ORD to LAS | United Airlines | 727-200

April 1990 flight from ORD to LAS on a United Airlines 727. This was filmed using a full size VHS Panasonic OMNIMovie camcorder, so it was difficult to hold the video recorder steady.
Some interesting highlights:
The sounds are incredible - turn up the volume to enjoy the sounds of the 3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines and the whining of the flaps being extended and retracted.
Lots of vintage aircraft taxing around
Departure Runway - 32L @ T10 intersection
Enjoy! Leave a like & comment!

[@damngmail]

As a long time United ramp employee I can say that the 727 tri-motor was loud, smoky and a major pain in the butt to fuel...and I miss it like crazy!! Didn't know how much I loved this airplane until it was gone🫡

[@Scott_T_]

It was a great airplane and the ramp had that distinctive sound from the 727-200 and 737-200 engines. Thanks for watching!

[@rlee3966]

It was a great aircraft. And made in the USA 🇺🇸. Worked them for over 25 years. Ramp and cabin service. SFO. IAD. CVG. MCI. ELP. PHX.

[@DrewTubeDrew]

Goddamn beautiful thing right there. 727

[@gerardmoran9560]

Great video! Spent nearly 8 years flying the 72 for Delta. Loved it!

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it! What years did you fly the 72 for Delta? I flew on a few Delta 72's back in the day and your name looks very familiar. Reason I ask is there are still a few tapes that haven't been digitized yet and I may have recorded one of your flights.

[@gerardmoran9560]

@@Scott_T_ I was hired in September of '88 and was on the 72 until '95 when I went on to the 75/76. The tapes sound interesting!

[@hmishin843]

A blast from the past! I miss seeing and hearing all these magnificent Tri-Jets of yesteryear. Thank you for sharing.

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@dlane5292]

From the late 70's in the mid 90's I flown many 727-200's. Northwest Orient, United, & Delta. A couple of my 727 flight memories was a Delta 727200 SLC to LAS. Upon landing it was recorded in my memory as being one of the smoothest landings I ever had. I briefly closed my eyes to guess when we landed & I wasn't exactly sure at what second our wheels his the runway. No bang, bouce, shake or anything. I never knew a landing could be that smooth. My last flight onboard a Delta 727 IND to ATL in the Fall of 95'. On that flight I remember for the last bit prior to landings doing a bunch of weird flight pattern stuff. Got to see Atlanta quite well haha, before we finally landed from the east. It was also that flight which we made a steep decent prior to that point nothing I had been on matched. In 96' I using one of my Uncle's companion passes I flew first class on a United 737-200 DEN to BIL, & back half a week later. I remember little of the Northwest Orient 727 I flew as a child. I remember the 727-200 as being one of the earliest Boeing aircraft I've flown. I remember rear stair walk, & curtains dividing the first class & coach. I also remember the distinctive red tail with the 3 engines, & that's about it. Looking back after learning about the D.B. Cooper story years later & wonder could the 727 I was on as a kid be the one he parachuted from. I too miss the sights & sounds of these classics, nothing today compares, it's like some of the coolness has bee swiped from aviation was taken away. Of course flying is flying, & I still love it.

[@longbeach7623]

Amazing how as late as 1990, ORD was ruled by 727s & DC-10s; aircraft developed 20-25 years earlier. Only the MD-80s and the one 737-300 were cutting edge at the time.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

I agree with you about the 727s and the DC-10s. They were the work horses of the industry. Theses days to the 757s and the 767s are remaining. And Boeing place the winglets on both of those to increase their flight distance and fuel consumption.😊

[@toddcaras4680]

The flap motors! I remember them as a kid on Northwest Orient 727s out of MSP

[@jsmith1746]

Thank you for sharing! Flew on a lot of United and American 727s while passing through ORD in the 80s and 90s. Miss those airplanes, they were what made me want to fly for a living. Always remember that immediate left turn after departure on 32L. Obviously hard to tell, but it looked like they started the turn almost immediately. Now the standard is no turns until reaching 400 feet AGL. They also started cleaning up the airplane very quickly, so looks pretty clear they were not doing any noise abatement procedure, which is also pretty standard around the world now days. Fun throwback to the past!

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed the video. The 727 was an amazing aircraft and I do miss it myself. Iconic engine sounds of the past.

[@Chatta-Ortega]

I flew on 727's frequently in the 70s and 80s. It was kinda loud, but it was very fast and pushed you back in your seat on takeoff. Back then, the legroom in economy was very comfortable as well. I miss them.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah it was loud and takeoff's were powerful. The seats back then were also very comfortable. Thanks for watching!

