The B727 is an American mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine jet airliner. It first flew (727-100) in February 1963, entering service in February 1964 with Eastern Air Lines. The 727-100 and stretched 727-200 were the main variants; an improved model, the 727-200 Advanced, introduced in 1970, had more powerful engines, increased fuel capacity and MTOW. It was designated as the C-22 by the USAF.

Designed to service smaller airports unsuitable for the Boeing 707, it was Boeing’s first jetliner with all powered flight controls, triple-slotted flaps and an auxiliary power unit (APU). One thousand eight hundred thirty-two airframes were built before production ended in 1984; it is the first commercial aircraft to exceed the 1,000-sales.

The flight crew of two pilots, a flight engineer and the passenger cabin seats up to 125, six abreast in the -100 and 134 in the -200.

It uses three Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofan engines mounted at the rear of the fuselage, externally on each side and a third internally, fed via a dorsal air intake through an “S-duct”.