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97-528: Central Airlines was a local service carrier , a scheduled passenger airline operating in Arkansas , Colorado , Kansas , Missouri , Oklahoma , and Texas from 1949 to 1967. It was founded by Keith Kahle in 1944 to operate charter and fixed base services in Oklahoma, but was not granted an air operator's certificate until 1946 and did not begin scheduled flights until September 15, 1949, just before

194-424: A Purdue University subsidiary, was awarded stopgap certification for a single route, Chicago - Lafayette, Indiana . The route authority was held by feeder airline Turner Airlines , shortly to become Lake Central Airlines , which was slow starting service. PAC flew the route for just over two months in late 1949 and early 1950 until Turner was ready to go. That was the end of Purdue University's brief time operating

291-403: A Central Airlines flight from 1962 to 1968. On inauguration of service in late 1949 and early 1950, Central served the following destinations: According to its July 1, 1967 timetable, Central was serving the following destinations shortly before the merger with Frontier: The timetable states that Central was operating Convair 600s and Douglas DC-3s at this time. Central Airlines operated

388-450: A Federally-certificated scheduled airline, but two years later, Purdue played a role in the fate of Mid-West Airlines , as detailed below. Feeder certificates were initially temporary, subject to renewal every three years. This was not just for show; the CAB declined to renew the certificates of three feeders, Florida Airways in 1949, Mid-West in 1952 and E.W. Wiggins Airways in 1953. The issue

485-409: A clear distinction, visible in financial and operating data, continued to exist between the two types of domestic carriers through the end of the regulated era, reflecting a difference in how the CAB regulated the two types of carriers. In particular, in contrast to trunk carriers, local service airlines received government subsidies throughout the regulated era. But after US airline deregulation in 1979,

582-661: A commuter carrier) to fly propeller aircraft up to 44 seats to expand service in New England. In 1955, the US Congress forced the CAB to make the certificates of these carriers permanent (Public Law 38, enacted May 19, 1955 amending the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938). This was done against the wishes of the CAB; it had made "elaborate promises" to the trunks that local service carriers would never be able to "come into full competitive status". (see "Trunks,

679-425: A feeder network deemed one of the richest. But it was unable to raise funds. The airline proposed a series of launch alternatives the CAB found unacceptable, leading to the CAB revoking the company’s certification in 1950. The CAB awarded most of Parks's routes to a new feeder carrier, Ozark Air Lines, making Ozark the last feeder to be certificated. The CAB awarded the remaining Parks routes to Mid-Continent Airlines ,

776-543: A further 44. Unlike the competing but larger Boeing 727 trijet , which used as many 707 components as possible, the DC-9 was developed as an all-new design. Throughout its development, Douglas had placed considerable emphasis on making the airliner as economic as possible, as well as to facilitate its future growth. The adoption of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofan engine, which had already been developed for

873-462: A gross weight of 69,000 lb (31,300 kg). This design was changed into what would be the initial DC-9 variant. During February 1963, detailed design work commenced. On April 8, 1963, Douglas announced that it would proceed with the DC-9. Shortly thereafter, Delta Air Lines placed the initial order for the DC-9, ordering 15 aircraft along with options for another 15. By January 1965, Douglas had garnered orders for 58 DC-9 as well as options for

970-419: A key factor that contributed to the DC-9 becoming the best selling airliner in the world for a time. By May 1976, the company had delivered 726 aircraft of the DC-9 family, which was more than double the number of its nearest competitor. However, following decades of intense competition between the two airliners, the DC-9 would eventually be overtaken as the world's best selling airliner by Boeing's 737. From

1067-566: A larger wing and a higher MTOW. This was further developed into the third generation, the MD-90 , in the early 1990s, as the body was stretched again, fitted with V2500 high-bypass turbofans, and an updated flight deck. The shorter and final version, the MD-95, was renamed the Boeing 717 after McDonnell Douglas's merger with Boeing in 1997; it is powered by Rolls-Royce BR715 engines. The DC-9 family

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1164-676: A larger wing and more powerful engines for a higher maximum takeoff weight (MTOW); it first flew in August 1966 and entered service in February 1967. The Series 20 has the Series 10 fuselage, more powerful engines, and the Series 30's improved wings; it first flew in September 1968 and entered service in January 1969. The Series 40 was further lengthened by 6 ft (2 m) for 125 passengers, and

1261-484: A maximum weight of 82,000 lb (37,000 kg). The Series 10 was similar in size and configuration to the BAC One-Eleven and featured a T-tail and rear-mounted engines. Power was provided by a pair of 12,500  lbf (56  kN ) JT8D-5 or 14,000 lbf (62 kN) JT8D-7 engines. A total of 137 were built. Delta Air Lines was the initial operator. The Series 10 was produced in two main subvariants,

