I worked as an A/P in KBOS for Emery Worldwide for 8 years back some 30 years ago. Worked on every model "8" made. Couple of observations: 1) Built like a truck, flies like a truck, slam it on the ground like a truck, and it keeps right on truckin! 2) The fuel system was leaps and bounds ahead of the 707. Single point fueling,( no more having to fuel each side of the aircraft), and you could supply any engine with fuel from any tank. The -71 and-73 had 10 fuel tanks and could touch any 2 points on the globe. The brakes were "steel", not carbon like today, and weighed a ton. Glad I was doing it when I was much younger. The upper beacon was surface mounted with two oscillating incandescent lamps in it. To change the lamps, we used to throw the first officers escape rope over the fuselage to the L1 door and climb the door hinges pulling ourselves up, then walk the center line back to do the relamp. (OSHA, pffft). Again, I was a much younger guy back then. Still in KBOS, working the 2nd great love of my life, the 757. Hope they stick around long enough to retire on!
Me too, but beware of apprentices leaning on fire bottle discharge cables, as one day working on Number two engine ( Pratt) the bottle discharged, the old fella with me broke the sound barrier getting away from the engine, two apprentices were talking to each other and one leaned on the cables with his arm, WHOOSH very impressive. These were cargo aircraft used by IAS a UK company. Another old timer said come with me and he showed me the flap warning switch operated by a cable, he said it was the same on the DC3, why change it if it works ? The 707 and DC8s were happenings i enjoyed my time on both, even met up with 707s at MAN and did turn rounds, also a DC8 that hit the fin on a parked up aircraft at LGW, the fin made its shape between number 3 and 4 engines flaps, The capt didnt have a type cert, the f/o had 40 hours on Cessna's and the flight eng did a runner and was found waiting at a bus stop, all were africans crew , the aircraft was repaired and flown out. Think the fin hit between 3 and 4 engines that was low ! Now i am retired after 40 years it was great and i have many good memories and of course a few bad ones, such is life. I also saw many many countries and someone else paid for it.
I worked as a Supervisor for Emery at LAX back in 1985-1988 and was responsible for the loading at the ramp. Rosenbaum was operating the DC8s on their certificate as Emery wasn’t a real airline then they just owned the planes. Saw plenty of ex Tiger aircraft working there with the same dirty pictures under the trim knob caps.😎
And the DC-8 didn't ever have slats Probably luckily so, because when it became the first civil aircraft to go supersonic during a test flight on August 21, 1961 the slats probably would have come apart :)
The DC-8 will always hold a special place in my heart as it was my late grandmother’s favorite airplane because of its extremely comfortable first class seats. She was a flight attendant on United Airlines in 1962 when these planes were basically brand new. It is incredible to see some of these game-changers still flying!
The competitor nonetheless. Also incredible how the Super 70s don't look too out of place with the high bypass engines, they really do keep them more up to date.
And the DC-8 didn't ever have slats Probably luckily so, because when it became the first civil aircraft to go supersonic during a test flight on August 21, 1961 the slats probably would have come apart :)
I remember flying on a DC-8 near the tail end of when they were in Delta's fleet. All I remember is that the cabins looked really dated and they reeked of cigarette smoke. I think that was either right before or just after they stopped allowing smoking on domestic flights. The tail said "Fan Jet" on it.
scpatI4now, you've opened up a memory I have of flying on a UAL DC-8 from LAX to SFO one time years ago, maybe 60 years ago! Some half way to SFO the Captain come on the PA system announcing that the funny way you're all breathing now, jerky on inhaling and exhaling is caused by the air pressure-ization control outflow valve was misbehaving because they would get smoking tars etc. gumming up the works. We can go back to LAX for another plane but since we're almost half way there, if there are no objections we'll continue on, it'd be about the same either way..A loud 'keep going' was heard and we went on. When C. Everet Koop, the Surgeon General made the speech that it has been found that cigarette smoking causes cancer, coupled with my previous experience on a plane acting up because of cigarette smoke, I decided to quit my 2 packs of Pall-Malls a day habit. 34 years later my cardiologist told me that had I not quit then I'd not be telling the tale then or now some 60 years later!!!! $$$ as well! JFM
Indeed, I had a friends dad who smoked Red Pall-Malls; man those are harsh to breathe in as second hand smoke.. Suffice it to say, he is no longer with us.. @@scpatl4now
Love the DC-8! As a kid we flew on a United DC-8 from San Diego to Hawaii. After we leveled out I was invited up into the cockpit and got to spend some time with the pilots, That was a pretty cool thing to do as a kid!
