The sleek and distinctive 727 jetliner was at the forefront of short-haul aircraft design. Charles Kennedy reviews the type’s development and operational service.
The jet age began in earnest when Britain’s four-engined de Havilland Comet 4, followed by the Boeing 707, began flying across the Atlantic in 1958. These aircraft shrank the world, but it wasn’t just long-haul destinations that would feel the benefit of the revolutionary new powerplants.