89-471: The Payload Assist Module (PAM) is a modular upper stage designed and built by McDonnell Douglas ( Boeing ), using Thiokol Star-series solid propellant rocket motors. The PAM was used with the Space Shuttle , Delta , and Titan launchers and carried satellites from low Earth orbit to a geostationary transfer orbit or an interplanetary course. The payload was spin stabilized by being mounted on
178-408: A high bypass turbofan , which produced 22,000 lbf (98.5 kN) of thrust. The conversions also includes new nacelles and pylons built by Grumman Aerospace . Maximum takeoff weights remained the same, but there was a slight reduction in payload because of the heavier engines. Modifications to create the -71 was more involved because the -61 did not have the improved wings and relocated engines of
267-628: A swept wing enabled a higher cruising speed and better range. First presented in 1950 as the Model 473-60C , Boeing failed to generate any interest from airlines, yet remained confident that the project was worthwhile and pressed ahead with a prototype, the Boeing 367-80 ("Dash-80"). After spending $ 16 million of its own money to build it, the Dash-80 rolled out on May 15, 1954. During mid-1952, Douglas opted to covertly begin work on definition studies for
356-583: A 273,000 lb (124 t) MTOW ; the DC-8-20 had more powerful JT4A turbojets, for a 276,000 lb (125 t) MTOW. The intercontinental models had more fuel capacity, and had an MTOW of up to 315,000 lb (143 t); it was powered by JT4As for the Series 30, and by Rolls-Royce Conway turbofans for the Series 40. The Pratt & Whitney JT3D powered the later DC-8-50 and Super 60 (DC-8-61, -62, and -63) as well as freighter versions, and reached
445-766: A MTOW of 325,000 lb (147 t). A stretched DC-8 variant was not initially considered, leading some airlines to order the competing Boeing 707 instead. The improved Series 60 was announced in April 1965. The DC-8-61 was stretched by 36 ft (11 m) for 180–220 seats in mixed-class and a MTOW of 325,000 lb (147 t). It first flew on March 14, 1966, was certified on September 2, 1966, and entered service with United Airlines in February 1967. The long-range DC-8-62 followed in April 1967, stretched by 7 ft (2.1 m), could seat up to 189 passengers over 5,200 nautical miles [nmi] (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) with
534-502: A commercial aircraft manufacturer, having received almost 300 orders for its piston-engine DC-6 and its successor, the DC-7, which had yet to fly. The Comet disasters, and the airlines' subsequent lack of interest in jets, seemed to validate the company's decision to remain with propeller -driven aircraft, but its inaction enabled rival manufacturers to take the lead instead. As early as 1949, rival company Boeing had started design work on
623-528: A fully laden aircraft capable of flying from Singapore to Paris , against strong headwinds during mid-winter ; the MD-11 did not have sufficient range for this at the time. Due to the less-than-expected performance figures, Singapore Airlines canceled its order for 20 MD-11s on August 2, 1991, and ordered 20 Airbus A340-300s instead. In 1992, McDonnell Douglas unveiled a study of a double deck jumbo-sized aircraft designated MD-12 . Despite briefly leaving
712-486: A jet-powered transport aircraft. The company's design team examined various arrangements, including some that closely resembled the Comet. By mid-1953, the team had settled on a form similar to the final DC-8; an 80-seat, low-wing aircraft powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines, 30° wing sweep, and an internal cabin diameter of 11 feet (3.35 m) to allow five-abreast seating. The use of podded engines
801-458: A large number of DC-8 early models being available, all used the same basic airframe, differing only in engines, weights and details; in contrast, the rival Boeing 707 range offered several fuselage lengths and two wingspans: the original 144-foot (44 m) 707-120, a 135-foot (41 m) version that sacrificed space to gain longer range, and the stretched 707-320, which at 153 feet (47 m) overall had 10 feet (3.0 m) more cabin space than
890-424: A larger wing for a MTOW up to 350,000 lb (159 t). The DC-8-63 had the long fuselage and the enlarged wing, freighters MTOW reached 355,000 lb (161 t). The DC-8 was produced until 1972 with 556 aircraft built; it was superseded by larger wide-body airliners including Douglas' DC-10 trijet. Noise concerns stimulated demand for a quieter variant; from 1975, Douglas and General Electric offered
979-666: A partnership with St. Louis pharmacy chain Medicare-Glaser Corp. to form Express Scripts to provide drugs for the Sanus HMO. McDonnell Douglas acquired Microdata Corporation in 1983. The division was spun out as a separate company, McDonnell Douglas Information Systems in 1993. The corporation also produced the Sovereign (later M7000) series of systems in the UK, which used the Sovereign operating system developed in