I was stationed at Yokota Air Base in Japan back then. Worked part time for the MAC charter airlines. I remember TIA as well as others that operated the DC8 on those trips. Glad you you made it home.
Thank you! we arrived at Yokota AB around 6 AM after a Post midnight departure from TSN! Arriving over the coast of Japan was a gorgeous sight! It was snowing lightly! @@flyerbob124
She came around that corner like a ship of the line in full sail. On top of this being a rare DC8, I imagine only a few of us will ever see a plane with a NASA logo! Great work, as always Alex.
such a treat to see one of the last of the 1st gen jets in operation. the DC8,s most important models were the super 60 series! more than half dc 8 sold were from the 60 series. filled an important Nitch till the 747 arrived
There was a Convair 990 available and a perfect candidate for a museum restoration. But, no Deep Pockets wanted to restore so, it's gone. I think NASA's 990 is in the Air and Space Museum but, it's not configured as an airliner to represent it in its commercial heyday.
@@BlackPill-pu4vi Are you talking about the 990 that sat in storage in the Mojave desert that was later flown back east? (video still on YT as of three months ago) I heard at the time it was going to be cut up and I thought such a waste. My stomach just turned. It had all the seats and stuff in it so I hear.
@@muffs55mercury61 Yes. What made the 990's scrapping tragic was that it had all the interior stuff, as you said. It would have been a true museum piece. Sadly, a LOT of America's industrial marvels have been lost to the scrappers and for the most trifling of reasons i.e. it was cheaper to scrap it or a perverse desire to remove any artifact of the time when America was an industrial powerhouse. I wouldn't save something that was made in quantity and simply outlived its usefulness. I'm talking about the one-offs and small production marvels that were groundbreaking feats of engineering. I don't know if you are familiar with the gigantic open pit mining machines but, THOSE were epic feats of engineering. Big Muskie (dragline) and The Silver Spade (shovel) were truly massive earth movers and both were lost to the scrappers. EVEN THOUGH there was a public outcry to save them.
I used to work on those ole DC-8s back in the 60s and 70s at the UAL Maintenance Operational Center near the SFO airport. Boy, those were the days. Good ole airplanes.
Great video shots, high quality! The very first time I flew on a long-haul jet was on a DC8. It was in 1975 on a very long flight from Paris CDG to Papeete (Tahiti). The range of this aircraft was inferior to today's planes, since we had to makde two refuelling stops: Montreal (Mirabel at the time -YMX-) and LAX. A very long flight of over twenty hours, but that was a great memory! I made this trip 3 times with this aircraft.
The first jet I ever flew on was a DC8. We sat in the no smoking section, lol. During the flight I walked up to the front and watched the pilots. It was not unusual for the door to be left open. Thanks for sharing Alex!
The DC-8 60 series aircraft have always been my favorite, from which the 70 series evolved with higher bypass engines. A military chartered DC-8-63 brought me home from SE Asia and it will always be special for me. That flight originated at Yokota AFB outside Toyko, Japan and planned a non-stop, great circle route flight to Travis AFB just northeast of San Francisco, CA. The temperature at takeoff and during the initial climb was so high, that we burned more fuel than calculated and landed short in Seattle to take on fuel. Of course, we had military members who like me were coming home but also lived in the Seattle area who were crushed that they couldn't deplane there. If that were allowed, a gate would have had to be accessed and we would have all had to deplane and clear customs in Seattle which was not the plan or paid for on this flight. When we arrived at Travis, the fog was in. It was midnight, cold and quiet. Hardly the reception given to those arriving home in more recent times, but I was home and happy to be there.
SE Asia is the middle East, correct? And the charter flight you were on reminded me of an arrow air dc8 that departed from cario, Egypt to Kentucky which crashed in gander, Newfoundland, Canada back in 1985 aka arrow air flight 1285r
Fantastic to see the DC-8 flying and brought back some wonderful memories of plane spotting at LHR on the Queens building as a lad during school holidays in the early seventies. THANKS.
I flew Sydney - Amsterdam and back on DC8 in 1971, at the age of 6.. The route was Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, Karachi, Rome, Zurich, Amsterdam.... a bloody long trip for a 6 year old to endure... I think it was over 36 hours!
I used to see a UPS Diesel-8 flying cargo out of STL periodically when they were still using it. That was at least 15 years ago, and even then it wasn't getting much flight time. Neat old bird.