1358-521: A petition with the CAB to merge with Ozark Air Lines , which would have created one of the largest local service carriers in the United States. Central cited financial difficulties as the reason for seeking a merger. The merged company would use the Ozark name. However, on 9 November 1966, the two airlines announced that merger talks had ended by mutual consent due to financial difficulties. When it

1455-512: A sizable fleet of DC-9s, most of which were over 30 years old at the time. With severe increases in fuel prices in the summer of 2008, Northwest Airlines began retiring its DC-9s, switching to Airbus A319s that are 27% more fuel efficient. As the Northwest/Delta merger progressed, Delta returned several stored DC-9s to service. Delta Air Lines made its last DC-9 commercial flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Atlanta on January 6, 2014, with

1552-408: A small trunk carrier that Delta Air Lines bought in 1972. ANE was initially nationally reported as the first new local service carrier since Ozark in 1950. Initially the CAB regulated ANE as such, but in 1976 ANE was relabeled as something new in the CAB taxonomy, a "regional carrier". The clear intent of the CAB when it certificated ANE was to keep it focused on small New England routes. Oddly, when

1649-560: A tag-line “did you know Allegheny is that big?” Ads noted Allegheny: However, as Table 2 shows, the distinction between trunk airline and local service airline remained obvious all the way to 1978, the last year of the regulated era. Relative to local service carriers, even the smallest trunk airlines flew substantially greater seat-miles and distances and with substantially larger aircraft. These events left eight local service carriers in 1978 as shown in Table 2. As of 2024, American Airlines

1746-403: A trunk carrier, a controversial decision since feeder and trunk airlines were supposed to be separate. Shortly before the CAB's revocation, Parks started service on a single route. After litigation failed to stop the CAB from moving forward, Parks sold itself to Ozark. Since Ozark had no airline operation at the time, Parks essentially became Ozark. In 1949, Purdue Aeronautics Corporation (PAC),

1843-500: A trunk was in 1957, when the CAB allowed Mohawk to compete with American Airlines on the Syracuse-New York City route. Further, some local service carrier routes were assigned to trunks. As previously noted, in 1950, some of the routes originally awarded to Parks Air Lines, a local service carrier, were handed to Mid-Continent Airlines, a trunk, after Parks failed to start operation in a timely manner. And in 1955,

1940-431: A year, sometimes longer, to decide (note the gap between when the CAB launched the cases in 1944 and the publishing of the first case in spring 1946) typically had over a dozen applicants and other participants, public hearings, an initial finding by an examiner, followed by the decision of the full five-member Board. Each case usually certificated one or more new local service carriers and might also allocate longer routes in

2037-463: Is 600 nmi (1,100 km; 690 mi), increasing to 1,450 nmi (2,690 km; 1,670 mi) with full fuel. The aircraft is fitted with a passenger door in the port forward fuselage, and a service door/emergency exit is installed opposite. An airstair installed below the front passenger door was available as an option as was an airstair in the tailcone. This also doubled as an emergency exit. Available with either two or four overwing exits,

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2134-500: Is 81,700 lb (37,100 kg). The Series 14 has a fuel capacity of 3,693 US gallons (with the 907 US gal centre section fuel). The Series 15, certificated on January 21, 1966, is physically identical to the Series 14 but has an increased MTOW of 90,700 lb (41,100 kg). Typical range with 50 passengers and baggage is 950 nautical miles [nmi] (1,760 km; 1,090 mi), increasing to 1,278 nmi (2,367 km; 1,471 mi) at long-range cruise. Range with maximum payload

2231-535: Is a further lengthened version. With a 6 ft 6 in (2 m) longer fuselage, accommodation was up to 125 passengers. The Series 40 was fitted with Pratt & Whitney engines with thrust of 14,500 to 16,000 lbf (64 to 71 kN). A total of 71 were produced. The variant first entered service with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) in March 1968. Its unit cost was US$ 5.2 million (1972) (equivalent to US$ 28.73 million in 2023) . The Series 50

2328-511: Is a result of the rear-mounted engines. The DC-9 series, the first generation of the DC-9 family, includes five members or variants and 10 subvariants, which are the production versions (types). Their designations use the Series (DC-9-) prefix followed by a two-digit numbering with the same first digit and the second digit being a zero for variant names and a nonzero for version/type designations. The first variant, Series 10 (DC-9-10), has four versions (Series 11, Series 12, Series 14 and Series 15);

2425-638: Is derived from the DC-9 family. The ARJ21 is built with manufacturing tooling from the MD-90 Trunkliner program. As a consequence, it has the same fuselage cross-section, nose profile, and tail. The DC-9 was designed for short to medium-haul routes, often to smaller airports with shorter runways and less ground infrastructure than the major airports being served by larger airliners like the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8, where accessibility and short-field characteristics were needed. The DC-9's takeoff weight