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#17327810363941068-542: A pitch for such a jet with Boeing wings, but nothing came of any of the proposals. In 1999, Boeing completed the spin off of the civilian line of helicopters to form MD Helicopters , which was formerly part of McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems. Starting August 17, 2006, Boeing closed down the Long Beach factory as orders for the C-17 ceased. Some of the company's lasting legacies are non-aviation related. They are
1157-817: A pure jet airliner. Boeing's military arm had experience with large long-range jets, such as the B-47 Stratojet and the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. While producing and supporting these bombers for the United States Air Force (USAF), Boeing had developed a close relationship with the USAF's Strategic Air Command (SAC). The company also supplied the SAC's refueling aircraft, the piston-engined KC-97 Stratofreighters , but these proved to be too slow and low flying to easily work with
1246-403: A result of aging, increasing operating costs and strict noise and emissions regulations, the number of active DC-8s continues to decline, with the youngest airframes passed a half-century of age as of 2024. For domestic use, powered by 13,500 lb (60.5 kN) Pratt & Whitney JT3C -6 turbojets with water injection. First Series 10 DC-8 flew on 30 May 1958. The initial DC-8-11 model had
1335-575: A rotating plate. Originally developed for the Space Shuttle, different versions of the PAM were developed: The PAM-D module, used as the third stage of the Delta II rocket, was the last version in use. As of 2018, no PAM is in active use on any rockets. On January 12, 2001, a PAM-D module re-entered the atmosphere after a "catastrophic orbital decay". The PAM-D stage, which had been used to launch
1424-603: A series of experimental high-speed jet aircraft in the Skyrocket family, with the Skyrocket DB-II being the first aircraft to travel at twice the speed of sound in 1953. Both companies were eager to enter the new missile business, Douglas moving from producing air-to-air rockets and missiles to entire missile systems under the 1956 Nike program and becoming the main contractor of the Skybolt ALBM program and
1513-492: A success, but the Comet was grounded in 1954 after two fatal accidents which were subsequently attributed to rapid metal fatigue failure of the pressure cabin. Various aircraft manufacturers benefited from the findings and experiences gained from the investigation into Comet losses; specifically, Douglas paid significant attention to detail in the design of the DC-8's pressurized cabin. By 1952, Douglas had continued its success as
1602-485: A weight increase to 276,000 pounds (125,190 kg). 33 DC-8-20s were built plus 16 converted DC-8-10s. This model was originally named "DC-8B" but was renamed when the Series 30 was introduced. The first Series 20 DC-8 flew on 29 November 1958 and received FAA certification on 19 January 1960. For intercontinental routes, the three Series 30 variants combined JT4A engines with a one-third increase in fuel capacity and strengthened fuselage and landing gear. The DC-8-31
1691-420: Is to replace the DC-8 with a more capable and fuel-efficient Boeing 777-200ER . The DC-8 was donated to Idaho State University and is preserved at Pocatello Regional Airport . As of October 2015 , the DC-8 had been involved in 146 incidents, including 84 hull-loss accidents , with 2,255 fatalities. The DC-8 has also been involved in 46 hijackings with 2 fatalities. The deadliest incident involving
1780-554: The Advanced Tactical Fighter and Joint Strike Fighter , severely hurt McDonnell Douglas. McDonnell Douglas built only a small wind tunnel test model. At its peak in mid-1990, McDonnell Douglas employed 132,500 people, but dropped to about 87,400 by the end of 1992. In 1991, the MD-11 was not quite a success; ongoing tests of the MD-11 revealed a significant shortfall in the aircraft's performance. An important prospective carrier, Singapore Airlines , required
1869-625: The Airbus A300 , but it never progressed to a prototype. Such an aircraft might have given McDonnell Douglas an early lead in the huge twinjet market that developed in the 1970s, as well as commonality with many of the DC-10's systems. In 1977, the next generation of DC-9 variants, dubbed the "Super 80" (later renamed the MD-80 ) series, was launched. In 1977, the KC-10 Extender became
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#17327810363941958-708: The DC-10 and the MD-80 airliners, the F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter , and the F/A-18 Hornet multirole fighter. The corporation's headquarters were at St. Louis Lambert International Airport , near St. Louis , Missouri . The company was formed from the firms of James Smith McDonnell and Donald Wills Douglas in 1967. Both men were of Scottish ancestry, were graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , and had worked for
2047-610: The GPS satellite 2A-11 in 1993, crashed in the sparsely populated Saudi Arabian desert, where it was positively identified. McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor , formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own merger with Boeing in 1997, it produced well-known commercial and military aircraft, such as
