Boeing 727-100 (N498US)

I wish this had been a color snap. Back in 1968, the Northwest Orient livery featured a red tail which is on this aircraft but, of course, appears simply as black on this B and W pic.
I clicked this shot from a small park separated from the end of the runway by a little inlet of water. I noted the name of the park on the back of the picture, but (grin) I can't read the first word. The second word is "point" and I think the first word is "Graves". Anyway, the shot was taken from "Graves Point" near DCA.
Sorry about the low quality, but the picture is almost a half-century old and this was the best I could do with it when I scanned it.

Gary, you betcha... I remember that smoke and loved seeing it. Thanks for sharing this memory and "Kodak moment" with us!!!

Gary,
That would be Gravelly Point Park, just north of KDCA. Many of my posts were taken there, aircraft landing on Runway 19 and taking off from Runway 01.

The greatest memory I have of smoky exhausts were of Delta's CV-880's. They left four streams of smoke as they came down final at KBWI. I mentally referred the as "Smokey Joe's".

Many of my posts suffer from grainyness as I usually shot KodaColor 400 with a 70-200 zoom lens. They don't enlarge very well<G>.

Looking forward to see more of your eaarly pics.

Cool!

Gary, Thanks for sharing of such a great aircraft that Boeing built. One of the work horses of many a great airline. As well as Northwest Orient was once one of the better airlines to fly with. Many memories of such GREAT CREW MEMBERS from the cockpit to the back.

Designed on a slide rule and blue print velum, built by hand by craftsmen in the USA, and flown by men with prior military experience (most anyway). Those were the days!

Cliff, Skyhawk, Greg, Lee, and Tim ... Hi to you all and Thank You for your comments. My first-ever photo captures AND my first-ever flights (when I was in my very early teens) were of (and on) propliners, but then my first jetliner captures and flights were of / on the 727 and I've always been thrilled to see one ever since. Sorry this snap isn't an ultra high quality click but it was still viewable enough to share, and I appreciate your kind comments, guys.
Skyhawk, TYVM for clarifying the location. We were on a family vacation to DC that year and I didn't get the photos developed until we got back home. By the time I got them back, I am certain that I'd forgotten the name of the park so I wrote down the name as best I could remember it. Obviously, I did not recall it exactly right (but I was close, at least ... lol), so thank you for providing the proper name. I'll write it on the back ... Gravelly Point Park . And also, your comment made me go digging ... I've got a pic of a Convair 990 Coronado. Those were so smokey that it was always extremely easy to know one was approaching even before the actual aircraft was visible. As Tim so accurately stated, "Those were the days." (A grin and a wave of the spotter's cap to all)

Hi Gary , aircraft B727 i do not know , know MIG , JU , IL - differently there was not -
i learn withyou watch and read reports -

thank you

Great photo and commentary, Gary! I have a GREAT appreciation for early photos, and this one really resonates with me; it's almost like this photo re-creates a memory for me. Thanks for sharing. It'd be neat to see more of this type.

Great shot Gary
I wish I was around back in the day of CV880 and 990s, 27s and the old DC-8s
thanks for bringing these birds back to life

Mathias, Errol, and Sam ...
Just popped on to FA a few minutes ago after a morning of spotting and saw your comments ...
Thanks for your comments and compliments. These old snapshots of mine just aren't that good. I've only shared a few of them in the past ... and NEVER on a nationwide public site. When I took these, I was a kid with a couple of cameras (first, a Kodak Brownie and then a Kodak Bullseye), a paper route that enabled me to make enough money to buy film and get the pics developed, and very little knowledge of photography. My pics from back then weren't great even when they were originally taken ... and they are much worse off for wear nowadays. Truth be told, the crummy quality of these old snaps was embarrassing, and if it wasn't for a couple of wonderful friends from "next door" in CA, I'd have finally tossed them. Instead, I did as they urged and posted one of the really old ones on FA. Now I'm glad I did because I'm meeting (via replies just like yours) many folks who are enjoying the chance to view them.
Mathias, I sure wish that someday you and I can meet. I think it would be fantastic if I could learn about the way it was in Germany when you and I were young. I could learn so much from you. Thank you for your comment ... and for your friendship.
Sam, there is no way you'll be able to actually "experience" those past days of prop warbirds and paxbirds and of the first appearance in the skies of both commercial and military jets, but Sam, my friend, there are museums everywhere. Some, like the USAF museum in Dayton, Ohio, are huge but there are so many others, like a little out-of-the-way museum I visited a few years ago while driving to Paso Robles, CA. The lone aircraft display was liberally coated with bird droppings, but it was an old cockpit section of a Vickers Viscount. I was allowed to go inside, and it is now the only Viscount I've ever had the thrill to be "in." Visit museums, Sam, and you will find the old aircraft and you'll get the same thrill. Trust me on this.
And Errol ... well, what can I say? I am honored to see your comment. You've been a member for a long time and this is your first comment. I am very grateful that you chose to comment on, and compliment, this pic. And I am very pleased that you enjoyed viewing it. Thank you.

I'm sure all 28 people in that 727 were dressed in ties, and had recently dined on a complete inflight meal enroute to DCA.

What a great pic, you are making this Minneapolis 50-something guy smile. Nice work.

Awesome classic shot!

gary
when I post up old postcards from the 60s-80s I get a lot of stories from older gents about their experiences with Braniff, Northeast, TWA, etc

not only does it bring back memories of those good ol days but I thoroughly enjoy hearing them too

keep up the old pix
youll get 1000s of views as well

hi Gary!!

have a look at my 727 in Frankfurt.

Nice shot!

Awesome shot. I am not that old but I still remember Amerijet and DHL bringing :their 727s to TBPB a few years ago.
Never can forget that earth shaking roar

The 727-100's are better looking than the -200's, in my opinion. Thanks again, Gary! Cheers!!