Flaps 40 on 727s

[Bill A 68]

Hi all, just curious if there are 727 out there that still use flaps 40 on final. I was told that those birds use alot of fuel when 40 degress of flaps are used. Anyone have any insite on this? I like to ask funky questions. But then again, Im at work....boredThanks,Bill

[CF104 0]

>Hi all, just curious if there are 727 out there that still>use flaps 40 on final. I was told that those birds use alot>of fuel when 40 degress of flaps are used. Anyone have any>insite on this? I like to ask funky questions. But then>again, Im at work....bored>>Thanks,>BillHi Bill,Flaps 40 produces more noise than lift ;-)There was one 727 that used flaps 40 routinely. It was flown by Corp. Air in Edmonton, Alberta to fly to gold mines in the NWT of Canada. It is registered C-FPXD and is now owned by First Air in Ottawa. They used flaps 40 going into those gravel strips and it was also the last 727 equiped with nose wheel brakes.http://www.airliners.net/open.file/339232/M/Cheers,JohnBoeing 727/737 & Lockheed C-130/L-100 Mechanichttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/ng_driver.jpg

[Bill A 68]

Interesting, thanks for the reply.Regards,Bill

[Guest ThrottleUp]

Thats interesting! Didnt know about the 40deg flaps thing on 727s. That airplane has a very hi-lift wing design if I remember correctly. Only got to travel on it once...and found it very quiet!From what I hear competition to fly them is fierce...with pilots turning down NG737s and A320s to fly the 3-holer!

[Guest Shalomar]

Donny AKA ShalomarFly 2 ROCKS!!!United for a few cycles used to fly a 727 between Ohare and KABE with a stop in Harrisburgh. I was an inflight caterer at KABE, my partner used to rate the quality of landings on that flight in particular by runway used and how long it took them to taxi back so we could cater our last flight for the day and go home. But it did seem that the 727 used less averaged out than a 737 , could that be because of thrust reverse from 3 engines instead of two (does the centerline reverse?) or my theory was that the 727 was carrying less of a payload relative to its max weight so the load on the braking system wasn't as high compared to its capacity. (The 727 was only used every six months for a one month cycle, the 737s on the same route carried the same usual number of passengers.) I also remember reading something about the strenth of the reversers on the "widemouth" engines versus "pencil", but can't remember which was greater.One time a 727 was taxiing in, was surprised they landed in a direct strong (hair and clothes whipping, don't know specifics) crosswind instead of using an almost perpendicular runway about 5000 feet long. There was a strong odor of something burning around the jetway, the United ground crew started scrambling to find the source but before they made the plane stop short I managed to convince someone who mattered they were just smelling the tires cuz the crosswind was toward us.That 727 was one of my favorite planes, even if it wasn't the best bird for the route. 24,000 pounds versus 8500 pounds on the same route was the comparitive burn 727 vs 737 (widemouth) I heard from a United employee. Plus 3 crew members vs 2 and the same amount of passengers. United proper cut service to KABE in late 2001, then the regional afiliate guys flew the same route in CRJ's.Best Regards, Donny:-wave

[Guest Chris440Cuda]

Hey Donny, thanks for all that info. It seems that a lot of the older aircraft had been designed with a very large amount of maximum flap deployment, but few use that amount. The DC-8 has a 50 degree position, and was originally designed to use it all for landing. These days, though, the normal landing flaps setting is 35. The 50 is for the most part, for emergencies only. Apparently the -8 and the 727 are both the victims of the noise police.

[Guest Shalomar]

Donny AKA ShalomarFly 2 ROCKS!!!Even the Cherokee 140 and some old Cessnas had 40 degree settings. Personally I miss the thunder sometimes, and I often camp on an aproach path. A game I used to play as a kid on a rooftop was "bomber watch", if I saw a plane before I heard it I "got them" otherwise they "got me".Best Regards, Donny:-wave