Summary

Aircraft History

The US-built Boeing 727 and 737 series of medium range jet airliners have been the most commercially successful passenger aircraft ever built. Following on from the success of the four-engine Boeing 707, the 727 featured three Pratt & Whitney JTD8D jet engines grouped in the tail. The first 727 flew on 9 February 1963 with deliveries of the 727-100 beginning in 1964. A stretched fuselage 727-200 model was offered in 1965. Australia was an early customer for the 727 with the Airlines Agreement Act (Two Airlines Agreement) specifying that Ansett-ANA and Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) must use the same aircraft and these must be delivered at the same time. The first two 727's landed at Essendon Airport, Melbourne on 16 October 1964. Ansett's VH-RME and TAA's VH-TJA began flying paying passengers on 2 November 1964. Along with the Douglas DC-9, the Boeing 727 was the main passenger aircraft used by both airlines until the acquisition of the 737 in the early 1980s. TAA referred to its 727 aircraft as 'Whispering T-Jets'. The last Ansett 727 left the fleet in April 1997.

Model History

This wooden model is painted to represent Boeing 727-76, VH-TJA operated by Trans Australia Airlines in the mid-1960s. This aircraft was first flown on 24 August 1964 and arrived in Melbourne on 16 October 1964. It was registered VH-TJA with the name 'James Cook' and flew its first passenger service with TAA on 2 November 1964. On 29 January 1971 this aircraft was involved in one of the most serious incidents in Australian aviation history when it struck a DC-8 aircraft which had not cleared the runway at Sydney Airport. VH-TJA was extensively damaged but managed to take off and made an emergency landing without hydraulics forty minutes later. It was repaired and remained with TAA until February 1976. It returned to the USA and was later used by Continental Airlines as N18480 from 1977 to 1991. The aircraft was scrapped in 1993. It is believed that this is a promotional or display model used by TAA in the mid-1960s.

Physical Description

Wooden model of an aeroplane painted silver, white, blue and red with stand made from black and clear plastic.

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