The DC-8 pilots are so lucky to be able to fly that big bird. Nice to see it in the air where it should be & not stuck in some museum never to fly again. I hear a few are still flying as freighters.
I flew numerous times on Air Canada DC-8s in the 70s visting my parents' brothers and sisters/relatives in Germany and an epic ski trip to Switzerland eh! My Dad was an AC DC-8 Meister aircraft Mechanic :)
Loved the DC-8- 40 series with the lounge and bar! Flew it a lot with family; my dad worked TCA Air Canada. I have a couple of inaugural DC-8 Jetliner wine glasses. My favourite aircraft, still.
I was on the last Air Canada DC-8 passenger flight in 1981; well that's what the captain told us. Vancouver to Toronto overnight. It was a stretched Super DC-8. I was in row 32 and it took so long to get off I missed my connecting flight to London (ontario, not UK). When we arrived in Toronto the captain said " You may have noticed we are circling around here. We had a strong tailwind overnight and we're a little early so we are going to circle until someone down there answers the phone".
Great video Alex! Really cool to see the DC-8 in this day and age. Really interesting, too, that it gets the “heavy” designation from ATC. I assume it’s because of the wake turbulence that it creates.
Hi, i checked the MTOW and i was quite shocked didnt know the later DC8 were such heavy Planes, the MTOW is over 150t and the Freighter Version has more than 37!!! tons more MTOW than the 757-200 which has quite similar lenght and fuselage width, also with the Upgraded Engines they have nearly 400 kn of total Thrust!
@@codenameviper7905 What's interesting is the upgraded -72 maximum payload is smaller than the 737 MAX 10 and the seat count is substantially smaller. The DC-8-72 is still about 12 feet longer, has a much larger wingspan and its MTOW is much higher, and almost all of that is due to fuel. In -72 form, the DC-8 has 777-200 equivalent range (~5300 NMI). I'd guess that for many of the experiments being performed by that aircraft, mission duration and range is probably pretty important. Which would explain why it's being replaced by a 777, since even the most basic versions of that aircraft can provide equivalent, or in the case of the 300 and ER variants, much greater range while also carrying a considerably more equipment. Hopefully this DC-8 gets a spot at an air & space museum, as the DC-8 was an important airplane.
I worked for Flying Tigers back in the 70s and early 80s when we operated a fleet of DC8-63 aircraft. By far the DC 8 is my favorite airliner. It could haul more than a 707 and was a pleasure to work on.
@@yonatan62 Art Vance and I worked for a great airline that was small enough that all the employees no mater what they did were family. I’m still a member of our Flying Tiger alumni club which meets twice a year. Our pilots and Flight Attendants also have a alumni group that is very active.
My last two flights on the DC-8-72 were LAS-ORD & OGG-LAX. I was in TUL when the DC-8 fleet was being reengined but had no direct involvement. It was amazing the tests that the aircraft went through after the changeover was made. Captain from McDonald Douglas Was Phil Battaglia, a true airman and gentleman.
We had this same DC8 flying very low over the Toronto area for days this summer. 1500' over the city. Very rare to see a large jet that low and even rarer to be a DC8!
Thank you for sharing a beautiful aircraft of the DC-8-72. Having family live by one the approaches with JFK, I remember back in the 1970s seeing beautiful DC-8s flying. it was really nice seeing them fly by with Braniff Airlines using them. So nice!!
If I remember correctly, I believe the DC-8 is the first and only 4 engine conventional jetliner purposely flown faster than the speed of sound. It went something like mach 1.01 or 1.02. Source Wikipedia. Douglas DC-8: “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 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.[29] 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 was accompanied to altitude by a F-104 Starfighter supersonic chase aircraft flown by Chuck Yeager.[30]”
I was 23 when this plane started flying, a KLM DC-8 brought me to Montreal in 1974. I am celebrating my 50 years in my adopted country, which has been very good to me. Weird to see a DC-8 that aged better than I did, ouch. Thanks Alex, what a wonderful memory. I was lucky, flew on many different DC 8 types.
The organization Operations War Child / Sumaritans Purse operated a DC-8 for various aid missions including the Flying Eye "Operating Room" mission to Mongolia to help give sight. Many cataracts were removed. Not sure if its still flying...
DC-8 beautiful Airplanes I few with CP Air From.Auckland to Vancouver, with stops in Fiji and Hawaii enroute . Great Flight wonderful.service a real party all the way ! We were heading to Calgary, along with many on the Fight , going to the Galgary Stampede Best Time ever !
