Originally Posted by
WHBM
Ths is a long-standing comment, but I wonder how accurate it is, apart from the basic aircraft configuration. The 727 front end and fuselage were taken directly from the 707 (and the 737 still is). Is the DC8 also a 707 copy, because it was the same configuration ?
Interesting article here - no proof of course, but it does seem an odd coincidence:
British Airliners 'Nearly Get It Right' Shock! - Aircraft of World War II - Warbird Forums
You're right in that the Trident didn't have the same high-lift devices as the 727, but the first generation's droop and flap configuration was still pretty potent. It needed to be, because the wing was designed for high-speed cruise (I have it on good authority that despite being a bugger to get off the ground, the Gripper went like a scalded cat in cruise). Re-use of the 707's nose and fuselage section would always have been a no-brainer for Boeing, because they already had all the jigs and tooling in place.
While you're also right about the Caravelle, the Trident was the first design to use a triple engine configuration with an S-duct on number 2, which is the primary similarity with the 727. Had it had the Medway engine as specified, I don't think it would have found a 6,000 ft runway a problem. Purely speculation though.
