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     It was basically a guarantee that Steve, Frank, and Daniel would be painting the hell out of this thing, and it came as a surprise to no-one when it did, and that's one thing I'm extremely grateful for - these painters (and the others who helped, like Danny Pimentel and Captain Jim) comprise one of the most dynamic paint departments in the business. In other words, when you want a huge volume of superb paints, you ask these fellows, and they will overwhelm you, which is precisely what they did!

     When it all came together, we had loads of paints on a solid model with a solid FDE to boot. Frit even modelled in the correct startup and spoolup times for the JT8D and gave us a set of MCT values so that we could give people the option to fit their 727 with any engine they so desired. Basically, most complaints you hear about the FDE are null and void - as they're real characteristics of the real aircraft - this is NOT an aircraft to get behind the power curve in (as real world 727 pilots unfortunately learned when they gave go-around thrust a bit too late and the JT8Ds characteristic slow initial spoolup time led to a somewhat disorderly arrival). It has been said that if you can see the runway in a 727, you can land it. This is because the flaps create an extraordinary amount of drag anywhere past 15 degrees or so (they're huge!) - leading to power settings around and sometimes above 60-70% on approach. Some FS pilots criticized us for this, but the 727 pilots praised it. I think Frit did something right and I CANNOT thank him enough for his FDE work!

     The final preparations included the preparation of two soundsets. Since Eastern used the JT8D-7B on the -200 and the JT8D-15A on the -200 Adv, it was necessary to do separate sounds for both. Why? Contrary to what a few self-proclaimed experts have said, the -7B and -15A sound nothing alike. Basically, when working with the JT8D you have three 'generations' of the engine, all three sounding completely different. The -1 through -7B have a sort of shrieking quality to them that the -9A through -17R do not. The -200 series, having the larger fan, tend to purr at idle, and also have a more apparent fan noise, as the 200 series has much better noiseproofing, meaning less rumble! The sounds didn't take long (being modifications of the DC-9 sounds) and we're very proud of them despite the complaints we get of not being able to hear the engines! We created the sounds from pilot input as well as recordings I have on hand from real 727 cockpits, and believe me, all you can hear is:

A.) The cockpit fans
B.) Wind
C.) A *very* faint fan groan at takeoff RPM
D.) Faint rumble at reverse thrust.

     The APU is NOT silent in the 727 cockpit either - perhaps with the cockpit door closed it is a different story, but since when is the cockpit door closed preflight?

     The end result was an aircraft I am, for once, proud of, and one that I actually enjoy flying. We delivered the aircraft to Virtual Eastern on the 18th of November, which was also a friend's birthday, and thus it was thought fitting to dedicate the release in her honour (which I did, and this included holding the release files until the dedication was set in place).

     We released the aircraft, and everyone seems to be happy with it, and I'm happy to have created what I truly believe to be the most accurate 727 exterior model put together since Everardo Diaz's revolutionary work (which was also one of our references, as Everardo is one of my major influences, along with Rui Christina and Jorge Oppenheimer). It runs great, it's easy to paint, it's extremely detailed, and sounds just like the real deal inside and out.

     And with that, I can take my leave of the FS community and get back to my locomotives.

     Have a good day, folks, and stay safe, Erick

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