Videos: FedEx 727 Lands On 4,000 Foot Anchorage Runway!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at 10:05PM
FedEx recently donated one of their antique Boeing 727's to the University of Alaska for use at Merrill Field in Anchorage as a non-flying training tool, but Merrill Field only has a 4,000 foot runway. Well, if you know anything about the United Airlines 727 on display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, you probably know that it was landed at the old Meigs Field back in 1992 on a runway that was only about 3,900 feet long!
So, a landing at Merrill's 4,000 foot runway should be a piece of cake. And a piece of cake it was as can been seen in these two videos that recorded the event that took place on February 26, 2013. The two videos offer different perspectives but are both very well done... and what a beautiful day it was in Anchorage!
And then the video below is a compilation of Chicago TV news station broadcasts about the United 727 landing at Meigs back in 1992.
All this 727 watching sure makes me long for the day when this fabulous trijet, which made its very first flight on my second birthday (Feb 9, 1963), was the mainstay of every major airport in America! Back around 1969 (when I was 8) I used to ride a UAL California Commuter 727 every other weekend from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back to go visit my dad. My seat was usually the one right next to the left engine... I loved all that noise and vibration when the engines went into reverse!
I hope you enjoy all this 727 avgeekery as much as I did : )
Reader Comments (4)
As a FedEx employee (vehicle technician), I am proud to see us help out various organizations with our retired airplanes. It's a lot better than just scraping them. Nice video also!
And there's the witty saying: The 727 is Boeing's answer to Harley Davidson (motorcycles) because it's loud, and fast and drips oil wherever you park it (grin)
Glad to see a Tri jet being put to good use!
I used to drive past there all the time when I lived and worked in Alaska. Those pilots made it look easy! Great to see the excitement it generated... but then, Alaskans are airplane people.
Great videos! But I gotta say... the video of the 727 landing at Meigs mad me very sad... then angry. I miss Meigs Field.