After the great success of the Boeing 707, Boeing decided to build a short- and medium range aircraft. For the new project, Boeing took many parts of the 707 e.g. the upper half of the fuselage. The Launching customer United Airlines and Eastern Airliners showed interest in the 727 very early. Both airlines ordered 40 units. With four 727s in test flights, Boeing went through the FAA certification program in only one year. Eastern Airlines took the fist 727-100 from Boeing on February 1st,1964, four days later Boeing delivered the first unit to United. The short range aircraft could fly very economically, and that’s why Boeing was optimistic about selling over 300 units. But the 727 did not turn out to fulfill these expectations. Until the summer of 1964, Boeing had only 200 orders for the 727. In late 1964, Boeing realized the larger demand for short haul aircraft with a higher passenger capacity. That’s why Boeing stretched the 727-100 some 6,10 meters and called this version (with the same engines, the same fuel capacity and the same wingspan) 727-200. The launching customer Northeast Airlines flew its first -200 on December 14th, 1967. It can carry up to 189 passengers over a shorter distance than the 727-100. This disadvantage led Boeing to introduce an improved version of the - 200, the 727-200 Adv. (advanced), in 1970. It featured the more powerful engines P&W JT8D-15 and a modern cabin design. In 1981, Boeing developed a freight version, the 727-200F Adv. Boeing had also thought about a 727-300, but didn’t realize the project: The time had come for a new airliner-era. The first plans for the 757 seemed promising, and the successor of the 727 was born. The last 15 Boeing 727s went to FedEX in autumn 1984. Nowadays, the 727 is very popular as a cargo plane. An American company displaces the left and right engines with modern Rolls-Royce Tay651 and provides the middle-engine with Hushkits. Flying on these low noise engines, the 727 will remain in service for some years to come.