Speed record MEL-SYD
 

United 840 today managed it in 50 minutes. Departed 34, landed 07, ATC assigned max speed.

Any 727 anecdotes?

A TAA Electra did it in 54 mins!

I seem to recall..... 48 mins Ansett B727 .....but I don't know why!

and the TAA (remember them?) DC-9 that overtook a 727 ........................ and the 727 wasn't slouching.

caught the interest of the ATC radar guys.

something about a max airspeed warning CB being pulled rings a bell.

Folks,
Given the speed of the B727, and the routing back a few years, I would think that the B727 would have to hold the record.

Looking at the timetable times of the 1960's tells an interesting story of block times getting longer and longer.

Ain't "progress" wonderful.

Tootle pip!!

Anyone else feel it would be sacrilege for an orange 787 to steal the record :(

Leady:

Back when I was a boy, DC-9 times MEL-SYD would often be as least as quick as a B727 (certainly rarely any slower). Far better initial acceleration aided by a simpe flap retraction profile, and the ability to maintain high speed until much, much closer to the field tended to balance out the B727's higher cruising Mach.

And Down3gr, at least one of the DC-9 overtaking the Boeing incidents involved an AN DC-9 with the overspeed warning CB pulled.

Doubtless Emeritus, a DC-9 operator par excellence, can expand on this...

Mister, the orange one couldn't get all their standard calls in if flight time under 50 mins.

Avalon to Richmond in the old mighty pig in 33mins

My first ever aeroplane ride was aboard the 3-holer from BNE - SYD in 1964.

My recollection is that the airlines used to advertise "under an hour" for that trip.

Dr :8

About 8 years ago was flying as pax in a VB738 when a woman passenger had a brain aneurism just as we were about to reach top of climb from Mel to Syd. Had there not been a doctor on board we would have turned around. What an experience and pat on the back for the pilot and FO, they had us an emergency clearance into Sydney in a matter of seconds, drinks service was cancelled and we got the ride of our lives in that 738 with a hand flown approach dodging clouds. It was amazingly loud in the front row with the air whistling around the front doors, have never experienced anything like it commercially. We arrived at least 15 minutes early where an ambulance and the husband were waiting. Would love to know how quick that trip was.... For a 738 anyway :-) I remember a lot about that flight as I was baby sitting the woman's three young children in seat 1C with Angry Anderson in 1B.

Sydney to Melbourne would have been a quicker trip, being downhill and all that. At least it is on my map.

Der, fuel costs maybe...

How about SIDS and STARS with their extra track miles, altitude restrictions and speed limits!

Longer block times.

About sums it up.

Teresa Green once told an interesting story about just how fast the DC9 could move. :hmm:

He still around?

Shallower decent profiles of more modern types can't help. A 767 will leave a A330 for dead descending ago the same speed.

Pinky, Teresa seems to have vanished from PP
Hope he is ok

Can't recall any races MELSYD but, on one memorable trip we were racing some mates in the blue tail 727 down the coast from up north. Naturally enough, they cheated and called a U/S which put them at FL250 for each sector so we had to do better on climb and descent ...

Plan was to get far enough ahead on time to pax the final leg SYDMEL on the prior flight to that programmed ....

Worked a treat until we beat them into SYD by a few minutes and taxied in feeling quite smug .. to find the desired aircraft in the bay we were assigned and no others available .. you guessed it .. after sitting there for a lifetime, turning and burning, they taxied and we finally could drive into the gate ...

We did, however, do our bit for the fuel companies that day ...

I'm aware of one TAA Capt where there was a parting of the ways after such an event.

If you '9 boys were so fast, why aren't 71s ruling the airways? It's a '9 on steroids after all!
Hard pressed to beat a 72 on that route given it's Mmo of .88 and the old Vmo of 380. The 200-17 sat nicely at FL320 at . 82 into .84. Top that!