Went on a sightseeing flight in Hawaii again, took a few snapshots of some trijets on the Apron that are rarely seen in Japan anymore, sharing them here.

First is the Boeing 727, a 727-200 from Asia Pacific Airlines, registration number N705AA.

Asia Pacific Airlines is a cargo airline providing cargo charter services in the Asia-Pacific region, operating a total of 3 Boeing 727s.

According to the <a href=http://www.flyapa.com/sched.asp?SchedDate=8/22/2015>flight schedule on the company’s website, this aircraft made 2 round trips between Honolulu PHNL and Pago Pago International Airport NTSU on August 22nd, then after a two-day rest <a href=http://www.flyapa.com/sched.asp?SchedDate=8/29/2015>continued shuttling between these two airports.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Boeing 727, and observing one up close is a first, looking at its nose, it really resembles the Boeing 737! They are blood brothers, after all. This aircraft was manufactured in 1981, making it 34 years old, using two JT8D-217s (left and right) and one JT8D-17 (center) engine, so it’s still in its prime, I suppose. N705AA was delivered on June 2, 1981, and served with American Airlines until 2004, transferring to Asia Pacific Airlines on February 23, 2004.

By the way, this 727 has undergone modernization, the most obvious being the addition of winglets, whose shape somewhat resembles that of the 747-400.

Let’s look at the signature trijet layout at the tail again, the low-bypass ratio JT8D, and the T-tail configuration are truly full of classical beauty. Pratt & Whitney’s JT8D is arguably one of the most successful gas turbine engines in aviation history, having accumulated over 500 million hours of reliable service since 1964, which is truly astounding.

The Boeing 727 has excellent short takeoff and landing capabilities, to which the leading edge Krueger flaps contribute significantly. Seen from this angle, its structure is simple and crude, quite different from the leading edge flap shapes on current aircraft.

Another trijet I had the chance to observe up close on the Apron was the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, this type of aircraft can actually still be seen frequently at Narita and Kansai Airports, but shooting it from the ground, this was a first.

This MD-11, registration N272UP, belongs to the American courier company United Parcel Service (UPS), manufactured in 1993, it is 22 years old, still relatively young. From May 11, 1993 to 2002, it served in Japan Airlines (JAL), with the registration JA8580 at the time. Since October 9, 2002, it joined UPS and has served under the number N272UP until now.

Tail close-up: This MD-11 uses 3 GE CF6-80C2D1F engines, you can see the tail engine is tilted slightly downwards.

Also, the winglets are the biggest visual difference between the DC-10 and MD-11, The feature of these winglets is that they are divided into upper and lower sections; the upper section closely resembles the Boeing 747-400, but the lower section has a very small area and is hard to identify from a distance.

The MD-11’s aircraft characteristics look even cooler viewed directly from the rear of the tail, don’t you think? At least I prefer this angle.

Finally, a look at a trijet Boeing 747.

Is this a mistake, how can a 747 have 3 engines? Of course, I’m joking, look at the picture below, A Kalitta Air 747-200 is undergoing maintenance, the right outboard engine has been removed and placed on the ground, so calling it a trijet isn’t entirely wrong.

This photo was taken with the light, so the details of the aircraft are clearly visible, plus the towering tropical cumulus clouds in the background make it aesthetically pleasing from a photographic perspective. Since the 747-200 is already a rare classic “Jumbo Jet”, seeing one is quite lucky.

This 747’s registration number is N795CK, first flew on February 28, 1984, making it 31 years old. Before Kalitta, it served for Northwest Airlines as N631US and N631NW for 26 years, and transferred to Kalitta on August 19, 2010, continuing to use the N631NW number until April 2011.

It is said that Kalitta Air owns 2 741s, 18 742s, and 2 744s, but it is difficult to see this cargo company’s aircraft in Japan, this was also my first time photographing their airframe, so I am very satisfied.

End