@@grandcrappy Seeing the engines this time made me wonder about range, which was the Achilles heel of that example in its heyday. That's assuming the cruising speed is at least the same, which you know was its most accessible selling point.
Got to see the NASA DC-8, 737-10 MAX, and a T-28 jet flying side by side over Spokane Washington, a couple of weeks ago. Actually got a few photos when they were up there.
love the sound of those retrofitted DC-8. The UPS fleet used to fly over my house in Long Beach every day at 7:42 pm back in the 90s. I always heard it coming, could even here them leaving the runway! Such A distinct lovely sounding Airplane!
Awesome video.The DC-8 is a personal favourite of mine.Nice to see one of these still flying.I have two models of this NASA example, early N818NA and this one N818NA,both actually the same aircraft. Nice job Alex❤️👍
Thanks Alex for this souvenir. I flew on one from Montreal to Victoria, but made a stop in Vancouver. Can you imagine the altitude it flew from Vancouver to Victoria.....4000 feet.
I remember as a child flying Air Canada from YYZ to YEG on a DC-8 63 I believe, usually the 727-200 was the equipment of choice for that route. I was very intrigued by the aircraft, but to my dismay as a child, the window spacing made it so that I did not have a clear view from my seat.
The NASA DC-8 dis several fly bys here over Los Angeles and Santa Monica and a low pass at Santa Monica Airport about a month ago as part of this emissions program. It was amazing to see it!!
I flew from Port au Prince to New York in 1970 with a DC8 in a snowstorm, it landed like a brick and stopped at the bottom of the runway with difficulty. Golden times for jet aviation, I also traveled with the DC707 and the legendary Caravelle!
7:48 you can clearly see the cabin air turbo compressors intakes under the nose on final approach. Most DC-8's over the years had those removed and covered over with engine upgrades. I was wondering why NASA's DC-8 hadn't that done, then realized they are probably using them for sensor probes and such.
The old T/C inlets were right above and below the inlets you see there. Those inlets still on there are for the in-flt intake cooling air used on the primary and secondary ACM heat exchangers. The controllable exhaust outlets are back on the sides above the nose gear trunnions and use manual cockpit controlled flaps/gills. The ground cooling air is inducted by large electric fans thru the two downward-facing inlets visible above the nose landing lights. The fans turn off and these doors close on grnd. shift when the nose gear strut extends on takeoff. No more screaming T/Cs with all the thumping and banging on decent on these ACM modded airplanes. You could throw snow in the cockpit with those, as they worked so well. And not to mention, no more deafening pneumatically driven freon compressors that never worked, anyway. After years of service, they finally gave some of those planes the practicality they needed to soldier on for another few decades.
Alex, You really made smile, maybe with a tear as well with thos pictures of NASA's DC-8, in flight yet. 817 was at the Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in (now called AirVenture) a few years back, as another 8 formerly of UAL then the one used as a flying eye surgery teaching plane worldwide many years previous to that. Working for UAL in aircraft maintenance office at ORD late '59 on for 7 years I was simply amazed at that plane. Several business trips, and employee passes sealed my admiration for it. Thanks again for your pix, mind if I keep a couple?
Been following for a long time. Your videos are awesome. I hope I am not alone in asking thatr you show us some of your camera gear, and how you choose these wonderful perspectives from a distance... It could assist many a plane-spotter
The NASA DC8 is called Galileo II. It replaced the even rarer Galileo which was a Conair 990 which crashed when it hit a P3 Orion while on landing approach to Moffett Field NAS / Ames Research Center. Only one person survived, a P3 crew member.
I flew on DC-8's in 1984 - JFK-Shannon, Ireland-JFK on a charter flight operated by Transamerica Airlines. To me they were far better than the 707 and with the updated engines, much quieter. I always thought they were a good looking plane, especially in the 'stretched' versions. They, like other Douglas aircraft were 'overbuilt', made to take hard use, explaining in part some in use 40-50+ years after being made. Perhaps the A-340 although a widebody aircraft is a spiritual successor (and also disappearing). DC-8's became a mainstay of freighter use, including UPS and DHL.