2522-427: Is the corporate successor to the following original local service certificates: As of 2024, Delta Air Lines is the corporate successor to the following original local service certificates: As of 2024, United Airlines is the corporate successor to the following original local service certificates: Douglas DC-9-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by

2619-420: The Boeing 727 , enabled Douglas to benefit from the preexisting investment. Pratt & Whitney had long collaborated with Douglas on various projects, thus their engine was a natural choice for the company. In order to reduce the considerable financial burden of its development, Douglas implemented one of the first shared-risk production arrangements for the DC-9, arranging for de Havilland Canada to produce

2716-556: The Douglas Aircraft Company . It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas . Following the introduction of its first jetliner, the high-capacity DC-8 , in 1959, Douglas was interested in producing an aircraft suited to smaller routes. As early as 1958, design studies were conducted; approval for

2813-612: The Federal Aviation Administration , and the US Air Force . The Series 20 has an overall length of 104.4 feet (31.82 m), a fuselage length of 92.1 feet (28.07 m), a passenger-cabin length of 60 feet (18.29 m), and a wingspan of 93.3 feet (28.44 m). The DC-9 Series 20 is powered by the 15,000 lbf (67 kN) thrust JT8D-11 engine. The Series 20 was originally certificated at an MTOW of 94,500 lb (42,900 kg) but this

2910-481: The Sud Aviation Caravelle and produce a licensed version if sufficient orders were forthcoming from airlines. However, none were ever ordered from the company, leading to Douglas returning to its design studies after the co-operation deal expired. In 1962, design studies were underway into what would become the DC-9, known as Model 2086. The first envisioned version seated 63 passengers and had

3007-463: The CAA/CAB could engage in scheduled air transport. Airlines that could show they were flying scheduled service before the passage of the 1938 Act were entitled to certification by grandfathering . 19 domestic passenger airlines were certificated in this way. The 16 of these that continued to operate after World War II were called the trunk carriers or trunk airlines. In many respects, the CAB regulated

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3104-412: The CAB came to create a specific regional certificate for ANE, it found the existing form of ANE's certificate was that of a trunk, not a local service carrier. Local service carriers aspired to be seen as “big” airlines. For instance, in the mid-1970s, Allegheny, the largest of the local service carriers, ran an advertising campaign “It takes a big airline”, comparing itself to the trunks, and it adopted

3201-433: The CAB had received 435 applications by would-be feeder airlines. The Board saw itself obligated by the 1938 Act to expand air service to smaller markets. The Board was not confident feeder service could be provided on a cost-efficient basis by the trunks, therefore the CAB decided to certificate new carriers, with the idea they would become specialists in serving small routes efficiently. By giving them temporary certificates,

3298-541: The CAB permitted a trunk airline to buy a local service carrier, when Continental Air Lines bought Pioneer. So the division between local service carriers and trunks was far from absolute. In 1974, the CAB certificated a new domestic carrier, Air New England (ANE), to placate New England politicians, business groups and citizens who felt they deserved to have a certificated carrier fly small routes in New England (as opposed to relying on unregulated commuter operators). These routes were previously flown by Northeast Airlines ,

3395-539: The CAB threatened to revoke its certificate. At the last minute, the carrier, still grounded, agreed to a takeover by Monarch Air Lines. This turned into a three-way merger with the addition of Challenger Airlines , resulting in the creation of the original Frontier Airlines in 1950 as one of the largest local service carriers, flying small routes from the Mexican to Canadian borders in the mountain states. Parks Air Lines received routes in three CAB cases, leaving it with

3492-650: The CAB was not confident had been properly awarded previously. CAB decisions could be challenged in Federal courts and some feeder certifications were (such as the original case certificating Essair). The CAB did not distribute route authorities to feeders equally. The size of the Parks Air Lines network was over eight times the size of the Florida Airways network, for instance. Among successful applicants, All-American Aviation (later Allegheny Airlines,

3589-417: The DC-9 was largely analogue, with flight controls mainly consisting of various levers, wheels, and knobs. The problem of deep stalling , revealed by the loss of the BAC One-Eleven prototype in 1963, was overcome through various changes, including the introduction of vortilons , small surfaces beneath the wings' leading edges used to control airflow and increase low-speed lift. The need for such features

3686-607: The DC-9, a smaller all-new jetliner, came on April 8, 1963. The DC-9-10 first flew on February 25, 1965, and gained its type certificate on November 23, to enter service with Delta Air Lines on December 8. The DC-9 is powered by two rear-mounted Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofan engines under a T-tail for a cleaner wing aerodynamic. It has a two-person flight deck and built-in airstairs to better suit smaller airports. The Series 10 aircraft are 104 ft (32 m) long for typically 90 coach seats. The Series 30, stretched by 15 ft (4.5 m) to seat 115 in economy, has

