Last Boeing 727 passenger jet bows out

(CNN) — Air travelers will no longer be able to enjoy the Boeing 727’s distinctive design after the jet made its last commercial passenger flight.

With a raked T-shaped tail and three engines, the 727 drew plenty of attention when it launched in 1962.

The design also served a practical purpose, with the mid-size plane aimed at smaller cities where airports had smaller runways that couldn’t handle the larger 707 jet.

“Its three, rear-mounted engines made it versatile for operators able to take off and land on short runways but still have the range for transoceanic routes,” Murdo Morrison, head of strategic content at aviation intelligence specialist FlightGlobal, told CNN via email.

Runaway sales

The 727 brought air travel to smaller cities that couldn’t handle the larger 707 jet

Elaine Thompson/AP

However, after a slow start, orders for the 727 went through the roof.

Before long the 727 became the first commercial jet design to sell over a thousand airplanes, and 1,832 were eventually built and sold, according to Boeing.

After starting life as a commercial airliner, the 727 has seen its role evolve over time.

“From the mid-1980s, when production ended, the 727 was seen as increasingly noisy and inefficient compared with some of its newer rivals, and many major airlines began phasing the type out from the 1990s,” said Morrison.

“However, it has enjoyed a long second life, with around 60 still operating as freighters, VIP transports or as research aircraft more than half a century after the type entered service.”

Oil Spill Response still operates a 727 to tackle oil slicks.

Thom Patterson/CNN

Known as three-holers, airplanes with a triple engine configuration have a huge following among aviation enthusiasts. Another, the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is still serving in cargo fleets operated by FedEx and Lufthansa.

While the 727 eventually proved to be a huge success for Boeing, it has also been involved in some interesting incidents.

In 1971, a man known as D.B. Cooper hijacked a 727 in the northwest United States before parachuting to the ground with $200,000 (worth $1.2million today) in stolen cash strapped to his body.

One of the most famous aviation crimes in the United States remains unsolved, and in 2016 the FBI closed its investigation.

The daring escape was only made possible thanks to another design quirk of the 727: a built-in staircase in the aft.

Boeing changed the design as a result of the intriguing episode, part of the fascinating history of a plane that was also used by US President Donald Trump as his private jet until he upgraded to a Boeing 757 in 2009.