2136-479: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expressed concern about the noise to be expected from the then still-unbuilt DC-8-61, and operators had to agree to operate it from New York at lower weights to reduce noise. By the early 1970s, legislation for aircraft noise standards was being introduced in many countries, and the 60 Series DC-8s were particularly at risk of being banned from major airports. In
2225-548: The Thor ballistic missile program. McDonnell made a number of missiles, including the unusual ADM-20 Quail , as well as experimenting with hypersonic flight, research that enabled it to gain a substantial share of the NASA projects Mercury and Gemini . Douglas also gained contracts from NASA, notably for part of the enormous Saturn V rocket. The two companies were now major employers, but both were having problems. McDonnell
2314-522: The United States Air Force 's (USAF) requirement for a jet-powered aerial refueling tanker . After losing the USAF's tanker competition to the rival Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker in May 1954, Douglas announced in June 1955 its derived jetliner project marketed to civil operators. In October 1955, Pan Am made the first order along with the competing Boeing 707 , and many other airlines soon followed. The first DC-8
2403-466: The -55 were certified in 1961. The DC-8-51, DC-8-52 and DC-8-53 all had 17,000 lb (76.1 kN) JT3D-1 or 18,000 lb (80.6 kN) JT3D-3B engines, varying mainly in their weights: 276,000 pounds (125,200 kg), 300,000 pounds (136,100 kg) and 315,000 pounds (142,900 kg) respectively. The DC-8-55 arrived in June 1964, retaining the JT3D-3B engines but with strengthened structure from
2492-496: The -62 and -63. All three models were certified in 1982 and a total of 110 60-series Super DC-8s were converted by the time the program ended in 1988. DC-8 series 70 conversions were overseen by Cammacorp with CFMI, McDonnell Douglas, and Grumman Aerospace as partners. Cammacorp was disbanded after the last aircraft was converted. As of January 2024 , two DC-8s are in commercial service with Congolese cargo airline Trans Air Cargo . These are DC-8-62s (9S-AJG and 9S-AJO). In
2581-645: The 1970s was a serious shock to the commercial aviation industry. McDonnell Douglas was hit by the economic shift and forced to contract while diversifying into new areas to protect against more downturns. In 1984, McDonnell Douglas expanded into helicopters by purchasing Hughes Helicopters from the Summa Corporation for $ 470 million. Hughes Helicopters was made a subsidiary initially and renamed McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems in August 1984. McDonnell Douglas Helicopters's most successful product
2670-402: The 556 DC-8s made, around 200 were still in commercial service in 2002, including about 25 50-Series, 82 of the stretched 60-Series, and 96 out of the 110 re-engined 70-Series. Most of the surviving DC-8s are now used as freighters. In May 2009, 97 DC-8s were in service following UPS's decision to retire its remaining fleet of 44. In January 2013, an estimated 36 DC-8s were in use worldwide. As
2759-548: The 747, but ultimately the double deck concept would not see the light of day until the Airbus A380 in the 2000s. Following Boeing's 1996 acquisition of Rockwell 's North American division, McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing in August 1997 in a US$ 13 billion stock swap , with Boeing as the surviving company. Boeing introduced a new corporate identity based on the McDonnell Douglas logo, which showed
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2848-562: The CFM56 was up to 23% more fuel-efficient than the JT3D, which reduced operating costs and extended the range. The largest single customer for the Series 70 was United, converting 29 of its Series 61 airliners at a reported cost of $ 400 million. By 2002, of the 1,032 Boeing 707s and 720s manufactured for commercial use, just 80 remained in service – though many of those 707s were converted for USAF use, either in service or for spare parts. Of
2937-506: The Comet remained grounded, the French 90-passenger twin jet Sud Aviation Caravelle prototype had just flown for the first time, and the Boeing 707 was not expected to be available until late 1958. The major airlines were reluctant to commit themselves to the huge financial and technical challenges of jet aircraft; however, none could afford not to buy jets if their competitors did. There
3026-537: The DC-8, a feat that was eased by its fuselage keeping the same dimensions across its length. In April 1965, the company announced belated fuselage stretches for the DC-8 with three new models known as the Super Sixties . The DC-8 program had been in danger of closing with fewer than 300 aircraft sold, but the Super Sixties brought fresh life to it. By the time production of the DC-8 ceased in 1972, 262 of