3783-521: The DC-9-10 can seat up to a maximum certified exit limit of 109 passengers. Typical all-economy layout is 90 passengers, and 72 passengers in a more typical mixed-class layout with 12 first and 60 economy-class passengers. All versions of the DC-9 are equipped with a tricycle undercarriage, featuring a twin nose unit and twin main units. The Series 20 was designed to satisfy a Scandinavian Airlines request for improved short-field performance by using

3880-468: The Model -51. Some visual cues to distinguish this version from other DC-9 variants include side strakes or fins below the side cockpit windows, spray deflectors on the nose gear, and thrust reversers angled inward 17 degrees as compared to the original configuration. The thrust reverser modification was developed by Air Canada for its earlier aircraft, and adopted by McDonnell Douglas as a standard feature on

3977-399: The Series 14 and 15, although, of the first four aircraft, three were built as Series 11s and one as Series 12. These were later converted to Series 14 standard. No Series 13 was produced. A passenger/cargo version of the aircraft, with a 136-by-81-inch (3.5 by 2.1 m) side cargo door forward of the wing and a reinforced cabin floor, was certificated on March 1, 1967. Cargo versions included

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4074-407: The Series 15MC (minimum change) with folding seats that can be carried in the rear of the aircraft, and the Series 15RC (rapid change) with seats removable on pallets. These differences disappeared over the years as new interiors were installed. The Series 10 was unique in the DC-9 family in not having leading-edge slats. The Series 10 was designed to have short takeoff and landing distances without

4171-491: The Series 30, 40 and 50, has a slightly lower basic fuel capacity than the Series 10 (3,679 US gallons). The Series 30 was produced to counter Boeing's 737 twinjet; 662 were built, about 60% of the total. The -30 entered service with Eastern Airlines in February 1967 with a 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m) fuselage stretch, wingspan increased by just over 3 ft (0.9 m) and full-span leading edge slats , improving takeoff and landing performance. Maximum takeoff weight

4268-587: The Series 31 is the JT8D-7 (14,000 lbf (62 kN) thrust), although it was also available with the -9 and -17 engines. On the Series 32 the JT8D-9 (14,500 lbf (64 kN) thrust) was standard, with the -11 also offered. The Series 33 was offered with the JT8D-9 or -11 (15,000 lbf (67 kN) thrust) engines and the heavyweight -34 with the JT8D-9, -15 (15,000 lbf (67 kN) thrust) or -17 (16,000 lbf (71 kN) thrust) engines. The DC-9-40

4365-454: The aircraft size limit to include those of 30 passengers or fewer, with a payload of less than 7,500 lbs. Such carriers did have to obtain Federal Aviation Administration operational/safety certification but were otherwise able to fly wherever they pleased. The CAB would, on occasion, also exempt commuter operators to operate aircraft larger than the limits. For instance, in 1971, it exempted Executive Airlines and Air New England (at that time

4462-523: The airline merged into Frontier in October 1967, Central routes served 40 cities from Denver, Colorado to Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri and south to Oklahoma City, Tulsa , Dallas and Fort Worth. In 1961 the head office moved to Amon Carter Field (later renamed Greater Southwest International Airport ) in Fort Worth. That same year, Central carried its millionth passenger; in 1962, Central

4559-767: The board for many years. Lamar Muse was president before going to Universal Airlines , Southwest Airlines , and then founding Muse Air . On November 27, 1946, the CAB awarded Central Airlines an operating certificate for commercial service in Oklahoma and Texas. Despite this, flights still had not started in March 1949, and the CAB gave the airline until July 1 of that year to start service or lose its certificate. On 10 August, Kahle announced that Central had purchased eight Beechcraft Bonanzas , and that service would start soon. The airline's inaugural flight finally occurred on 15 September 1949 from Fort Worth to Oklahoma City with intermediate stops in Dallas and Gainesville . By

4656-487: The certificate expired. Central was then headquartered at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Texas . The airline was eventually acquired by and merged into the original Frontier Airlines which continued and expanded its network. Early backers and members of the board of directors included Fort Worth oilman F. Kirk Johnson, former City Councilman R.E. Harding, Jr., Don Earhart, and actor James Stewart ; Stewart remained on

4753-596: The distinction between trunk and local service carriers vanished. The passage of the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 put almost all US commercial air transport under the tight control of a newly formed Federal agency, the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA). In 1940, those regulatory functions passed to another Federal agency, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). With the exception of intrastate airlines , only airlines certificated by

