During the early 1960s there was a trend to place engines on the aft fuselage of airliners. The BOAC VC-10, Sud Aviation Caravelle, Douglas DC-9, Boeing 727, and a slew of Biz-Jets were all part of that trend. As engines became larger, placing them on the empennage became problematic due to the large diameter of high…

My father, the late Captain S. F. “Tunk” Dunning wrote much of the flight manual for United Airlines operation of the 727. It was a real labor of love and commitment for him. He was on the team that evaluated the Boeing 727 and likely had numerous interactions with that particular aircraft. I am very glad they kept it…