On May 27, 1966, Braniff International took delivery of its first Boeing 727-27C Quick Change Convertible Cargo/Passenger Trijet registered as N7270. Although this was Braniff's first Series -27C model, the first Boeing 727, a Series -162, was delivered to Dallas three days earlier on May 24, 1966. Ship N7270 was painted in the 1965 Alexander Girard Turquoise Solid Color Scheme upon delivery.
Braniff International's new President Harding L. Lawrence announced the purchase of the airline's first new jet airliners of his administration on Monday, May 3, 1965. The order was for 17 new Boeing jets including the Boeing 727 Convertible Trijet and the Boeing 707-320 Intercontinental four-engined long-range airliners. Mr. Lawrence's announcement was for the largest aircraft purchase in the history of the company at $118 million USD for twelve Boeing 727-27C and five Boeing 707-327C aircraft, which included spare parts, engines and service equipment. The first Boeing 707-327C Intercontinental Jet registered as N7095 was also delivered to Braniff a day earlier on May 26, 1966.
"This will provide us with a fleet of the most modern and versatile aircraft," Lawrence noted, and continued, "Deliveries of the new jets will begin in May 1966, and be completed by February 1967." Financing for the new airliners was provided by both long-term and short-term institutional borrowing as well as internally generated funds as Braniff had traditionally financed new aircraft in the past.
The twelve Boeing 727-27C Trijets were powered by three Pratt and Whitney JT8D-1 Fan Jet engines each capable of producing 14,000 pounds of thrust. A seating configuration of 102 passengers included 24 First Class and 78 Coach Class in all passenger operations.
In mixed cargo/passenger configuration seating for 55 was provided and the remainder of the cabin could accommodate 20,000 pounds of cargo. The Quick Change Trijet could be converted in 20 minutes from all passenger of up to 114 to an all-cargo configuration capable of holding 45,000 pounds.
Quick conversion of the 727 was accomplished via a large cargo door located behind the left side entry door that measured 91 inches by 131 inches. A unique set of rollers set into the floor throughout the length of the jet allowed for quick removal of the seating and easy entry for the igloo shaped cargo pods.
Side panels were left installed and protected by the large cloth covers placed over each igloo or Cloudpack cargo container. Carpeting, seats, and galleys were preinstalled on a pallet that measured 88 inches by 125 inches with another pallet of the same size for cargo loading and unloading. Braniff would operate a successful nighttime cargo operation with the new convertible jets beginning in August 1966.
Braniff's new Boeing 727Cs were capable of operating out of airports with 5000 foot runways, flying at speeds in excess of 600 miles per hour, and featured a range in excess of 2000 miles. The new Trijet was quickly becoming the most popular commercial aircraft with 125 in use around the world and 200 on order as of May 1965. The new jet would be used throughout Braniff's 36 city domestic route system and would eventually become the backbone of the fleet.
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