First flown in 1963, the Boeing 727 was skillfully designed to outclass its competitors and remained without a direct rival for nearly two decades. This jetliner was capable of being operated from short, unimproved airfields, while requiring minimal ground service equipment. In flight, it was a dream—fast, efficient, quiet, and comfortable. Although this book is about an airplane, it is as much about the people at Boeing who were undaunted and took the financial risks necessary to build a truly outstanding machine. Readers will learn technical aspects of the 727, along with taking a close look at the brilliant minds and reasoning behind the design through personal interviews and examining archival data. For the hobbyist, a model-building chapter is also included, which covers techniques for both first-time and experienced modelers.
Dan Dornseif has been directly involved with aviation for over three decades and is currently a Boeing 737 captain for a major airline in the United States.
The Boeing 727 was one of the best and most popular jetliners in history. Advanced, reliable and powerful it brought the safety and speed to isolated communities around the world and contributed to decrease the ticket prices for its high efficiency. This beautiful book by Schiffer at last describes in detail the 727 long and fascinating story, courtesy of Author Dan Dorseif. He is a captain in service with one of the major US airlines and had free access to the huge Boeing historical archive. Through interviews, beautiful images (more than 600!), drawings and the wonderful Hennings profiles, this story is brought to life till to the point that the reader can hear the thundering sound and sniff the JT8Ds smokes! Mr Dorseif interviewed many engineers and salesmen of Boeing that give details and facets of the trijet unknown to the public
The chapters thoroughly described the technical details of the -100 and -200 versions, the service with the main airlines and the long way that started from the stillborn 727-300 to the 7N7 and then the real 757. Many stories connected with the liners are told too, like the dramatic 1975 Da Nang evacuation by a World jet, directly in the line of fire of the North Vietnamese artillery or the 1985 TWA plane hijacked in Rome. A final chapter on the modelling is also included, detailing how to reproduce a beautiful Alitalia 727-200 Advanced and two -100, in the old 60s American and United liveries. A must have for any aviation enthusiast. -- Marco De Montis, Google Books