4850-752: The end of its first year of service, Central had carried 8,122 passengers. In November 1950, Central began operating three Douglas DC-3s , and announced that its fleet of eleven Bonanzas would be phased out as more DC-3s were acquired. Convair CV-240s were added in the 1960s; beginning in 1965 the CV-240s were converted to Convair CV-600s , their piston engines being replaced with Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines. In August 1953 Central scheduled flights to 19 airports. Central's 1955 network blanketed Oklahoma and extended to Amarillo, Dallas-Fort Worth, Little Rock and Kansas City; in April 1957 it served 29 airports. When

4947-402: The family members would be: First generation (Series 10, Series 20, Series 30, Series 40, and Series 50), second generation (Series 81, Series 82, Series 83, Series 87, and Series 88), and third generation (Series 90 and Series 95). The Series 10 (DC-9-10) was the smallest family member and the Series 90 (MD-90) was the largest. The original DC-9 series was followed in 1980 by the introduction of

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5044-469: The final DC-9-50 series first flew in 1974, stretched again by 8 ft (2.5 m) for 135 passengers. When deliveries ended in October 1982, 976 had been built. Smaller variants competed with the BAC One-Eleven , Fokker F28 , and Sud Aviation Caravelle , and larger ones with the original Boeing 737 . The original DC-9 was followed by the second generation in 1980, the MD-80 series, a lengthened DC-9-50 with

5141-428: The following: The airline announced it was planning to operate Douglas DC-9-10 jets, but none were delivered before the merger with Frontier. Local service carrier Local service carriers ultimately became substantial carriers in their own right, all such carriers flew jet aircraft by the end of the regulated era (1978). Over time, local service carriers began to compete more directly with trunk carriers. But

5238-522: The high customer demand for the DC-9 made the company attractive for either an acquisition or a merger; Douglas would merge with the American aerospace company McDonnell Aircraft to form McDonnell Douglas in 1967. The DC-9 family is one of the longest-lasting aircraft in production and operation. It was produced on the final assembly line in Long Beach, California , beginning in 1965, and later

5335-508: The high-capacity, long-range DC-8 ( DC stands for Douglas Commercial ). The Model 2067 , a four-engined aircraft sized for medium-range routes was studied in depth, but work on it was abandoned after the proposal did not receive enough interest from airlines. In 1960, Douglas signed a two-year contract with the French aeronautics company Sud Aviation for technical cooperation; under the terms of this contract, Douglas would market and support

5432-456: The increased subsidies for providing local service was also theoretically temporary. The CAB may also not have wanted to risk the progress trunk carriers made in evolving towards subsidy-free operation. Even before it published its local service findings, the CAB launched a series of cases to certificate new feeder carriers across the contiguous United States . The CAB separately certificated "territorial" airlines for Hawaii and Alaska which, at

5529-535: The industry in the interests of the trunk carriers. In November 1943, the CAB certificated Houston -based Essair (later called Pioneer Air Lines ) to fly feeder routes in Texas, the first airline to be certificated to fly domestic passengers since the grandfathering of the trunk carriers. Essair started feeder service on 1 August 1945 on a route from Houston to Amarillo, Texas via many intermediate points. The CAB regarded this as an experiment so Essair's certification

5626-531: The merger. Frontier continued to operate the Convair CV-600s for a time but then retired them in favor of Convair CV-580 turboprops which were the backbone of Frontier's fleet in the late 1960s. Frontier would eventually introduce Boeing 737-200 jet service to smaller cities previously served by Central including Fort Smith, AR ; Joplin, MO ; Lawton, OK ; Manhattan, KS ; Pueblo, CO ; Salina, KS ; and Topeka, KS . In 1986 Frontier Airlines (1950-1986)

5723-431: The more-powerful engines and improved wings of the -30 combined with the shorter fuselage used in the -10. Ten Series 20 aircraft were produced, all as the Model -21. The -21 had slats and stairs at the rear of plane. In 1969, a DC-9 Series 20 at Long Beach was fitted with an Elliott Flight Automation Head-up display by McDonnell Douglas and used for successful three-month-long trials with pilots from various airlines,

5820-458: The next year. Florida Airways and Mid-West went out of business as a result of losing their certificates. The scheduled passenger operations of E.W. Wiggins were part of a larger business and the company is still a going concern as of 2024, operating as a feeder cargo carrier for UPS Airlines and Fedex Express since the 1980s. In 1952, early in the development of feeder airlines, the CAB chose to deregulate airlines flying "small aircraft". This

5917-485: The only airline transport class jet certified to date by the FAA for skydiving operations as of 2006. This is the last and only -21 series still airworthy, and after being out of service for over a decade, it returned to the sky on May 7th, 2024 During the mid 1990s, Northwest Airlines was the largest operator of the type in the world, flying 180 DC-9s. After its acquisition of Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines operated

