Old airliners still in service

[fdcg27]

We recently flew four segments on some fairly old iron.
The oldest was a 1988 build MD88 while the newest was a 1997 build MD90.
The airline in question, which anyone could guess, does much of its heavy maintenance in house and can even do most of its own engines. Their maintenance operations are very well regarded.
They are the largest operator of the MD90 and 717 (The MD95 as built by Boeing after the merger) and probably the MD80 as well, now that AA has significantly drawn down their once huge MD80 fleet. Funny how DL can make money flying these Douglas twins while AA lost its shirt.
The elderly MD88 was clean and neat inside and out. You would never have guessed its age and I knew it only because I have a habit of looking at the build plates of every aircraft we fly on while boarding.
I thought that it was nice to see an older bird still earning its keep and not sitting in a desert awaiting breaking up.
They were using these old dears pretty intensively as well, with turns quick enough to put WN to shame. Douglas designed this airframe in the pre-McDonnell days for long fatigue life, as the merger partner of this airline proved in the operating lives of its DC-9s.
A trip through ATL is like a trip back in time, with T-tailed Dougs and B757s everywhere. There was even an example of the fast disappearing 747, an ex-Northwest -400.
They used to say that when Northwest retired its last A320 to the desert, the pilots would be flown home on a DC-9.
I guess that we can now say that when Delta retires its last A320 to the desert, the pilots will be flown home on a DC-9 derivative 717.

 

[dparm]

The 717 is actually a decent airliner, despite being older (according to a pilot friend of mine). The rear-mounted engines make for a quieter ride, most noticeably.

I have ridden the 717 a bunch of times when AirTran was still around -- although a bit smaller inside than the 737 which I am more familiar with, it was still a nice ride.

 

[fdcg27]

All of the Douglas twins are decent airliners and all are fairly quiet as long as you can avoid being in one of the rearmost rows.
We flew a lot of legs on the 717 with AirTran, since DAY was a major station for them and their fares were always quite reasonable, although Delta would sometimes beat them for a given trip.
Since the acquisition, aside from farming out the 717s to Delta, Southwest has drawn Dayton down to about nothing.
Interestingly, both departing DAY and returning to it, the only mainline aircraft we saw at any gate were two MD80s, the plane we were on and one from American.
DAY was once a bustling little airport and once even saw widebody service, but those days are long since passed.
Our alternative hometown airport, CVG, is also but a faint shadow of what it once was.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Back when we traveled quite a bit it was not unusual to see planes like the DC3s or old Curtiss (maybe Curtiss Wright?) aircraft shuttling cargo and people around countries in South America. As far as flying on one-no thanks. Given the quality of maintenance on everything else in some of those countries, I'd prefer not to board a very vintage aircraft held together by whatever spare parts the local mechanic could make out of old tin and cardboard.

 

[fdcg27]

There are still DC-3s operating here and there, particularly in the far north of this continent.
It's not that unusual to see an airworthy DC-3. Lord knows that enough of them were built as C-47s.
The significant difference is that an unpressurized aircraft is far easier to maintain over a long service life than is a pressurized one and every pressurized aircraft has its life limited by both hours and cycles.
OTOH, any gas turbine would have to be easier to deal with than the round engines found on the DC-3, although there are turbine engine conversions available for the type (big $$$).
A B747 can do around 130K hours but only a fraction as many cycles while a DC-9 can do around 100K hours and 90K cycles.
I can only imagine how many of each an active DC-3/C-47 might have done, considering that the last one left the factory in 1946.

 

[CT8]

My neighbor retired a few years ago from AA flying a MD he really like flying it. He said they were phasing them out. We went out to lunch a few weeks ago . Guess where we went to eat? Drum roll please ,,,,, the cafe at little plane airport.

 

[Eddie]

DC3s fly very low over my home every spring, dusting for mosquitoes. I do love the sound. Ed

 

[gregk24]

I like the sound of the MD 88/90's. Loud and powerful. We will be flying on an 88,717,757, and an A320 this July.

 

[fdcg27]

Trust me, if you think you like the sound, let Delta assign your seats.
This will guarantee you seats in the back of the Mad Dog as well as the 717 with a nice view of nothing other than engine.
The noise in the back is awesome.
The only problem with the 757 is the amount of time it'll take you to get off of it.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
The elderly MD88 was clean and neat inside and out. You would never have guessed its age and I knew it only because I have a habit of looking at the build plates of every aircraft we fly on while boarding.


The 717 is a very good airplane, quite fuel efficient too with the BR715 engines.

I used to work for an airline that flew a lot of old airplanes, all Douglas. We relocated our original data plates to the inside of the cockpit door and installed new ones in the threshold that omitted the date of manufacture

 

[Andrew1972]

Most of the old planes are loud and rattles galore. Not a fan.

 

[marine65]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
There are still DC-3s operating here and there, particularly in the far north of this continent.
It's not that unusual to see an airworthy DC-3. Lord knows that enough of them were built as C-47s.
The significant difference is that an unpressurized aircraft is far easier to maintain over a long service life than is a pressurized one and every pressurized aircraft has its life limited by both hours and cycles.
OTOH, any gas turbine would have to be easier to deal with than the round engines found on the DC-3, although there are turbine engine conversions available for the type (big $$$).
A B747 can do around 130K hours but only a fraction as many cycles while a DC-9 can do around 100K hours and 90K cycles.
I can only imagine how many of each an active DC-3/C-47 might have done, considering that the last one left the factory in 1946.