Well, let me start by saying, my father worked for Douglas Aircraft,Company starting in the the late 40s until 1973, when HE WORKED FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE MAJOR SUB CONTRACTING WHEN IT WAS McDONNEL DOUGLAS. 2, THINGS. WHEN I WAS A YOUNGER I SAW MANY DC-8s on the flight line at Douglas. I, also had the opportunity to fly in one from Portland Oregon to LAX IN 1973. IT WAS A FANTASTIC AIRPLANE. I, ALSO WORKED FOR MCDONNEL DOUGLAS IN THE MID 80s until 1992, working for External Transportation, supporting the MD-11& C-17. BEST PLACE I EVER WORKED FOR.
Bloody awesome video Alex. Interesting that they plan on replacing it with the 777 The dc8-72 was the original longest range airliner. Set a record of about 8000nm back in the day
I think the DC-8 is the prettiest of all commercial jetliners. When I worked aircraft maintenance for AA, I used to travel to the terminal at Tulsa International and many times a UPS Dc-8 would be setting there. Long and sleek.
22K lbs. thr. / eng. versus 18K, or 19K lbs. thr. /eng. with the low-bypass PWs. And ~14-17% reduction in fuel burn. Noise and emissions much lower, as well.
Landed in Gander on a Worldways Canada DC 8-63 years ago for refuelling from strong headwinds coming across the Atlantic. We landed passing over the wreckage of the Arrow Air flight which had crashed there about a week earlier. They were still looking through the wreckage as I could clearly see them on our final.
That ultra-long model was the later (late 1960s, early 1970s) Super 60s and 70s series (61, 63, 71, 73). The 62 and 72, like the one here, were anomalies, a much more modest stretch from the earlier, more prolific "regular bodied" (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) series, and closer to Boeing's most prolific 707-300 series. To me, the -62 and -72 were the ultimate DC-8s - combo of capability and utility. Not too big, not too small, just right... and with these engines the -72 especially the real hot rods of the DC-8 family. My first flight was on a -20 series United "Jet Mainliner," in 1962, still with the old low bypass turbo jet engines, but just about the time when the 8s started to be equipped with the new turbo fans they sported until the high bypass CFM56s on the DC-8-70 Series - same family of engines used on most jetliners to this day. This NASA 72 is the configuration the 707 would have been and was under serious consideration, with the same engines, if Boeing had not already committed to a brand new two engine scheme, and is essentially what the Air Force's KC-135 tankers have been retrofitted to. So, if you want to see what a "modern" 707 would have looked like at least at a glance, look at (most of) the recent decade's 135s.
Hey there and thanks for the video. Original was the DC-8 equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines (SAS Version which I did work on) These engines are GE type something. And the red anticollision lights have changes too - from Grimes Tandemlights to Blitz nowadays. Sad, But It was a pretty looking airplan like the DC-9 läter on -82 and more
I do say that the DC-8 was my favorite jet airliner. It was roomier than the 707-300 series, and when McDonnell Douglas stretched the DC-8 to the Super DC-8s, I liked those too, because there was never a change in the comfort of the cabin. I was aboard the DC-8-51 (with the original fuselage length) the Super DC-8-61 and the upgraded DC-8-70 series with GE CFM-56 engines made the Super DC-8's the most fuel-efficient aircraft for a plane that was stretched 36 feet from the original DC-8.
I remember flying a Capitol Airways DC8 coming home from Germany and later a TIA DC8 from Travis to Hickam in my younger years. Years later I flew on one of the last ever flights of a US passenger DC8 from Honolulu to Pago Pago.
I live in port angeles and I look quite often what is fly and me. and I just seen this flying on the radar today and then found this video. crazy. thxs for the video😊
I worked as an A/P in KBOS for Emery Worldwide for 8 years back some 30 years ago. Worked on every model "8" made. Couple of observations: 1) Built like a truck, flies like a truck, slam it on the ground like a truck, and it keeps right on truckin! 2) The fuel system was leaps and bounds ahead of the 707. Single point fueling,( no more having to fuel each side of the aircraft), and you could supply any engine with fuel from any tank. The -71 and-73 had 10 fuel tanks and could touch any 2 points on the globe. The brakes were "steel", not carbon like today, and weighed a ton. Glad I was doing it when I was much younger. The upper beacon was surface mounted with two oscillating incandescent lamps in it. To change the lamps, we used to throw the first officers escape rope over the fuselage to the L1 door and climb the door hinges pulling ourselves up, then walk the center line back to do the relamp. (OSHA, pffft). Again, I was a much younger guy back then. Still in KBOS, working the 2nd great love of my life, the 757. Hope they stick around long enough to retire on!
Yessirree. Hats off to you, really! You've been there and done it!!
@@davef.2329
Unfortunately, STILL doing it. Getting older and feeling it. Thanks for reading my comment.