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6014-407: The onset of its development, the DC-9 had been intended to be available in multiple versions to suit varying customer requirements; the first stretched version, the Series 30, with a longer fuselage and extended wing tips, flew on August 1, 1966, entering service with Eastern Air Lines in 1967. The initial Series 10 was followed by the improved -20 , -30 , and -40 variants. The final DC-9 series

6111-424: The original leading-edge slat design to achieve lower drag . The flight test program proceeded at a rapid pace; the initial Series 10 received airworthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration on November 23, 1965, permitting it to enter service with Delta Air Lines on December 8. Through the DC-9, Douglas had beaten rival company Boeing and their 737 to enter the short-haul jet market,

6208-637: The original DC-9 series. The MD-80 series includes the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-88, and shortest variant, the MD-87. The MD-80 series was further developed into the third generation, the MD-90 series, in the early 1990s. It has yet another fuselage stretch, an electronic flight instrument system (first introduced on the MD-88), and completely new International Aero V2500 high-bypass turbofan engines . In comparison to

6305-454: The original or first generation DC-9 series used the new designation with McDonnell Douglas initials (MD- prefix) followed by the year of development. The first derivative or second generation was the MD-80 series and the second derivative or third generation was the MD-90 series . Together, they formed the DC-9 family of 12 aircraft members (variants), and if the DC-9- designation were retained,

6402-542: The possibility of replacing engines on the DC-9 with the JT8D-109 turbofan, a quieter and more efficient variant of the JT8D. This progressed to the flight-test stage, and tests achieved noise reduction between 8 and 9 decibels depending on the phase of flight. No further aircraft were modified, and the test aircraft was re-equipped with standard JT8D-9s prior to delivery to its airline customer. Two further developments of

6499-492: The predecessor to US Airways ) was unique because it already had CAB-certification. The CAB certificated All American for “pick-up” service in 1940 – All American picked up mail without landing through use of a device to hook mailbags in flight. This certification was de-novo, rather than grandfathered, but valid only for mail and freight. Some applicants failed to launch service at all. In the case of three applicants with unusual business plans, certification eventually expired or

6596-503: The protected class" below). Prior to permanent certificates, the uncertainty of their regulatory status made it impossible for local service carriers to borrow on a long-term basis. Consequently, the carriers were largely equity funded prior to permanent certificates. CAB-regulated airlines interlined with every other carrier (which was done with CAB approval through a subsidiary of the Air Transport Association , at

6693-844: The same region to trunks. For instance, the March 1946 decision in the Service in the Rocky Mountain States Area case (which launched in the summer of 1944) certificated two new feeder lines (soon to adopt the names Monarch Air Lines and Challenger Airlines) splitting local routes across Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, while awarding additional routes in the same region to Western Air Lines and Inland Air Lines , two trunk carriers. Some airlines won routes in multiple cases. Parks Air Lines , for instance, won routes in three. One later case allocated routes only to feeders previously certificated in earlier cases. A cleanup case re-awarded routes to Southern Airways that

6790-528: The second generation of the DC-9 family, the MD-80 series. This was originally called the DC-9-80 (short Series 80 and later stylized Super 80). It was a lengthened DC-9-50 with a higher maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), a larger wing , new main landing gear , and higher fuel capacity. The MD-80 series features a number of variants of the JT8D turbofan engine that had higher thrust ratings than those available on

6887-426: The second variant, Series 20, has one version (Series 21); the third variant, Series 30, has four versions (Series 31, Series 32, Series 33 and Series 34); the fourth variant, Series 40, has one version (Series 41); and the fifth or final variant, Series 50, has one version (Series 51). The original DC-9 (later designated the Series 10) was the smallest DC-9 variant. The -10 was 104.4 ft (31.8 m) long and had

6984-423: The series 50. It was also applied to many earlier DC-9s in the course of regular maintenance. As of May 2024, a total of 30 DC-9 series aircraft remain in service, of which 20 are operated by Aeronaves TSM and two passenger aircraft in service with African Express Airways , and the rest in cargo service. With the existing DC-9 fleet shrinking, modifications do not appear to be likely to occur, especially since

7081-438: The structure associated with the slat is a more efficient torque box than the structure associated with the slotted Krueger. The wing had a six-percent increase in chord, all ahead of the front spar, allowing the 15 percent chord slat to be incorporated. The Series 30 was built in four main sub-variants. The DC-9-30 was offered with a selection of variants of JT8D including the -1, -7, -9, -11, -15. and -17. The most common on

7178-400: The tail-mounted engines was the reduction in foreign object damage from ingested debris from runways and aprons, but with this position, the engines could ingest ice streaming off the wing roots. The third was the absence of engines in underslung pods, which permitted a reduction in fuselage ground clearance, making the airliner more accessible to baggage handlers and passengers. The cockpit of