3115-402: The DC-8. Douglas' refusal to offer different fuselage sizes made it less adaptable and compelled airlines such as Delta and United to look elsewhere for short to medium range types. Delta ordered Convair 880s while United chose the newly developed short-fuselage 707-020. United prevailed on Boeing to rename the new variant the Boeing 720 in case the public thought they were dissatisfied with
3204-530: The DC-8. In 1956, Air India, BOAC , Lufthansa , Qantas , and TWA added over 50 to the 707 order book, while Douglas sold 22 DC-8s to Delta, Swissair, TAI, Trans Canada , and UAT. By the start of 1958, Douglas had sold 133 DC-8s compared to Boeing's 150 707s. Donald Douglas proposed to build and test the DC-8 at Santa Monica Airport , which had been the birthplace of the DC-3 and home to a Douglas plant that employed 44,000 workers during World War II. To accommodate
3293-510: The DC-8. Pan Am never reordered the DC-8 and Douglas gradually lost market share to Boeing. In 1962, DC-8 sales dropped to just 26 aircraft that year, followed by 21 in 1963 and 14 in 1964; many of these later deliveries were of the Jet Trader model rather than the more-prestigious passenger versions. In 1967, Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft , becoming McDonnell Douglas . During the early 1960s, Douglas began considering stretching
3382-616: The McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC). Earlier, McDonnell bought 1.5 million shares of Douglas stock to help its partner meet "immediate financial requirements". The two companies seemed to be a good fit for each other. McDonnell's military contracts provided an instant solution for Douglas' cash flow problems, while the revenue from Douglas' civil contracts would be more than enough for McDonnell to withstand peacetime declines in procurement. McDonnell Douglas retained McDonnell Aircraft's headquarters location at what
3471-472: The Series 70 retrofit, powered by the quieter and more fuel-efficient CFM56 turbofan engine. It largely exited passenger service during the 1980s and 1990s, but some re-engined DC-8s remain in use as freighters. At the end of World War II, Douglas was a dominant North American aircraft producer in the commercial aviation market, only being rivaled by Boeing , releasing the innovative all-metal Model 247 airliner in 1933, and produced prodigious quantities of
3560-673: The Super Sixties had been completed, almost half of all models produced. With the ability to seat 269 passengers, the DC-8 Series 61 and 63 had the largest passenger-carrying capacity available. That remained so until the Boeing 747 arrived in 1970. The DC-8-62 featured a shorter fuselage when compared with the Series 61 and 63, but was capable of nonstop long-range operations. All of the earlier jetliners were relatively noisy by modern standards. Increasing traffic densities and changing public attitudes led to complaints about aircraft noise and moves to introduce restrictions. As early as 1966
3649-483: The U.S, the DC-8 has been retired from commercial service entirely; only one example maintains active registration (with one flying). Samaritan's Purse (a faith-based humanitarian relief organization) has operated a DC-8-72 Combi (acquired from Air Transport International ) since 2015. In 2024, NASA retired N817NA, a DC-8-72 flying laboratory that has supported research in meteorology, oceanography, geography, and various other scientific disciplines since 1986. NASA
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3738-582: The UK and which was not based on Pick , unlike the "Reality" family of systems listed above. Sovereign, largely a Data Entry solution, had a reasonable market in the United States supporting data entry shops. Douglas DC-8 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8 ) is an early long-range narrow-body jetliner designed and produced by the American Douglas Aircraft Company . Work began in 1952 towards
3827-421: The air. Just four months after issuing the tanker requirement, the USAF ordered the first 29 KC-135 Stratotankers from Boeing. Donald Douglas was reportedly shocked by the rapidity of the decision which, he claimed, had been made before the competing companies even had time to complete their bids. He protested to Washington, but without success. Having already started on the DC-8 project, Douglas decided that
3916-636: The aircraft manufacturer Glenn L. Martin Company . Douglas had been chief engineer at Martin before leaving to establish Davis-Douglas Company in early 1920 in Los Angeles. The following year, he bought out his backer and renamed the firm the Douglas Aircraft Company . McDonnell founded J.S. McDonnell & Associates in Milwaukee , Wisconsin, in 1926 to produce a personal aircraft for family use. The economic depression from 1929 ruined his ideas and
4005-403: The best option was to press on than abandon the project. Following consultations with the airlines, several design changes were made, such as the fuselage being widened by 15 inches (38 cm) to permit six-abreast seating, which in turn led to larger wings and tail surfaces being adopted along with a lengthening of the fuselage. The existence of the DC-8 was formally announced on 7 June 1955; at