Me too, but beware of apprentices leaning on fire bottle discharge cables, as one day working on Number two engine ( Pratt) the bottle discharged, the old fella with me broke the sound barrier getting away from the engine, two apprentices were talking to each other and one leaned on the cables with his arm, WHOOSH very impressive. These were cargo aircraft used by IAS a UK company.
Another old timer said come with me and he showed me the flap warning switch operated by a cable, he said it was the same on the DC3, why change it if it works ?
The 707 and DC8s were happenings i enjoyed my time on both, even met up with 707s at MAN and did turn rounds, also a DC8 that hit the fin on a parked up aircraft at LGW, the fin made its shape between number 3 and 4 engines flaps, The capt didnt have a type cert, the f/o had 40 hours on Cessna's and the flight eng did a runner and was found waiting at a bus stop, all were africans crew , the aircraft was repaired and flown out. Think the fin hit between 3 and 4 engines that was low !
Now i am retired after 40 years it was great and i have many good memories and of course a few bad ones, such is life. I also saw many many countries and someone else paid for it.
@@robertkeaney7047 Not on DC-8s, though? Europe, Africa?
I worked as a Supervisor for Emery at LAX back in 1985-1988 and was responsible for the loading at the ramp. Rosenbaum was operating the DC8s on their certificate as Emery wasn’t a real airline then they just owned the planes. Saw plenty of ex Tiger aircraft working there with the same dirty pictures under the trim knob caps.😎
I flew the DC-8-71/73 for 11 years. One of the most difficult airplanes I have ever flown and I loved every minute of it. LOL
And the DC-8 didn't ever have slats
Probably luckily so, because when it became the first civil aircraft to go supersonic during a test flight on August 21, 1961 the slats probably would have come apart :)
Lucky you 😅❤ !
The DC-8 will always hold a special place in my heart as it was my late grandmother’s favorite airplane because of its extremely comfortable first class seats. She was a flight attendant on United Airlines in 1962 when these planes were basically brand new. It is incredible to see some of these game-changers still flying!
I love the DC-8's aircon nostrils! Funny how the 737 max 10 is based on an airframe of the same era as the DC-8.
The competitor nonetheless.
Also incredible how the Super 70s don't look too out of place with the high bypass engines, they really do keep them more up to date.
@@Kalvinjj Agreed, what’s more, those updated high bypass engines are GE CFM56, so they’re the predecessors to the LEAP-1B used on the 737 MAX!
I guess I am old fashioned but I love the DC-8❤
@@sheilasembly-crum8447 A fantastic aeroplane IMO!
And the DC-8 didn't ever have slats
Probably luckily so, because when it became the first civil aircraft to go supersonic during a test flight on August 21, 1961 the slats probably would have come apart :)
I remember flying on a DC-8 near the tail end of when they were in Delta's fleet. All I remember is that the cabins looked really dated and they reeked of cigarette smoke. I think that was either right before or just after they stopped allowing smoking on domestic flights. The tail said "Fan Jet" on it.
Me too from Las Angeles to JFK on Capital air. Might have been a 707 but i will check
scpatI4now, you've opened up a memory I have of flying on a UAL DC-8 from LAX to SFO one time years ago, maybe 60 years ago! Some half way to SFO the Captain come on the PA system announcing that the funny way you're all breathing now, jerky on inhaling and exhaling is caused by the air pressure-ization control outflow valve was misbehaving because they would get smoking tars etc. gumming up the works. We can go back to LAX for another plane but since we're almost half way there, if there are no objections we'll continue on, it'd be about the same either way..A loud 'keep going' was heard and we went on. When C. Everet Koop, the Surgeon General made the speech that it has been found that cigarette smoking causes cancer, coupled with my previous experience on a plane acting up because of cigarette smoke, I decided to quit my 2 packs of Pall-Malls a day habit. 34 years later my cardiologist told me that had I not quit then I'd not be telling the tale then or now some 60 years later!!!! $$$ as well! JFM
@jamesmartin6546 Pall-Malls! My Aunt smoked those. That's pretty hard core...lol
Indeed, I had a friends dad who smoked Red Pall-Malls; man those are harsh to breathe in as second hand smoke.. Suffice it to say, he is no longer with us.. @@scpatl4now
I would love to smoke on a plane today
Love the DC-8! As a kid we flew on a United DC-8 from San Diego to Hawaii.
