"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
07/19/2014 at 19:35 • Filed to: airliners, northwest airlines, planelopnik
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"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
07/19/2014 at 19:35 • Filed to: airliners, northwest airlines, planelopnik | 1
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No, I don't mean fly a fighter jet (though there are ways...but that's for another day). I mean the last time you could purchase a ticket to fly on a Douglas DC-9, which served the US Navy in the guise of the C-9 Skytrain II/Nightingale !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! just less than a month ago and still serves the Marine Corps.
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Topshot by "Anthony92931" via Wikipedia, used under Creative Commons License
Northwest Airlines inherited the majority of their DC-9 fleet when they merged with Republic Airlines in the mid-80s, who in turn inherited the fleet from Hughes Airwest in 1980. The DC-9's Pratt & Whitney JT8D jet engines were considered economical and state-of-the-art when new ("new" being in the 1960s) - in fact, arguably the most important jet engine design in the history of civilian aviation, as it equipped many classic early-age jetliners including Boeing's competing 727 and 737. By the 90s and especially into the 21st century, the JT8D's heyday had long expired and most of the American air fleets consigned their DC-9s, 727s and JT8D-powered 737s to the boneyard. Even the JT8D-200s (or "Dash 200s" in short form) which were updated with a new "hi-bypass" section to be more competitive with the newer GE and international designs were no longer cutting it along with the "Mad Dog" MD-80s that were powered by them. Yet Northwest held on to their DC-9s even as they sent away newer aircraft.
From !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! used under Creative Commons License
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The reason why is pretty simple: despite being gas guzzlers post-9/11, the airframes had been long paid off, making them still cheaper to operate than the newer narrow-body airliners Northwest had been leasing at the time. Northwest even consistently updated the interiors, which in their final iteration was modeled after the newer Boeing 717s which were the latest and final variant of the venerable airliner. Sadly, this means they were a great deal more luxurious than what Marines are accustomed to, robbing passengers of the authentic Oooh Rah! experience.
A Delta Air Lines (formerly Northwest) DC-9 shortly before retirement. Photo by "N380MH" on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Post-merger with Delta Air Lines, the DC-9s stuck around for a little while but !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! at the start of the year, January 2014, to make way for newer and more efficient types including Boeing 717s.
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Image from Richard Silagi via Wikipedia, used under GNU Free Document License
Northwest Airlines was a favorite for fliers who appreciated older metal. They also operated "antiquated" DC-10s and 747-200s for years after others had retired them and was one of the last operators of the Convair CV 580, many of which were also inherited from Republic.
Sadly, airliners simply age out of operational usefulness or safety margins, and the days of the "classic" era jetliners are gone. Boeing 717s and 737s may share the same fuselage lines of their progenitors, but the experience is hardly the same. And that's perhaps a good thing, as modern airliners are quieter, safer and more comfortable. But for the nostalgic flier, options are rapidly disappearing.
f86sabre
> No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
07/19/2014 at 19:47 |
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actually, the 717 fuselage is still very similar to the -9. Lots of the same parts.
Viggen
> No, I don't thank you for the fish at all
07/19/2014 at 19:52 |
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Does AA still operate their Mad Dogs?
fuser
> Viggen
08/02/2014 at 17:55 |
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If you mean their MD-80's, yes, they do. They should still be in operation until the end of the year, at least.
Ludovico Scarfiotti
> Viggen
08/03/2014 at 22:01 |
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Yes. I still see them fly into San Jose regularly.
Miguel Pacheco
> Viggen
08/05/2014 at 14:43 |
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just saw one on Sunday at MCO, I honestly thought they'd retired all of them