4094-612: The collapse of the A-12 program led to the layoff of 5,600 employees. The advanced tactical aircraft role vacated by the A-12 debacle would be filled by another McDonnell Douglas program, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet . However the purchasing of aircraft was curtailed as the Cold War came to an abrupt end in the 1990s. This curtailment in military procurements combined with the loss of the contracts for two major projects,
4183-524: The company collapsed. He worked at three companies, joining Glenn Martin Company in 1933. He left Martin in 1938 to try again with his own firm, McDonnell Aircraft Corporation , this time based at Lambert Field , outside St. Louis, Missouri . Douglas Aircraft profited during World War II . The company produced about 10,000 C-47s, a military variant of the Douglas DC-3 , from 1942 to 1945. The workforce swelled to 160,000. Both companies suffered at
4272-440: The company's St. Louis headquarters where he continued sales efforts on the DC-10 and managed the company as a whole as president and chief operating officer through 1971. The DC-10 began production in 1968 with the first deliveries in 1971. As early as 1966 and for decades thereafter, McDonnell Douglas considered building a twin-engined aircraft named the "DC-10 Twin" or DC-X. This would have been an early twinjet similar to
4361-476: The computer systems and companies developed in the company's subsidiary McDonnell Automation Company (McAuto) which was created in the 1950s initially used for numerical control for production starting in 1958 and computer-aided design (CAD) starting in 1959. Its CAD program MicroGDS remains in use with the latest official version 11.3 issued in June 2013. By the 1970s, McAuto had 3,500 employees and $ 170 million worth of computer equipment. This made it one of
4450-479: The contract's termination: the government claimed that the contractors had defaulted on the contract and were not entitled to the final progress payments, while McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics believed that the contract was terminated out of convenience, and thus the money was owed. The case was contested through litigation until a settlement was reached in January 2014. The chaos and financial stress created by
4539-632: The decks of the World War II Essex -class aircraft carriers , the Skyhawk was small, reliable, and tough. Variants of it continued in use in the Navy for almost 50 years, finally serving in large numbers in a two-seat version as a jet trainer. Douglas also made commercial jets, producing the DC-8 in 1958 to compete with the Boeing 707 . McDonnell was also developing jets, but being smaller it
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#17327810363944628-403: The early 1970s, several airlines approached McDonnell Douglas with requests for noise reduction modifications to their DC-8s. While third parties had developed aftermarket hushkits , there was initially no meaningful action taken by Douglas to fulfil these requests and effectively enable the DC-8 to remain in service. Finally, in 1975, General Electric began discussions with major airlines to fit
4717-635: The end of the war, facing an end of government orders and a surplus of aircraft. Douglas continued to develop new aircraft, including the DC-6 in 1946 and the DC-7 in 1953. The company moved into jet propulsion, producing the F3D Skyknight in 1948 and then the more "jet age" F4D Skyray in 1951. In 1955, Douglas introduced the U.S. Navy's first attack jet, the A4D Skyhawk . Designed to operate from
4806-408: The first time, in Series 10 form, on 30 May for two hours and seven minutes with the crew being led by A.G. Heimerdinger. Later that year, an enlarged version of the Comet finally returned to service, but had arrived too late to secure a substantial portion of the market: de Havilland secured just 25 orders. In August, Boeing had begun delivering 707s to Pan Am. Douglas made a massive effort to close
4895-444: The freighter versions and 325,000-pound (147,420 kg) maximum weight. 142 DC-8-50s were built plus the 20 converted from Series 10/30/40. The Series 50 first flew on 20 December 1960 and received FAA certification on 1 May 1961. The DC-8-71, DC-8-72, and DC-8-73 were straightforward conversions of the -61, -62 and -63 primarily involving the replacement of the JT3D engines with the more fuel-efficient CFM International CFM56 -2,
4984-425: The functional setup where engineers with specific expertise in aerodynamics, structural mechanics, materials, and other technical areas worked on several different aircraft. This was replaced by a product-oriented system where they focus on one specific airplane. As part of reorganization, 5,000 managerial and supervisory positions were eliminated at Douglas. The former managers could apply for 2,800 newly created posts;