After we leveled out I was invited up into the cockpit and got to spend some time with the pilots, That was a pretty cool thing to do as a kid!
I returned home from Viet Nam on a TIA DC-8! Still the happiest flight I ever took!
I was stationed at Yokota Air Base in Japan back then. Worked part time for the MAC charter airlines. I remember TIA as well as others that operated the DC8 on those trips. Glad you you made it home.
Thank you! we arrived at Yokota AB around 6 AM after a Post midnight departure from TSN! Arriving over the coast of Japan was a gorgeous sight! It was snowing lightly! @@flyerbob124
@@Suncast45 yea I’ll bet seeing Japan out the window was a great site. Was always glad to see a home bound flight land and take off for Alaska.
Maybe why I loved that plane as a kid. It just struck me as it was cool thin long with huge wings , and it brought our soldiers home
I can remember when DC-8's in airline service. They were beautiful aircraft. This video was such a treat for me to see. Reminds me of my childhood.
It was pretty, but they DC-8s were a bear to fly. The "stretch" version was especially difficult.
I absolutely LOVE that shot of old vs. new and Rainier!
She came around that corner like a ship of the line in full sail. On top of this being a rare DC8, I imagine only a few of us will ever see a plane with a NASA logo! Great work, as always Alex.
such a treat to see one of the last of the 1st gen jets in operation. the DC8,s most important models were the super 60 series! more than half dc 8 sold were from the 60 series. filled an important Nitch till the 747 arrived
Awesome video! Love the DC-8. Hopefully they will put this one in a museum when it is finished.
Preferribly the air show circuit. Putting one in a museum to never fly again is like caging an animal.
@@muffs55mercury61better a caged animal than a new coke can 😊
There was a Convair 990 available and a perfect candidate for a museum restoration. But, no Deep Pockets wanted to restore so, it's gone. I think NASA's 990 is in the Air and Space Museum but, it's not configured as an airliner to represent it in its commercial heyday.
@@BlackPill-pu4vi Are you talking about the 990 that sat in storage in the Mojave desert that was later flown back east? (video still on YT as of three months ago) I heard at the time it was going to be cut up and I thought such a waste. My stomach just turned. It had all the seats and stuff in it so I hear.
@@muffs55mercury61 Yes. What made the 990's scrapping tragic was that it had all the interior stuff, as you said. It would have been a true museum piece.
Sadly, a LOT of America's industrial marvels have been lost to the scrappers and for the most trifling of reasons i.e. it was cheaper to scrap it or a perverse desire to remove any artifact of the time when America was an industrial powerhouse. I wouldn't save something that was made in quantity and simply outlived its usefulness. I'm talking about the one-offs and small production marvels that were groundbreaking feats of engineering.
I don't know if you are familiar with the gigantic open pit mining machines but, THOSE were epic feats of engineering. Big Muskie (dragline) and The Silver Spade (shovel) were truly massive earth movers and both were lost to the scrappers. EVEN THOUGH there was a public outcry to save them.
I used to work on those ole DC-8s back in the 60s and 70s at the UAL Maintenance Operational Center near the SFO airport. Boy, those were the days. Good ole airplanes.
Great video shots, high quality!
The very first time I flew on a long-haul jet was on a DC8. It was in 1975 on a very long flight from Paris CDG to Papeete (Tahiti). The range of this aircraft was inferior to today's planes, since we had to makde two refuelling stops: Montreal (Mirabel at the time -YMX-) and LAX. A very long flight of over twenty hours, but that was a great memory! I made this trip 3 times with this aircraft.
Glad you could make it down to the States Alex! Come back anytime! I appreciate you sharing this with us! Mark in Iowa USA.
The first jet I ever flew on was a DC8. We sat in the no smoking section, lol. During the flight I walked up to the front and watched the pilots. It was not unusual for the door to be left open. Thanks for sharing Alex!
The DC-8 60 series aircraft have always been my favorite, from which the 70 series evolved with higher bypass engines. A military chartered DC-8-63 brought me home from SE Asia and it will always be special for me. That flight originated at Yokota AFB outside Toyko, Japan and planned a non-stop, great circle route flight to Travis AFB just northeast of San Francisco, CA. The temperature at takeoff and during the initial climb was so high, that we burned more fuel than calculated and landed short in Seattle to take on fuel. Of course, we had military members who like me were coming home but also lived in the Seattle area who were crushed that they couldn't deplane there. If that were allowed, a gate would have had to be accessed and we would have all had to deplane and clear customs in Seattle which was not the plan or paid for on this flight. When we arrived at Travis, the fog was in. It was midnight, cold and quiet. Hardly the reception given to those arriving home in more recent times, but I was home and happy to be there.
