I think I first became aware of the 727 in the mid1960's. I worked in a timber yard right under the YMEN 26 LOC and inbound aircraft passed overhead at about 600feet on the GS just as many were spooling up. Looked fantastic from that view., we thought it was the ultimate aluminium overcast. The most exciting part was the unseen early morning departures on cold spring morning, must have been bleeds off, max EPR and hold on the brakes for a time and the crackle from the JT8Ds made the loose tin on the sheds rattle. It got me interested and after finding you didn't need to be a rocket scientist to become a pilot I went for it. Four years later I got to travel on the jump seat of a 727 from Melbourne to Darwin to start my first flying job. Sadly never got to fly a 727 though.