Cougar 727 pax flights

[peachair732]

I loved the airline livery. I know they used the 'super 727' on passenger Inclusive tours, they had both cargo and pax 727s, the last in the UK. Does anyone have any information? were these 727s using different engines? What routes di they fly? what capacity were they?

[Newforest2]

Some UK aircraft were G-OKJN, G-BPND, G-OPMN and G-BNNI.

[TOWTEAMBASE]

Oh they were the days. Used to op out of STN,but think they moved to LGW before they ceased operating.

[sam dilly]

I know they operated out of Stansted and various other airports doing Lourdes flights for Tangney Tours.
They were lovely airplanes, and I was delighted to have been on one of those flights.:)

[peachair732]

Lucky you! I guess these 727s were ex sabre, ex dan Air beauties! did they give them md80 engines at the sides but the love hole stayed the old engine.

I wonder if Cougar were satisfied with their 'new' performance and I think they had 189 seats, the exatct number we now have in all those boring 737-800s.

Seems the ex dan air, ex sabre 727s were just not giving up their package holiday hostory easily!!

[DaveReidUK]

I know they used the 'super 727' on passenger Inclusive tours, they had both cargo and pax 727s, the last in the UK. Does anyone have any information? were these 727s using different engines?"Super 27" was the name given to the programme to replace the two outer engines on the 727-100 or -200 with the refanned JT8D-217/-219.

[kriskross]

They actually had 187 seats, I know, I used to fly ND and NI in both Sabre and Dan Air. Very old fashioned and fuel expensive but beautiful to fly!!! As you said - 'golden days'. Assymetric was going slightly slower in the same direction.

ND had the original -17 engines and NI the -15 engines ( but did have INS!)

[peachair732]

The 727 had a special relationship with UK sun seekers, what with Dan Air all those years and then Sabre and then Cougar! What a shame now its all 737-800s and a321s!!

The Cougar 727 with the 'new' engines could have soldgiered on a bit longer! Those 727s were built like the proverbial tank.

[sxflyer]

I think most pax flights were one-off charters for football etc, though I do recall them operating some weekend Greece flights for Olympic/Golden Sun/Libra one summer.

[peachair732]

Thanks very much for that info. I thought I recalled a charter/IT series to Greece the last 727 summer season for British holidaymakers to get put on a 3 holer 727!

[Airbanda]

I've a picture at home somewhere of one of these 727s rotating off 32 at Leeds but it's not my copyright. Do any of the LBA posters here have any idea whose it was - I suspect somebody with an airside pass.

Edit for typo 20/03

[A and C]

In the final year of Sabre the Super 727 was about as reliable as a second hand lawn mower, as an FO on the 738 fleet I was always getting called out on standby as a result of 727 problems, most of these being as a result of the airframe rather than engine systems.

The next year when Sabre became Excel I only got called out once ( to cover sickness).

Excel where well rid of the 727 from a reliability point of view and the days where numbered for the 727 because of fuel costs alone.

All that having been said the Cougar paint scheme was one of the best I have ever seen and I very much regret that they failed to survive a little longer than they did.

[racedo]

I see this thread and keep thinking of old Mutton dressed as Lamb F/As hitting on younger guys.......................:ugh:

Sorry for the distraction.

[wowzz]

Me too - any chance of a cougar photo!

[compton3bravo]

Ah memories, great and apt call-sign ´´speedcat´´. May I direct anybody interested to a YouTube video of a Cougar 727 doing a tricky approach to Kerry.