JJ Skippy
Well-known member
Hello everyone! Welcome to another Livery History thread. Today's thread will focus on the Braniff International 727s, from the original Braniff all the way through the two subsequent iterations that existed following the original's shutdown.
Braniff International (1966-1982)
1 - The End Of The Plain Plane (1966-1972)
In 1966, Braniff took delivery of their first 727. This was also the same year that the iconic End Of The Plain Plane campaign was launched. Also known as Jelly Bean, Braniff's jets were painted with bright and bold colors. Going through all the colors would take me too long, but just know that Braniff had a wide and diverse color palette going for them. Other elements of the livery included a black "BI" logo on the tail, italicized and bolded "BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL" titles, and a black mask over the nose.
Thanks to @Phantom for spotting this difference, as another iteration of the Jelly Bean livery saw the change in the exit door outlines, and also saw the removal of the paint on the rudder. I can’t add another photo to this post due to the image limit, but the changes are demonstrated with the 727-200 picture below.
Braniff would take delivery of their first 727-200 in 1970. N402BN was fortunate enough to get the Jelly Bean treatment before the next iteration of colors was introduced:
2 - Flying Colors (1972-1979)
A new color palette was introduced in the 70s, simply dubbed Flying Colors due to the titles featured on this livery. This livery would take on a two-toned design, still with the bright, beautiful colors that were loved by many.
3 - Calder (1976)
During America's bicentennial, Alexander Calder was called to design a livery celebrating the occasion. Calder had previously designed a bright livery for one of Braniff's DC-8s. The result was an enthusiastic and patriotic paint scheme painted on N408BN, a 727-200 Series. Only this plane would receive this livery.
4 - Ultra (1979-1982)
The original Braniff's final livery would be the Ultra paint scheme, still keeping the fun in Braniff with the unique colors for each plane. More unique colors were added, branching off from the simple reds and blues to the more elegant Perseus Green and Chocolate Brown type colors. The plane shown below was painted in the Perseus Green colors:
In 1981, one 727-200 (N457BN) was given a Dallas Cowboys livery, which is the city's NFL football team. The Cowboys that season would finish 12-4, placing first in the NFC East, winning in the Divisional Round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Both teams had fierce lineups during the 1980s.
On May 12, 1982, Braniff International would stop flying. The name, however would return not long after...
The Other Braniffs (1984-1990, 1991-1992)
5 - Braniff II (1984-1990)
The new Braniff, known as Braniff II by the public, started operations in 1984. The airline would have over 30 727-200s in service before shutting down in 1990.
6 - Braniff III (1991-1992)
Braniff III was given life in July 1991, but quickly ceased operations a year later. Their livery is similar to the Flying Colors era of the 1970s but without the BI logo on the tail:
One 727-200 also received a gold livery, which I have to say is quite unique compared to what we saw before with the original Braniff:
Today, the Braniff company is still in operation. They hold the rights to the airline's copyrights and other intellectual property. I would like to see something like what Braniff did in the 60s and 70s return with the unique colors per plane; it would make plane spotting that much more fun. Hope you enjoyed this read!
Braniff International (1966-1982)
1 - The End Of The Plain Plane (1966-1972)
In 1966, Braniff took delivery of their first 727. This was also the same year that the iconic End Of The Plain Plane campaign was launched. Also known as Jelly Bean, Braniff's jets were painted with bright and bold colors. Going through all the colors would take me too long, but just know that Braniff had a wide and diverse color palette going for them. Other elements of the livery included a black "BI" logo on the tail, italicized and bolded "BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL" titles, and a black mask over the nose.
Thanks to @Phantom for spotting this difference, as another iteration of the Jelly Bean livery saw the change in the exit door outlines, and also saw the removal of the paint on the rudder. I can’t add another photo to this post due to the image limit, but the changes are demonstrated with the 727-200 picture below.
Braniff would take delivery of their first 727-200 in 1970. N402BN was fortunate enough to get the Jelly Bean treatment before the next iteration of colors was introduced:
2 - Flying Colors (1972-1979)
A new color palette was introduced in the 70s, simply dubbed Flying Colors due to the titles featured on this livery. This livery would take on a two-toned design, still with the bright, beautiful colors that were loved by many.
3 - Calder (1976)
During America's bicentennial, Alexander Calder was called to design a livery celebrating the occasion. Calder had previously designed a bright livery for one of Braniff's DC-8s. The result was an enthusiastic and patriotic paint scheme painted on N408BN, a 727-200 Series. Only this plane would receive this livery.
4 - Ultra (1979-1982)
The original Braniff's final livery would be the Ultra paint scheme, still keeping the fun in Braniff with the unique colors for each plane. More unique colors were added, branching off from the simple reds and blues to the more elegant Perseus Green and Chocolate Brown type colors. The plane shown below was painted in the Perseus Green colors:
In 1981, one 727-200 (N457BN) was given a Dallas Cowboys livery, which is the city's NFL football team. The Cowboys that season would finish 12-4, placing first in the NFC East, winning in the Divisional Round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Both teams had fierce lineups during the 1980s.
On May 12, 1982, Braniff International would stop flying. The name, however would return not long after...
The Other Braniffs (1984-1990, 1991-1992)
5 - Braniff II (1984-1990)
The new Braniff, known as Braniff II by the public, started operations in 1984. The airline would have over 30 727-200s in service before shutting down in 1990.
6 - Braniff III (1991-1992)
Braniff III was given life in July 1991, but quickly ceased operations a year later. Their livery is similar to the Flying Colors era of the 1970s but without the BI logo on the tail:
One 727-200 also received a gold livery, which I have to say is quite unique compared to what we saw before with the original Braniff:
Today, the Braniff company is still in operation. They hold the rights to the airline's copyrights and other intellectual property. I would like to see something like what Braniff did in the 60s and 70s return with the unique colors per plane; it would make plane spotting that much more fun. Hope you enjoyed this read!
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