7275-422: The time the club for all the CAB air carriers). It was normal for passenger itineraries to involve a ticket on more than one airline. No airline offered comprehensive service because the CAB intentionally limited competition. This can be seen in statistics for the local service carrier connections. In 1964, over 40% of passengers on local service carriers were on a ticket connecting to another airline. The CAB saw

7372-568: The time, were territories not states. 14 feeder cases completed during the timeframe 1946–1949, awarding an additional 22 new entities (beyond Pioneer) feeder service certificates covering most of the contiguous United States . These certificates were temporary and conditional. Successful local service applicants had to demonstrate access to the funding they claimed to have, and that a sufficient number of airports had necessary infrastructure (e.g. sufficiently long runways, radios, etc) to handle commercial service. Cases could take well over

7469-444: The trunks as a special category of airline to be particularly protected: Over time, local service carriers did come to compete with trunk carriers to a degree. In permitting local service carriers to enter some trunk routes, the CAB was motivated in significant part by a desire reduce government subsidy paid to local service carriers, a process known as “route strengthening.” The first time a local service carrier went head-to-head with

7566-449: The use of leading-edge high-lift devices. Therefore, the wing design of the Series 10 featured airfoils with extremely high maximum-lift capability to obtain the low stalling speeds necessary for short-field performance. The Series 10 has an overall length of 104.4 feet (31.82 m), a fuselage length of 92.1 feet (28.07 m), a passenger-cabin length of 60 feet (18.29 m), and a wingspan of 89.4 feet (27.25 m). The Series 10

7663-503: The very successful MD-80, relatively few MD-90s were built. The shorter and final variant, the MD-95, was renamed the Boeing 717 after McDonnell Douglas's merger with Boeing in 1997 and before aircraft deliveries began. The fuselage length and wing are very similar to those of the DC-9-30, but much use was made of lighter, modern materials. Power is supplied by two BMW/Rolls-Royce BR715 high-bypass turbofan engines. China's Comac ARJ21

7760-409: The wing at its own financial cost in return for promises on prospective future production orders. The pace of development on the program was rapid. The first DC-9, a production model, flew on February 25, 1965. The second DC-9 flew a few weeks later, with a test fleet of five aircraft flying by July. Several key refinements to the aircraft were made during flight testing, such as the replacement of

7857-511: The wing design makes retrofitting difficult. DC-9s are therefore likely to be further replaced in service by newer airliners such as Boeing 737 , Airbus A320 , Embraer E-Jets , and the Airbus A220 . However one former Scandinavian Airlines DC-9-21 is operated as a skydiving jump platform at Perris Valley Airport in Perris, California . With the steps on the ventral stairs removed, it is

7954-536: Was acquired by and merged into the original Frontier Airlines on October 1, 1967, Central was operating a fleet of Convair CV-600 turboprops as well as sixteen Douglas piston-powered DC-3s. Central was planning to introduce new Douglas DC-9-10 jets with the airline running a print ad in the Official Airline Guide announcing this upcoming DC-9 service; however, the DC-9s were never delivered due to

8051-408: Was economics; the CAB deemed unacceptable the amount of government subsidy required to keep the airlines operating. In the case of Mid-West, another subsidiary of Purdue University bought the carrier in 1951, with a plan to substantially upgrade the airline (e.g. moving from single-engined aircraft to Douglas DC-3s ). The CAB allowed Purdue to buy the airline, but then refused to renew its certificate

8148-517: Was formalized in Part 298 of the Board's economic regulations, which gave blanket authorization for airlines operating an aircraft with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 12,500 lbs or less. Such airlines were originally known as scheduled air taxis, later as commuter airlines or Part 298 carriers. This effectively created a new category of airline underneath the local service carriers. In 1972 the CAB expanded

8245-415: Was increased to 98,000 lb (44,000 kg), eight percent more than on the higher weight Series 14s and 15s. The aircraft's MLW is 95,300 lb (43,200 kg) and MZFW is 84,000 lb (38,000 kg). Typical range with maximum payload is 1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi), increasing to 1,450 nmi (2,690 km; 1,670 mi) with maximum fuel. The Series 20, using the same wing as

8342-440: Was limited to 80,000 lb (36,300 kg) for a two-person flight crew by the then-Federal Aviation Agency regulations at the time. The commercial passenger aircraft have five abreast layout for economy seating that can accommodate 80 to 135 passengers, depending on version and seating arrangement. Turnarounds were simplified by built-in airstairs, including one in the tail, which shortened boarding and deplaning times. The DC-9

8439-404: Was merged into Continental Airlines . In 2010 Continental was merged into United Airlines . Central Airlines received four consecutive National Safety Council aviation safety awards from 1950 to 1953 for operating without a single accident or injury to passengers or crew. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) records indicate that no passenger was ever seriously injured or killed aboard