[@marquesdean5075]

My first flight on a plane was on a United Boeing 727-200 Advanced from ORD to IAH. Flying on a 727 really gives you a sense of speed when those Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofans spool up and push you back into the seat as you hurdle down the runway on takeoff. That plane can climb like a homesick angel! This brought back at lot of memories. Still seeing 727s flying today,40 years after the last ones were built is a testament to the engineering and designing that helped create it and cement its legacy.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah the 727-200/Adv is still my favorite plane to this day. That unique sound of those engines brings back lots of memories that can't be replicated in today's aircraft unfortunately.

[@jamieburroughs427]

Pratt & Whitney JT8Ds (1st generation you are hearing) also powered the original 737s (737-100 & 737-200) and McDonnell-Douglas DC-9s (2nd gen powered McDonell-Douglas MD-80 Series) in addition to the 727s. @@Scott_T_

[@frtguy80]

Wow she was such a beautiful plane. Those sounds bring back so many memories

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching! I'm still trying to find the return flight back to ORD landing at night with clear skys, once I find it and get it digitized and edited, I'll post it. But yeah those are historic sounds.

[@sammyboy892]

Just a spectacular video! Oh how I miss the 727. Thanks!

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nothingbutjets941]

WOW~~ You have inspired me to see how to upload my vintage air travel.

[@Scott_T_]

Do it!!!! There's only a handful of these videos in existence and we need more! I'm missing the return flight tape that I keep looking for as I want to get that uploaded. Hopefully, I find it soon as it is a clear nighttime approach back to ORD on a 727.

[@JimBronson]

The old loud Boeing flap motors sounded so familiar on climbout.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah they don't make them like that anymore. Thanks for watching!

[@patrickrabion9473]

Great video! Las Vegas was right at the beginning of the building boom at this time, I moved there in 1994 and stayed for 25 years. Worked for American Airlines and this brings back fond memories seeing those DC-10’s! Thanks!

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah I traveled back and forth to Vegas many times and watched it grow and expand over the years. The DC-10's were great and flying domestically in a widebody was really nice.

[@borsi99]

A wonderful video! Thank you🙏🏼

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing. Yes, I miss flying on the DC-10s and 727-200s. Great aircraft to fly on. Having the DC-10 landing in Honolulu, Hawaii was soo awesome!!😊😊

[@LMays-cu2hp]

There were some good memories on one of my flights! I had the Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth B. Ginsburg on my flights. She was flying with her Husband back to Washington DC. Both seated in First Class! They were so nice. Former Justice Ginsburg. I guess was in Chicago doing a conference.😊😊

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching!

[@LMays-cu2hp]

@@Scott_T_ You are welcome.

[@ryankenyon5010]

Great video! I miss this era. Subscribed.

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching. I miss this era too.

[@christopherescott6787]

Flew on many of these with CP Air and AC. This aircraft was actually longer by 11 inches than the quad 707-320 with one less engine. Great footage.

[@Scott_T_]

Never realized it was shorter than the 707, great information. Thanks for watching.

[@bmused55]

Never got to fly the 727. Not many around in Europe and certainly not by the time I was old enough to travel where I wanted to. I did bag a couple of flights on AA MD-80s between 2015 and 2017, connecting between DFW and JAX. They sounded very much the same as this beast. Glorious. Thank you for your upload. It was fun to vicariously experience a 727 :)

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed watching! That's one of the reasons I went through the process of converting these videos is so everyone can either re-live the experience or experience a 727 for the first time.

[@airplanepilot]

The 727 parked to the left was either a -100 or early -200 as indicated by the oil encrusted thrust reverser buckets. This was common with JT8D-7 engines.

[@Scott_T_]

That's great information. Thanks for watching.

[@GainesMediaInc]

Epic Footage.

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching.

[@chrisbungostudios]

Nice trip back to the past. Thanks for transferring this from VHS to digital.

[@joelagrinsoni4016]

Awesome, I flew on one with my mom in the 90s. Ant remember exactly but, it was a nice ride! And the DC-10!

[@Scott_T_]

Very cool!

[@JimBronson]

I flew on a NW DC-10 in the fall of 2004 MEM-AMS! I specifically chose the routing for the DC-10! Routing was DFW-MEM-AMS-FRA, on BAE-146, DC-10 and Fokker 100! These were all retired pretty shortly thereafter. Return trip was pretty boring - FRA-DTW-DFW on A333 and A320.

[@sightsandsoundsofaviation]

Incredible !

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks!

[@ansett7272]

Yes as quick note flew United Boeing 727-222 non advanced January 1981 SEA-SFO great service and I miss the Tulip and the JT8D. Have subscribed and being also from old school your recordings are priceless and not common. From Australia. Ansett 727.

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for the kind words. Too bad there's only so many of these video's in existence.

[@aviationlba747]

Great stuff man! The closest I got to a 727 flight was an AA MD-80 a few years back from ORD-MSP. Nothing like those JT8D engines, sorely missed nowadays.

