Catching a 727

As I was looking at Flightaware yesterday, I saw that there was a 727 coming into Willow Run from Laredo, Texas.

 The 727 is a classic aircraft that harkens back to the 1960's.  It used to be a common sight at most airports.  But like so many other things in life, it gets old and gets replaced by newer designs. 

 Of course, many cargo companies don't need the latest aircraft design, so they will put old planes into service as cargo jets.  This particular aircraft was built in 1975 by Boeing.

 The 727 was designed to be a short haul airliner that would serve some of the smaller airports in the country.  It was powered by three engines which gave it enough power to take off from some of the shorter runways.  It first flew in 1963 and the first production airplane was bought by Eastern Airlines in the next year.  It could carry up to 189 passengers and had a range of 2,700 miles nonstop.  When production ended 1984, a little over 1,800 were produced.

 I'll have to admit, it is a pretty sleek looking aircraft. 

Currently there are 64 of these aircraft left in service.  It will be a shame when the last of this plane is put to pasture.