5073-456: The gap with Boeing, using no fewer than ten aircraft for flight testing to achieve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for the first of the many DC-8 variants in August 1959. Several modifications proved to be necessary: the original air brakes on the lower rear fuselage were found to be ineffective and were deleted as engine thrust reversers had become available; unique leading-edge slots were added to improve low-speed lift;
5162-423: The globe being encircled in tribute to the first aerial circumnavigation which was accomplished in 1924 by Douglas aircraft. It was designed by graphic designer Rick Eiber, who had been the corporate identity consultant for Boeing over ten years. Between 1993 and just after the merger in 1997, McDonnell Douglas performed studies on the feasibility of a twin-engine jet using MD-11 components, and ultimately made
5251-478: The jet airliner project, it believed that the USAF tanker contract would go to two companies for two different aircraft, as several USAF transport contracts in the past had done. In May 1954, the USAF circulated its requirement for 800 jet tankers to Boeing, Douglas, Convair , Fairchild Aircraft , Lockheed Corporation , and Martin Marietta . At the time, Boeing was only two months away from having its prototype in
5340-561: The largest computer processors in the world during this era. In 1981, McAuto acquired Bradford Systems and Administrative Services for $ 11.5 million and began processing medical claims. In 1983, two principals of Bradford who had to come work at McAuto—Joseph T. Lynaugh and Howard L. Waltman —formed the Sanus Corporation, a health maintenance organization that was a wholly owned subsidiary of McDonnell Douglas. In 1986, after McDonnell Douglas reduced its control, Sanus announced
5429-438: The market, the study was perceived as merely a public relations exercise to disguise the fact that MDC was struggling under intense pressure from Boeing and Airbus . It was clear to most in the industry that MDC had neither the resources nor the money to develop such a large aircraft, and the study quickly sank without a trace. A similar double deck concept was used in Boeing's later Ultra-Large Aircraft study intended to replace
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#17327810363945518-581: The matter rested until October 1955, when Pan American World Airways placed simultaneous orders with Boeing for 20 707s and Douglas for 25 DC-8s. To buy one expensive and untried jet-powered aircraft type was brave: to buy both was, at the time, unheard of. In the closing months of 1955, other airlines rushed to follow suit: Air France , American Airlines, Braniff International Airways , Continental Airlines , and Sabena ordered 707s; United Airlines , National Airlines , KLM , Eastern Air Lines , Japan Air Lines , and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) chose
5607-409: The new and vastly-quieter Franco-American CFM56 engine to both DC-8s and 707s. MDC remained reluctant but eventually came on board in the late 1970s and helped develop the Series 70. The Super Seventies proved to be a great success, being roughly 70% quieter than the 60 Series and, at the time of their introduction, the world's quietest four-engined airliner. As well as being quieter and more powerful,
5696-459: The new jet bombers. The B-52, in particular, had to descend from its cruising altitude and then slow almost to its stall speed to refuel from the KC-97. Believing that a requirement for a jet-powered tanker was a certainty, Boeing started work on a new jet aircraft for this role that could be adapted into an airliner. As an airliner, it would have similar seating capacity to the Comet, but the use of
5785-427: The new jet, Douglas asked the city of Santa Monica, California to lengthen the airport's 5,000-foot (1,500-meter) runway. Following complaints by neighboring residents, the city refused, so Douglas moved its airliner production line to Long Beach Airport . In September 1956, production of the first prototype commenced. The first DC-8 N8008D was rolled out of the new Long Beach factory on 9 April 1958 and flew for
5874-528: The original wingtips used on the prototype, and all remaining DC-8 Series 10 aircraft were upgraded to DC-8-12 standard. The DC-8-12 featured the new low-drag wingtips and leading-edge slots , 80 inches long between the engines on each wing and 34 inches long inboard of the inner engines. These unique devices were covered by doors on the upper and lower wing surfaces that opened for low-speed flight and closed for cruise. The maximum weight increased from 265,000 to 273,000 pounds (120,200 to 123,800 kg). This model
5963-497: The prototype was 25 kn (46 km/h) short of its promised cruising speed and a new, slightly larger wingtip had to be developed to reduce drag . Also, a recontoured wing leading edge was later developed to extend the chord 4% and reduce drag at high Mach numbers. On August 21, 1961, a DC-8 broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 (660 mph/1,062 km/h) while in a controlled dive through 41,000 feet (12,497 m) and maintained that speed for 16 seconds. The flight
