Federal Express (FedEx) Boeing 727
The Boeing 727, the second most successful airliner to date (eclipsed only by the Boeing 737 series), came about as a result of a compromise between United, American, and Eastern Airlines on a fuel-efficient aircraft able to operate from smaller, higher airports and on short-range overwater routes.
The three airlines settled on a three-engined design, with two engines mounted in the rear and the third in the tail itself. This freed up the entire wing for lift-enhancement flaps and slats, giving the 727 an extremely efficient wing design for short-field landing; since it retained the basic fuselage design of the 707, it could still carry a fairly large number of passengers into airports previously only able to take smaller aircraft and consequently smaller amounts of passengers. For operations from comparatively primitive airports, internal rear-mounted airstairs were added, as well as an APU. Pilots liked the 727's handling characteristics, though it took some time to get used to its relatively high landing speed and sink rate.
The 727-100 was instantly popular, but Boeing soon introduced the lengthened 727-200, which proved to be the baseline aircraft. Eventually 1831 were produced; about a third of that number continue in service today, mostly as cargo variants. 727s began to be withdrawn from service due to the costs of maintaining them, the noise of the aircraft, and the presence of a flight engineer, whose services can be duplicated by computers in the 21st Century. Nine are on public display.
N482FE is technically not one of those aircraft; it is one of several former Federal Express aircraft used as technical training aids around the United States. N482FE started off as a 727-200 for Braniff International Airways in 1978, and flew not only with the original Braniff, but also the second, much less successful second Braniff startup in 1984. After that Braniff failed, it was converted to a 727-200F freighter and joined Federal Express in 1990. It flew until the early 2000s, when it was retired, and in 2012 was donated to Pima Community College's aviation program at Tucson International Airport. Unlike some of the other retired FedEx 727s I've seen, it is maintained in full Federal Express colors, and evidently kept up by the college.
The Pima Community College's campus is on the west side of Tucson International Airport, and while it is easy to find and photograph, there is a fence in the way. Unfortunately I was not able to get a shot of the DHC-7 Dash 7 behind N482FE...or the extensive airpark at the 162nd Fighter Wing's base on the northside of the airport (which is open to military only). It was a bit of a disappointing start to the day, but luckily the visit to the nearby Pima Air and Space Museum made up for it.
Federal Express (FedEx) Boeing 727
The Boeing 727, the second most successful airliner to date (eclipsed only by the Boeing 737 series), came about as a result of a compromise between United, American, and Eastern Airlines on a fuel-efficient aircraft able to operate from smaller, higher airports and on short-range overwater routes.
The three airlines settled on a three-engined design, with two engines mounted in the rear and the third in the tail itself. This freed up the entire wing for lift-enhancement flaps and slats, giving the 727 an extremely efficient wing design for short-field landing; since it retained the basic fuselage design of the 707, it could still carry a fairly large number of passengers into airports previously only able to take smaller aircraft and consequently smaller amounts of passengers. For operations from comparatively primitive airports, internal rear-mounted airstairs were added, as well as an APU. Pilots liked the 727's handling characteristics, though it took some time to get used to its relatively high landing speed and sink rate.
The 727-100 was instantly popular, but Boeing soon introduced the lengthened 727-200, which proved to be the baseline aircraft. Eventually 1831 were produced; about a third of that number continue in service today, mostly as cargo variants. 727s began to be withdrawn from service due to the costs of maintaining them, the noise of the aircraft, and the presence of a flight engineer, whose services can be duplicated by computers in the 21st Century. Nine are on public display.
N482FE is technically not one of those aircraft; it is one of several former Federal Express aircraft used as technical training aids around the United States. N482FE started off as a 727-200 for Braniff International Airways in 1978, and flew not only with the original Braniff, but also the second, much less successful second Braniff startup in 1984. After that Braniff failed, it was converted to a 727-200F freighter and joined Federal Express in 1990. It flew until the early 2000s, when it was retired, and in 2012 was donated to Pima Community College's aviation program at Tucson International Airport. Unlike some of the other retired FedEx 727s I've seen, it is maintained in full Federal Express colors, and evidently kept up by the college.
The Pima Community College's campus is on the west side of Tucson International Airport, and while it is easy to find and photograph, there is a fence in the way. Unfortunately I was not able to get a shot of the DHC-7 Dash 7 behind N482FE...or the extensive airpark at the 162nd Fighter Wing's base on the northside of the airport (which is open to military only). It was a bit of a disappointing start to the day, but luckily the visit to the nearby Pima Air and Space Museum made up for it.