pulled the power off too soon so I told my students "leave the power on until you get to the gate"!
@LoadedSaiga Even with the handles stowed, the wheel and its notched area for the handles, can give a jolt to the Capt. right knee, and copilot left knee. If either handle is extended, the trim paddle cutout switch should be off to preclude a very strong whack on the knee.
Still B727 crazy, even after all these years.
@flirjock The left thumb switch is the electric trim switch. It is used to retrim as the aircraft slows, thus relieving the pressure the pilot has to hold on the wheel. The trim switch turns a wheel, not seen, that is rather noisy.
@patjparks That is a good question by a good observer. Yes, tower put someone on the runway for takeoff and advised us of that fact. It means slowdown if you want to land. We did by immediately extending the gear and the spacing worked out great.
Old 727 was my class plane when getting my FAA - Air Frame & Power plant license at TWA. Not many A & P can say that, most are stuck with Cessna little planes when going to technical school.
I had both the B727 and MD80 as class airplanes for my A&P license in 1986.
I miss the "workhorse". Thanks for the video.
Great ol bird, and fun to fly. Nice landing btw :-)
And thanks to you for the memory lane trip....I was in your area a lot when I was at LRD (AFB).
good old fashion flying right here buddy! thx for sharing!
I miss these old birds, such wonderful solid airplanes!
For this captain it was like driving to the store! Incredible!
This is sooo awesome thank you so much for uploading. Remember my Grandpa flying in those old vehicles, it was not easy to fly em!
TWA was a great airline. I flew their non-stop 747 service from HNL to STL and back several times while stationed in Pearl Harbor.
*Really fantastic video/upload...thanks!!*
Butter landing in the old days.
I love this video, thanks for posting/sharing.
I only have my PPL but have flown the 727 in a simulator a few years back now. I also love flying it in flight simulator ;)
Dreamfleet did a great job of recreating it.
We have the cockpit to one of these at my A&P school it’s so funny to watch airline pilots actually put a real conscious effort into actually flying the plane
that is some serious yoke movement over thresh hold! Ground effect, x-winds? Amazing piloting skills. The 727 is the BEST! shame its gone :(
Love this vid, looks like a 231 Adv with flight directors on the glaresheild. Nice job on the landing!!
IIRC it was A/C 4338 and newer with the fire handles on the overhead.
Those were the days! Hand flying the STAR and the approach. This captain is a craftsman of aviation.
Miss the old iron! Flew on all the them (as pax) back in the day. Spent some time on the ramp with Delta 30 years ago, lots of 727, L1011, MD80. And couple years later, fueled FedEx 727 almost every evening. Definitely a great airplane!
No, many commercial flights land using visual approaches. However, almost all flights are conducted on IFR (instrument) flight rules. In other words, IFR flights can make visual approaches and landings. The flight is still on an IFR flight plan even though it makes a visual approach. The flights at Laguardia often land using the "Expressway visual approach", as an example.
@ampicoab Perhaps sir . I dont know how i remembered this detail, but way before we d go to FL (as we had relatives in Miami} , I remember baseball practice in the summer of 1987 (i was 12} , and in Cedar Falls (where we lived} , was adjacent to Waterloo (ALO} , and in those times the Waterloo airport received 727 flights from Ozark airlines - i think . And just rememberd at baseball practice in the summer - at a place called Pfeiffer park . And seeing the beautiful 727 approaching into ALO
Excellent landing!
@malibularry Everything about the 727 was unique!
Loved to have the AC packs running on the ground in a humid environment and the condensation streaming out of the overhead vent by 1L. The sound of all three engines in cruise - sounded like a well synchronized machine. Let's not forget the windscreen "noise" from those "square" angles on the front.
I have sat jump seat many flights ... used to work hangar 12 JFK...cool vid
TWA.. Class airline.. Not only did I fly on TWA back n forth to the states from CDG for 10 years, where I spent my childhood growing up as an expat, but 16 years later I flew for TWA, 727/767 FO. The employees of TWA made the airline a class company to work for. I truly miss all them and I miss working for one of the last great and influential pioneers of the aviation world. So very sad how the new generation, and I can say its true, have never heard of TWA.... Such a shame...
cap's so calm he's almost singing out the commands
best plane ever built..need the 727-300
Indeed it is! Same goes for Pan Am, those were the good old pioneering airlines!
The times when you grabbed the reverses like you were grabbing a thief by the collar
Wow, that was very cool. Thanks for posting it!
@jares030105 I guess I'll have to make a few changes in my log book. For 13,000 hrs. I always thought it was a 727. Darn!
Thank you for nice flight and happy landing!
The really short beeps on short final are the Outer Marker/Middle Marker/Inner Marker tones.
Nice hand flown approach...that’s exactly what I try to do as well!
TWA: one of the great airlines in the annals of aviation history. Sad to see it go.
Impressive. A real joy to watch.
Boeing 727 ❤
Question for the person who filmed this incredible video: were are you a TWA pilot or other crew member? ❤❤
Yes
That s abeautiful landing . i live in Chile, but lived in the US for 16 years; and briefly studied aeronautics up there , and made it up to a beginner to mid level.
here in Chile i sometime wish to finish those studies as flying looks pretty fun. Considering all of the incredible detail and precision one needs to know and dominate to do it .....
Also .. we lived in Iowa, and in the summer when an adolescent -in the early 90s-we d take trips down to FL, on TWA . Connecting at Lambert in MO
I just noticed the speed breaks question... On the 72, the copilot would arm them on approach and they would automatically deploy when the nose gear touched the runway.
No. TWA's 727 did not have the auto-speed brake (spoiler) feature. The captain always deployed the spoiler after landing, regardless of who was flying. Copilots were permitted to operate the speed brakes inflight, but the manipulation of the handle was awkward as it was on the far left of the throttle quadrant.
ampicoab Thanks for the info. I have a friend who was a DC9 pilot prior to 9/11 and was furloughed to the 727 for one year before he was laid off and the aircraft were retired. He's back at Delta now.
+ampicoab Most 727's did not have auto speed brakes. Had to with the ground sensor on the nose wheel.
Smooth
Thanks for sharing.
The radar altimeter makes the tone when the aircraft descends through 500 feet above the ground. The pilot not flying calls out the airspeed and sink rate at that time.