6052-637: The remaining 2,200 would lose their managerial responsibilities. The reorganization reportedly led to widespread loss of morale at the company and TQMS was nicknamed "Time to Quit and Move to Seattle" by employees referring to the competitor Boeing headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Technical issues, development cost overruns, growing unit costs, and delays led to the termination of the A-12 Avenger II program on January 13, 1991, by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney . Years of litigation would proceed over
6141-557: The rugged four-engined B-17 Flying Fortress and sophisticated, pressurized long-range B-29 Superfortress . Douglas produced a succession of piston-engined aircraft ( DC-2 , DC-3 , DC-4 , DC-5 , DC-6 , and DC-7 ) through the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. While de Havilland flew the world's first jet airliner, the Comet , in May 1949, Douglas initially refrained from developing a jet airliner. De Havilland's pioneering Comet entered airline service in May 1952. Initially, it appeared to be
6230-540: The second McDonnell Douglas transport aircraft to be purchased by the U.S. Air Force, after the C-9 Nightingale/Skytrain II . Through the Cold War , McDonnell Douglas had introduced and manufactured dozens of successful military aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle in 1974 and the F/A-18 Hornet in 1978, as well as other products such as the Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles . The oil crisis of
6319-460: The time of the announcement, the development costs had been forecast to be roughly $ 450 million. Four versions were offered to begin with, all with the same 150-foot-6-inch (45.87 m) long airframe with a 141-foot-1-inch (43.00 m) wingspan, but varying in engines and fuel capacity, and with maximum weights of about 240,000–260,000 lb (109–118 metric tons). Douglas steadfastly refused to offer different fuselage sizes. The maiden flight
6408-433: The time of the merger, Douglas Aircraft was estimated to be less than a year from bankruptcy. Flush with orders, the DC-8 and DC-9 aircraft were 9 to 18 months behind schedule, incurring stiff penalties from the airlines. Lewis was active in DC-10 sales in an intense competition with Lockheed's L-1011 , a rival tri-jet aircraft. In two years, Lewis had the operation back on track and in positive cash flow. He returned to
6497-661: Was a stretched version of the MD-80, powered by International Aero Engines V2500 turbofans, the largest rear-mounted engines ever used on a commercial jet. The MD-95 , a modern regional airliner closely resembling the DC-9-30, was the last McDonnell Douglas designed commercial jet to be produced. On January 13, 1988, McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics won the US Navy Advanced Tactical Aircraft (ATA) contract. The US$ 4.83 billion contract
6586-485: Was accompanied to altitude by a F-104 Starfighter supersonic chase aircraft flown by Chuck Yeager . On September 18, 1959, the DC-8 entered service with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. According to the Delta Air Lines website, the air carrier was the first to operate the DC-8 in scheduled passenger service. By March 1960, Douglas had reached its planned production rate of eight DC-8s per month. Despite
6675-784: Was certified in March 1960 with 16,800 lb (75.2 kN) JT4A-9 engines for 300,000-pound (136,080 kg) maximum takeoff weight. The DC-8-32 was similar but allowed 310,000-pound (140,600 kg) weight. The DC-8-33 of November 1960 substituted 17,500 lb (78.4 kN) JT4A-11 turbojets, a modification to the flap linkage to allow a 1.5° setting for more efficient cruise, stronger landing gear, and 315,000-pound (142,880 kg) maximum weight. Many -31 and -32 DC-8s were upgraded to this standard. A total of 57 DC-8-30s were produced (five of which were later upgraded to DC-8-50 standard). The Series 30 DC-8 first flew on 21 February 1959 and received FAA certification on 1 February 1960. The DC-8-40
6764-480: Was due in early 1961. The DC-8-41 and DC-8-42 had weights of 300,000 and 310,000 pounds (140,000 and 140,000 kg) respectively, the 315,000-pound (142,880 kg) DC-8-43 had the 1.5° flap setting of the -33 and introduced a 4% leading-edge wing extension to reduce drag and increase fuel capacity slightly – the new wing improved range by 8%, lifting capacity by 6,600 lb (3 metric tons), and cruising speed by better than 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). It
6853-405: Was essentially the -30 but with 17,500 lb (78.4 kN) Rolls-Royce Conway 509 turbofan engines for better efficiency, less noise and less smoke. The Conway was an improvement over the turbojets that preceded it, but the Series 40 sold poorly because of the traditional reluctance of U.S. airlines to buy a foreign product and because the still-more-advanced Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan
6942-445: Was in service and proving popular with passengers and airlines: it was faster, quieter, and more comfortable than piston-engined types. Another British rival was the 90-seat Bristol Britannia , and Douglas's main rival in the large airliner market, Lockheed Corporation , had committed to the short to medium range 80–100-seat turboprop Electra , with a launch order from American Airlines for 35 and other orders flowing in. Meanwhile,
