Comtran, the company behind development of a Stage 4 hushkit for the Boeing MD-80, is funding certification of a similar modification for the Boeing 727, writes Graham Warwick.
A VIP 727 fitted with the hushkit will be displayed alongside the Super Q MD-80 at the Farnborough airshow in July, says Comtran owner Doug Jaffe.
Comtran, which marketed a Stage 2 upgrade for the Boeing 707, funded development of the MD-80 Stage 4 hushkit, says Jaffe. The 727 modification builds on the Super 27 re-engining programme developed by Valsan and now owned by Goodrich, he says.
The Super 27 Stage 3 upgrade replaces the 727’s outer engines with the MD-80’s Pratt & Whithey JT8D-200-series turbofans. This allows the Stage 4 hushkit developed for the MD-80 to be used on the 727, Jaffe says, adding that Comtran’s Super 727-4 upgrade includes the Quiet Wing modification for the 727.
More than 80 727s have undergone the Super 27 Stage 3 upgrade, says Jaffe, who expects availability of a Stage 4 upgrade to stimulate further sales, particularly to freight carriers in Europe.
Low and high gross-weight hushkits will be certificated later this year for the 727, but pricing has yet to be determined, says Jaffe. San Antonio, Texas-based Comtran is also funding the development by Jet Engineering of winglets for the MD-80.
The Super Q Stage 4 hushkit for the MD-80 costs $895,000 installed, and winglets will add $695,000, he says.
Jaffe also owns Jetran International, which purchased US Airways’ fleet of 93 MD-80s in 2002, subsequently leasing or selling all of the aircraft. The company owns Jetran Air, a Romanian operator of MD-80s.
Source: Flight International
