DARE TO FLY? Aerosucre B727 Cargo Flight to Venezuela

Join me on an exciting vintage Boeing 727 flight from Colombia to Venezuela. The Boeing 727, known for its versatility, is a true workhorse.

Aerosucre is a cargo airline from Colombia that currently flies the B727. I joined the three-man crew in the cockpit to see how they fly the 43-year-old trijet. Our takeoff used almost the entire runway at Bogota. During the gear-up retraction, an unusual, loud vibrating noise was heard. The captain later clarified about the unusual noise.

Unlike modern airplanes, the Boeing 727 carries a flight engineer who has a workstation behind the pilot. F/E Guillermo talks about his work as a flight engineer. After 1.5 hours of flying, we landed safely in Caracas, Venezuela. The cargo was offloaded quickly, and we took off empty like a rocket ship on our way back. On the return leg, the young First Officer with just two months of 727 flying experience is landing the plane!

As of April 2025, just 14 Boeing 727s are still in commercial service. What a great privilege to experience some of the finest yesteryear aviation has to offer.