7031-621: Was originally named "DC-8A" until the series 30 was introduced. 30 DC-8-10s were built: 23 for United and six for Delta, plus the prototype. By the mid-sixties, United had converted 16 of its 21 surviving aircraft to DC-8-20 standard and the other five to -50s. Delta converted its six to DC-8-50s. The prototype was itself also converted to a DC-8-50. It received FAA certification on 31 August 1958, entering service with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on 18 September 1959. Higher-powered 15,800 lb (70.8 kN) thrust Pratt & Whitney JT4A -3 turbojets (without water injection) allowed
7120-404: Was planned for December 1957, with entry into revenue service in 1959. Aware that the program was lagging behind Boeing, Douglas began a major marketing push to promote its new jetliner. Douglas' previous thinking about the airliner market seemed to be coming true; the transition to turbine power looked likely to be to turboprops rather than turbojets. The pioneering 40–60-seat Vickers Viscount
7209-647: Was prepared to be more radical, building on its successful FH-1 Phantom to become a major supplier to the Navy with the F2H Banshee and F3H Demon ; and producing the F-101 Voodoo for the United States Air Force (USAF). The Korean War -era Banshee and later the F-4 Phantom II produced during the Vietnam War helped push McDonnell into a major military fighter supply role. Douglas created
7298-437: Was primarily a defense contractor, without any significant civilian business. It frequently suffered lean times during downturns in military procurement. Meanwhile, Douglas was strained by the cost of the DC-8 and DC-9 . The two companies began to sound each other out about a merger in 1963. Douglas offered bid invitations from December 1966 and accepted that of McDonnell. The two firms were officially merged on April 28, 1967, as
7387-527: Was rolled out in Long Beach Airport on April 9, 1958, and flew for the first time on May 30. Following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in August 1959, the DC-8 entered service with Delta Air Lines on September 18. Permitting six-abreast seating, the four-engined , low-wing jet aircraft was initially produced in four 151 ft (46 m) long variants. The DC-8-10 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojets, and had
7476-407: Was seen as highly beneficial for maintenance purposes as well as to increase wing volume for accommodating fuel. The fuselage featured a double-bubble cross-section that produced relatively low drag while providing for a relatively spacious passenger cabin along with a large cargo deck that was sufficiently tall as to permit ground crews to stand up within it. While Douglas remained lukewarm about
7565-575: Was the Hughes-designed AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. In 1986, the MD-11 was introduced, an improved and upgraded version of the DC-10. The MD-11 was the most advanced trijet aircraft to be developed. Since 1990 it sold 200 units, but was discontinued in 2001 after the merger with Boeing as it competed with the Boeing 777 . The final commercial aircraft design to be produced by McDonnell Douglas came in 1988. The MD-90
7654-486: Was then known as Lambert–St. Louis International Airport , in Berkeley, Missouri , near St. Louis . James McDonnell became executive chairman and CEO of the merged company, with Donald Douglas Sr. as honorary chairman. In 1967, with the merger of McDonnell and Douglas Aircraft, David S. Lewis , then president of McDonnell Aircraft, was named chairman of what was called the Long Beach, Douglas Aircraft Division. At
7743-614: Was to collect data on a new leading edge design for the wing, and, while doing so, the DC-8 became the first civilian jet – and the first jet airliner – to make a supersonic flight. The aircraft was DC-8-43 registered as CF-CPG , later delivered to Canadian Pacific Air Lines . The aircraft, crewed by Captain William Magruder, First Officer Paul Patten, Flight Engineer Joseph Tomich and Flight Test Engineer Richard Edwards, took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and
7832-691: Was to develop the A-12 Avenger II , a stealth, carrier-based, long-range flying wing attack aircraft that would replace the A-6 Intruder . In January 1989, Robert Hood, Jr was appointed president to lead the Douglas Aircraft Division, replacing retiring President Jim Worsham. McDonnell Douglas then introduced a major reorganization called the Total Quality Management System (TQMS). TQMS ended
7921-469: Was used on all later DC-8s. The first DC-8-40 was delivered in 1960; 32 were built (of which three would eventually be converted to DC-8-50s). The Series 40 DC-8 first flew on 23 July 1959 and received FAA certification on 24 March 1960. The definitive short-fuselage DC-8 came with the same engine that powered the vast majority of 707s, the JT3D . Twenty earlier DC-8s were converted to this standard. All but
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