I joined the Marine Corps in late 1965.
I had never flown in an Airplane before and was very excited to fly from Newark N.J. to Parris Island S.C.
After arriving at the airport with a number of recruits we were taken out on the tarmac to board our plane.I was really excited as we passed jet liner after jet liner only to be led up the steps into a DC3. I'm not sure what altitude we flew at but the view of the ground was spectacular.

 

[KD0AXS]

On our vacation last year we flew on DL. Our first segment was on one of the brand new B739s, but then an MD-88 and 90 after that. The MDs were definitely nice despite their age. On the MD-90 we would have been stuck in the very last row so we upgraded to Comfort +, which made for a very nice flight.

 

[JHZR2]

I've always liked flying MD89/super80 type aircraft. Maybe it's the 3-2 seating?

I was just in Frankfurt. Saw more 747s than I ever do in the states. Of course I was flying in an A330

I need to fly somewhere top deck in a 747 before they go extinct.

 

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2


I need to fly somewhere top deck in a 747 before they go extinct.


Do it.

I always wanted to, and made a point of doing it one time about 1998, BA business class.
My wife and I had taken a long trip in India, a lot of trains, backpacks, dust, etc. For the leg back Bombay to London, I used some points and scoured the route timetable book (remember those?) for a 747. Oh my, after a few weeks of eating dust and hard touring, what a total way to let go of the effort and exertion. Flying up there was like a luxury private plane compared to other airliners. Absolutely worth the ff points and cash I blew on it.

Do it.

 

[KD0AXS]

Originally Posted By: Or
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


I need to fly somewhere top deck in a 747 before they go extinct.


Do it.

I always wanted to, and made a point of doing it one time about 1998, BA business class.
My wife and I had taken a long trip in India, a lot of trains, backpacks, dust, etc. For the leg back Bombay to London, I used some points and scoured the route timetable book (remember those?) for a 747. Oh my, after a few weeks of eating dust and hard touring, what a total way to let go of the effort and exertion. Flying up there was like a luxury private plane compared to other airliners. Absolutely worth the ff points and cash I blew on it.

Do it.


The last couple years, Delta has been making several trips between ATL and MSP with 747s on the weekend following Thanksgiving. I know there were quite a few people who flew on those flights for no reason other than just to fly on a 747.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
.....
OTOH, any gas turbine would have to be easier to deal with than the round engines found on the DC-3, although there are turbine engine conversions available for the type (big $$$).

.....


During the heady days of Adler Berriman Seal, a.k.a. Barry Seal, before he was murdered by the Medillin (sp?) Cartel, DC-3's with turboprop conversions were a pretty common sight at Mena Intermountain Regional Airport.

At least they were a common sight everytime I flew in there. Usually two or three sitting around outside, with the funky five bladed propellors, IIRC, and always with South American markings. I don't know if they were converting them there ( you could get anything done to an airplane at Mena ), or if they were just taking on or dropping off "cargo". Maybe they just flew in for a burger.

Mr. Reagan was president and of course Mr. Clinton was governor at the time, so, who knows, maybe that interesting bit of history will take on some new relevance in the near future.

Anyway, beautiful airplanes, turboprops and a DC-3 airframe seems like a wonderful combination.

 

[CT8]

The small fire fighting planes had radial engines that could barely get the planes off the ground due to the low octane gas. The fleet had the engines switched over to turbo props and the performance is like day and night. They used to seem like they were going to scrape my roof and now they gain altitude so fast they are almost silent. I do miss the radial engine sound Though.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Originally Posted By: Or
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


I need to fly somewhere top deck in a 747 before they go extinct.


Do it.

I always wanted to, and made a point of doing it one time about 1998, BA business class.
My wife and I had taken a long trip in India, a lot of trains, backpacks, dust, etc. For the leg back Bombay to London, I used some points and scoured the route timetable book (remember those?) for a 747. Oh my, after a few weeks of eating dust and hard touring, what a total way to let go of the effort and exertion. Flying up there was like a luxury private plane compared to other airliners. Absolutely worth the ff points and cash I blew on it.

Do it.


The last couple years, Delta has been making several trips between ATL and MSP with 747s on the weekend following Thanksgiving. I know there were quite a few people who flew on those flights for no reason other than just to fly on a 747.
There is no other reason to fly but to be on a 747.

 

[fdcg27]

Our usual reason for flying is to get somewhere on a schedule.
The 747 is a nice ride to have in your personal log, but then all types are.
I'm happier to have flown the Do328 turboprop during its brief life in service and am trying to look for some reason to fly a 328Jet with Ultimate Air.
I could have made this work economically with a second booking out of CLT for our recent MSY trip, except that UAS doesn't do CLT on Sundays.
Any airliner is a fun add to one's personal experience and there is usually no faster or easier way of getting anywhere far from home.
If one is flying just for the sake of flying, there is no better ride than the left seat of a C172 (or any other simple light single) on a nice CAVU day flying at maybe a thousand feet AGL.