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callumconroydub wrote:I never knew the answer to this: why were the 720's retired? Could they not be still in use like the few 707's? What was wrong with them?
oldannyboy wrote:Ok, saying that in 2017 B707s are still flying regularly is a bit of a stretch really...
back to topic: by the mid-80s those few 720s left flying were really old gas guzzlers and these were replaced with newer types at the end of their lives' cycles, and the were subsequently broken up. They were also carrying fewer pax than a 707(while burning give or take the same) so that may have had something to do with the fact that 707s were used longer. The speed/performance advantage of the 720 was pretty much irrelevant already by the early 1970s.
oldannyboy wrote:Some of the very last 720s were operated by Danish airline Conair, which I remember were still regularly plying the "sun routes" in 1986-87. But boy, they were considered really ancient by then...
callumconroydub wrote:OK, as seen as you asked, why would they be flying? And yes there are some 707's flying around, aren't there?
EIANV wrote:EI-ALB left the fleet years before the other 2 due to what I understand was a structural problem. Anyone know anything about this? Cheeers.
BoeingGuy wrote:That's like asking why you don't see Model T's driving down the freeway.
PatrickZ80 wrote:And since there have been far more 707's than 720's ever produced it's no wonder the 720's aren't anymore. A very low percentage of all 707's ever produced still flying is still something, the same low percentage of all 720's ever produced is nothing.
CF-CPI wrote:Western continued 720B ops well into the 1970s, but the fan engines were their saving grace. The 1979 oil crisis put an end to that, so by 1980, there was no trace of these fascinating four-engine birds in North American skies. AA flew a number of 720Bs during the 60s but I am not sure how long into the 70s they lasted (for scheduling purposes they were considered 707s).
spartanmjf wrote:EIANV wrote:EI-ALB left the fleet years before the other 2 due to what I understand was a structural problem. Anyone know anything about this? Cheeers.
According to another site (use Google) she flew up to 1976 with Pac Northern, Alaska, Pan Am, Western, and Aero America....
callumconroydub wrote:I never knew the answer to this: why were the 720's retired? Could they not be still in use like the few 707's? What was wrong with them?
GCT64 wrote:People have answered the question above, however for me the 720 was the first aircraft I ever flew on: 1979 Monarch Boeing 720B
GalaxyFlyer wrote:The -8 also had the advantage of a fuselage that could be stretched and the CFM mod kept them competitive on fuel costs.
GF
global1 wrote:IMO, two of the most beautiful jetliners of that era were the Northwest Orient 720B and the Delta Convair 880.
EIANV wrote:For at least one airline the 720 turned out to be the wrong aircraft. Aer Lingus bought 3 of them for TAT operations from DUB to JFK and BOS via SHN. They were EI-ALA, LB and LC. The range of the 720 was barely adequate for the task. When headwinds were high, these aircraft frequently called in at Gander and other places for fuel. AFAIK there was a couple of fuel emergency landings with them also. A question someone might be able to answer: EI-ALB left the fleet years before the other 2 due to what I understand was a structural problem. Anyone know anything about this? Cheeers.
berari wrote:callumconroydub wrote:I never knew the answer to this: why were the 720's retired? Could they not be still in use like the few 707's? What was wrong with them?
How many 707s do you know of that are in service? Airlines and routes?
global2 wrote:berari wrote:callumconroydub wrote:I never knew the answer to this: why were the 720's retired? Could they not be still in use like the few 707's? What was wrong with them?
How many 707s do you know of that are in service? Airlines and routes?
Are 707s still flying for that airline in Iran? I know they kept them just about longer than any other airline.
KLDC10 wrote:The last Boeing 720 was retired in 2010. See: https://www.wingsmagazine.com/news/worl ... tires-4553
Only 154 Boeing 720s were ever built. Better and more economical aircraft came along (e.g. the Boeing 727), superseding the Boeing 720 and rendering it obsolete. That's just the way things go.