An MD-80 Tribute. Enjoy!

The MD-80 and DC-9 are the trailing edge of technology. The airplane is built "hell for stout". Back when US Airways operated both the 737-200 and the DC-90-30, I heard from a heavy maintenance mechanic that when you stripped the aircraft down in a "D" check they found that the DC-9 was about 10,000 lbs heavier than the B737-200.

Bad news for that was the a additional fuel burn on the DC-9 over its lifetime. The good news was that as a high time air-frame it looked great. Our old B737's were all covered with "scabs", large skin patches covering ground damage. The DC-9's had almost none. The joke was when you drove a tug into a DC-9, you broke the tug. The DC-9 slat extension speed is 280Kt. We used a company speed of 250. first flap extension was also 250. The airplane is built like the proverbial little house.

We had many DC-9 pilots transition from the 9 directly to the Bus. One old guy said, "now I know what it's like to be a dog watching television."
 
Zapphod Beblebrox said:
The MD-80 and DC-9 are the trailing edge of technology. The airplane is built "hell for stout". Back when US Airways operated both the 737-200 and the DC-90-30, I heard from a heavy maintenance mechanic that when you stripped the aircraft down in a "D" check they found that the DC-9 was about 10,000 lbs heavier than the B737-200.

Bad news for that was the a additional fuel burn on the DC-9 over its lifetime. The good news was that as a high time air-frame it looked great. Our old B737's were all covered with "scabs", large skin patches covering ground damage. The DC-9's had almost none. The joke was when you drove a tug into a DC-9, you broke the tug. The DC-9 slat extension speed is 280Kt. We used a company speed of 250. first flap extension was also 250. The airplane is built like the proverbial little house.

We had many DC-9 pilots transition from the 9 directly to the Bus. One old guy said, "now I know what it's like to be a dog watching television."
Click to expand...

The real DC-9 didn't have slats.... But that was back in the day pilots were real pilots
 
When did the MD-80 switch from the DC9 type tail cone to the more aerodynamic one you see in the -88's 90 and 717?
I though it was the result of an airline initiative to save fuel?
 
Nark said:
When did the MD-80 switch from the DC9 type tail cone to the more aerodynamic one you see in the -88's 90 and 717?
I though it was the result of an airline initiative to save fuel?
Click to expand...
The new tail cone showed up when the MD-87 was introduced in the late 80's. It was offered as a retrofit on older airplanes and became standard on later aircraft.
 
L-16B said:
Why does AA call them super 80s? Are they different than other airlines?
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The "Super 80" designation originally came from McDonnel Douglas. I believe the orginal name for the plane was the DC-9 Super 80, or something along those lines. They eventually changed it to the MD-80. There were actually a few airlines who called it the Super 80, although obviously AA is the most well known.
 
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