8536-506: Was offered with the 14,000 lbf (62 kN)-thrust JT8D-1 and JT8D-7. All versions of the DC-9 are equipped with an AlliedSignal (Garrett) GTCP85 APU, located in the aft fuselage. The Series 10, as with all later versions of the DC-9, is equipped with a two-crew analog flightdeck. The Series 14 was originally certificated with an MTOW of 85,700 lb (38,900 kg), but subsequent options offered increases to 86,300 and 90,700 lb (41,100 kg). The aircraft's MLW in all cases

8633-981: Was on a common line with the second generation of the DC-9 family, the MD-80 , with which it shares its line number sequence. Following the delivery of 976 DC-9s and 108 MD-80s, McDonnell Douglas stopped series production of the DC-9 in December 1982. The last member of the DC-9 family, the Boeing 717, was produced until 2006. The DC-9 family was produced in total 2441 units: 976 DC-9s (first generation), 1191 MD-80s (second generation), 116 MD-90s, and 155 Boeing 717s (third generation). This compared to 2,970 Airbus A320s and 5,270 Boeing 737s delivered as of 2006. Studies aimed at further improving DC-9 fuel efficiency , by means of retrofitted wingtips of various types, were undertaken by McDonnell Douglas, but these did not demonstrate significant benefits, especially with existing fleets shrinking. The wing design makes retrofitting difficult. Between 1973 and 1975, McDonnell Douglas studied

8730-403: Was operating six Convairs and eighteen DC-3s, and carrying about 24,000 passengers a month. Like other "local service" airlines regulated by the federal CAB , Central was subsidized; in 1963, its operating revenues of US$ 10.7 million (equivalent to US$ 106 million in 2023) included a US$ 4.5 million federal subsidy (equivalent to US$ 45 million in 2023). On 20 September 1966, Central filed

8827-601: Was originally designed to perform a maximum of 40,000 landings. The DC-9 has two rear-mounted JT8D turbofan engines, relatively small, efficient wings, and a T-tail . The tail-mounted engine design facilitated a clean wing without engine pods, which had numerous advantages. First, the flaps could be longer, unimpeded by pods on the leading edge and engine-blast concerns on the trailing edge. This simplified design improved airflow at low speeds and enabled lower takeoff and approach speeds, thus lowering field length requirements and keeping wing structure light. The second advantage of

8924-451: Was produced between 1965 and 2006 with a total delivery of 2441 units: 976 DC-9s, 1191 MD-80s, 116 MD-90s, and 155 Boeing 717s. As of August 2022, 250 aircraft remain in service: 31 DC-9s (freighter), 116 MD-80s (mainly freighter), and 103 Boeing 717s (passenger), while the MD-90 was retired without freighter conversion. During the late 1950s, Douglas Aircraft studied a short- to medium-range airliner to complement their then-sole jetliner ,

9021-475: Was revoked due to failure to operate: Arizona Airways failed to launch as a feeder carrier but avoided certificate revocation. The airline flew (1946–1948) as an Arizona intrastate airline before winning a feeder certificate for routes in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. But intrastate service exhausted its capital. The airline ceased operating while preparing for feeder service, was unable to raise funding, and

9118-517: Was temporary. The airline would need to renew its certificate in three years. In the meantime, prompted by the Essair certification, the CAB initiated a case, published July 1944, to consider local air service nationally. Politicians, business groups, would-be airlines and others pushed for such airlines, although the CAB and the post office (which at the time subsidized air transport through airmail contracts) were "not enthusiastic." By January 1944,

9215-418: Was the -50 , which first flew in 1974. The DC-9 series, the first generation of the DC-9 family, would become a long term commercial success for the manufacturer. However, early production of the type had come at a higher unit cost than had been anticipated, leading to DC-9s being sold at a loss. The unfavorable early economics of the type negatively impacted Douglas, pushing it into fiscal hardship. However,

9312-434: Was the largest version of the DC-9 to enter airline service. It features an 8 ft 2 in (2.49 m) fuselage stretch and seats up to 139 passengers. It entered revenue service in August 1975 with Eastern Airlines and included a number of detail improvements, a new cabin interior, and more powerful JT8D-15 or -17 engines in the 16,000 and 16,500 lbf (71 and 73 kN) class. McDonnell Douglas delivered 96, all as

9409-544: Was typically 110,000 lb (50,000 kg). Engines for Models -31, -32, -33, and -34 included the P&;W JT8D-7 and JT8D-9 rated at 14,500 lbf (64 kN) of thrust, or JT8D-11 with 15,000 lbf (67 kN). Unlike the Series 10, the Series 30 had leading-edge devices to reduce the landing speeds at higher landing weights; full-span slats reduced approach speeds by six knots despite 5,000 lb greater weight. The slats were lighter than slotted Krueger flaps , since

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