OLD BOEINGS FROM THE LAST CENTURY

Photos and story by Ken Kula

Here is a collection of Boeing transports built during the 1960s through the 1980s. We’ll focus on a pair of early short to medium ranged airliners, the B-727 tri-jet and twin B-737. Of note is the airlines pictured here… the majority of them are no longer in business. Some have gone bankrupt, others were gobbled up in mergers.

Boeing’s B-727 made its first flight in 1963. There were two major variants built, the earlier -100 series and the stretched and sometimes up-powered -200 series. Both passenger and freighter versions were produced, and a fair number of retired passenger airframes were converted into freighters too. The final delivery of the B-727 occurred in 1984. Slightly more than 1800 aircraft of this model were built.

Boeing’s B-737’s first flight in was during 1967, and the last of the original “first generation” airframes were delivered in 1988. The -100 was a short ranged version, the -200 had increased seating and range. Both were powered by Pratt & Whitney JT-8D engines. Later “Classic” versions were powered by CFM56 engines, as were the “Next Generation” vrsions. Today’s MAX series are powered by CFM-LEAP engines. Both of the Next Generation and MAX versions are still in production today, with over 15,500 airframes on order or delivered.