[@rlee3966]

Worked ramp and cabin service. On the great 727-200. With BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL and DELTA AIR LINES. Miss the glamor day's of Avation! SFO. PHX. IAD. MCI.ELP AND CVG.

[@hoosiercoasterfan2655]

The way it starts banking as soon as it lifted off, must’ve been a glorious time to be an Avgeek.

[@Scott_T_]

Yes it was a great time, the only issue was everything was so large like the camcorder and radio scanners were large to carry as well. Thanks for watching.

[@airlinetraveller]

Amazing footage! 🤩

[@Scott_T_]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@JamesAMG]

Awesome vid. Hard to believe probably every aircraft seen in that video no longer exists maybe with exception to one of the AA MD80’s which may or may not still exist in storage somewhere.

[@garyobermayer949]

The runway also no longer exists.

[@Jeff-sp7bg]

I remember when almost every other plane was a 727 they were everywhere. Back then you took all of these beautiful planes for granted. Now all of them are gone. Life goes on....

[@glenrosarian2352]

I know many of the AA super80's are in storage in New Mexico.

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah it is definitely a look back in history. Obviously, back then there was no KZbin so I filmed it for my own enjoyment and memories, but I'm glad I converted the video and can share this rare bit of history with everyone. Thanks for watching!

[@aviationlba747]

@@glenrosarian2352Yes, Roswell. Many will probably still be there in 10 years.

[@ricardobarbosa1838]

Many hours I spent in the pits and the cabin of both the 727 and DC-10

[@stevenS6598]

Appears to be a low rate of climb as compared to today's narrow body aircraft. Also a lot of flap in the wing for landing. I wonder if that is due to the small amount of wing surface. Thanks for an excellent video on the UAL 727-200 from ORD-LAS. 👍

[@UAL320]

Ohare controllers used to call this departure intersection “Three two left tee ten”….instead of “tango ten”….it was like their trademark taxi clearance.

[@joelt4416]

that sucker was HEAVY on takeoff!!!

[@awesomerpower]

Pretty wild how they go into that left turn right away.

[@c.reitan8730]

nice video! crazy to believe that these flights occured over 30 years ago. May I ask, why did u make so many trips from ORD to LAS?

[@Scott_T_]

Good question! The simple answer is Vegas was a cheap vacation back then. My parents took my brother and I to Vegas once every couple years during spring break. Flights were cheap, hotels were cheap and buffets didn't cost a lot. We would spend the day by the pool or go out adventuring. My mom had friends that lived in Vegas so we would get to spend time with them. Overall we had a good time. It was cheaper and less crowded than going to Disney as most spring breakers headed down to Florida.

[@Oldfarming231]

Need to make the 727-300! 2 man crew

[@lrg3834]

They did. 737-800.

[@Scott_T_]

Good answer!

[@EM-od6gu]

Are u me lol? Seriously in the early 90s I was a teenager and I flew quite a bit (my dad worked for AA so I had passes) and I would say “rotate” and “gear up” stuff just like u did here on takeoff. That’s awesome!

[@Scott_T_]

Yeah I flew a lot in the late 80's and early 90's, it was such a great time back then and so much fun to fly. Thanks for watching!

[@brettpatetto6847]

How long is a flight from Chicago to Vegas? Maybe 1 hour?

[@Scott_T_]

Approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes.

[@TheoneandonlyEETFUK]

Quite a fast left turn

[@Scott_T_]

Yup - Took off on a northwest heading and wanted to get to a southwest heading quickly.

[@glenrosarian2352]

Cool video. What year was this taken? Based on what I saw I would guess between 1989 and 1992.

[@Scott_T_]

Good guess - it was taken in 1989.

[@brettpatetto6847]

Chicago is not super far from Vegas. I mean some one told me it's a 4 hour run. I was critically brain ingurrd and confined to a wheel chair the rest of my life. I have forgotten many things and can't always think right. I am a former ATP .. on the left. And can't understand why God let this happen.

[@Scott_T_]

Sorry to hear that.

[@joseph2095]

An immediate left turn at takeoff? Seems a little early, right?

[@brettpatetto6847]

I sincerely apologize that my contributions to this form are minimized. I suffer from brain trauma as I was involved in a bad car accident hit by someone who was DUI. I am no longer employable as a ATP or any for that matter. I attend thee forms to share information and gain some Insite into what I did best. I cannot even tie my own shoes at times. I am confined to a wheelchair and my wife left me because I could no longer perform. Im not trolling I m serious and wish you all safe reliable trips.

[@Nickrulz4u]

I'm so sorry to hear the pain you've been through and/or still going through. I hope that everything will get better for you from here on out. I know I'm just a random comment on a video but I hope you know I care about your story and I'm sure others will too. Stay strong man

[@brettpatetto6847]

I appreciate the comment. You are not random, Thank you for your comment. @@Nickrulz4u

[@Scott_T_]

Thanks for watching and I sincerely hope things get better for you going forward.