SE Asia is the middle East, correct?
And the charter flight you were on reminded me of an arrow air dc8 that departed from cario, Egypt to Kentucky which crashed in gander, Newfoundland, Canada back in 1985 aka arrow air flight 1285r
@@railfandepotproductions We are not even close to being in the same part of the world. Southeast Asia (Vietnam).
Did that in 1990 from Philly to LA in a DC-8. What a beautiful plane.
Great video! This was the first plane I flew on. First trip to Europe in 1969. Will never forget that plane. Can’t believe one is still flying!
Fantastic to see the DC-8 flying and brought back some wonderful memories of plane spotting at LHR on the Queens building as a lad during school holidays in the early seventies. THANKS.
Fond memories of flying on DC-8's. Still one of my favorites. Great video!
I flew Sydney - Amsterdam and back on DC8 in 1971, at the age of 6.. The route was Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, Karachi, Rome, Zurich, Amsterdam.... a bloody long trip for a 6 year old to endure... I think it was over 36 hours!
I used to see a UPS Diesel-8 flying cargo out of STL periodically when they were still using it. That was at least 15 years ago, and even then it wasn't getting much flight time. Neat old bird.
The DC-8 pilots are so lucky to be able to fly that big bird. Nice to see it in the air where it should be & not stuck in some museum never to fly again.
I hear a few are still flying as freighters.
Wow. Like, wow. A DC-8. Amazing. What a great catch, Alex.
Any MD is just awesome. Workhorses. Thanks for making the trip for us.
I flew numerous times on Air Canada DC-8s in the 70s visting my parents' brothers and sisters/relatives in Germany and an epic ski trip to Switzerland eh! My Dad was an AC DC-8 Meister aircraft Mechanic :)
What an amazing plane...can bet it's maticuliously maintained 😎🇺🇸🛬
Beautiful vid of the DC-8 climbing-out!
Loved the DC-8- 40 series with the lounge and bar! Flew it a lot with family; my dad worked TCA Air Canada. I have a couple of inaugural DC-8 Jetliner wine glasses. My favourite aircraft, still.
I was on the last Air Canada DC-8 passenger flight in 1981; well that's what the captain told us. Vancouver to Toronto overnight. It was a stretched Super DC-8. I was in row 32 and it took so long to get off I missed my connecting flight to London (ontario, not UK). When we arrived in Toronto the captain said " You may have noticed we are circling around here. We had a strong tailwind overnight and we're a little early so we are going to circle until someone down there answers the phone".
That DC8 is a beauty to behold!
I remember flying on the DC-8 stretch. It was super long. If you sat in the rear you could see the cabin twist and turn if they hit some turbulence.
Used to love flying on the DC-8's my favourite being the 63 series. Miss them greatly
It is great to see the DC8 but I also wanted to see the MAX10's mlg suspension at work. (6:41- 6:44).
Great video Alex! Really cool to see the DC-8 in this day and age. Really interesting, too, that it gets the “heavy” designation from ATC. I assume it’s because of the wake turbulence that it creates.
Hi, i checked the MTOW and i was quite shocked didnt know the later DC8 were such heavy Planes, the MTOW is over 150t and the Freighter Version has more than 37!!! tons more MTOW than the 757-200 which has quite similar lenght and fuselage width, also with the Upgraded Engines they have nearly 400 kn of total Thrust!
@@codenameviper7905 What's interesting is the upgraded -72 maximum payload is smaller than the 737 MAX 10 and the seat count is substantially smaller. The DC-8-72 is still about 12 feet longer, has a much larger wingspan and its MTOW is much higher, and almost all of that is due to fuel. In -72 form, the DC-8 has 777-200 equivalent range (~5300 NMI). I'd guess that for many of the experiments being performed by that aircraft, mission duration and range is probably pretty important. Which would explain why it's being replaced by a 777, since even the most basic versions of that aircraft can provide equivalent, or in the case of the 300 and ER variants, much greater range while also carrying a considerably more equipment. Hopefully this DC-8 gets a spot at an air & space museum, as the DC-8 was an important airplane.
Its weight tjat gives the designation
Welcome to the USA. Glad you came. It's great to see so many from out of the USA using RUclips as well.
Loved the video, Thankyou
Such a staple of aviation for years, now she's flying gracefully for the future. Great video!
Outstanding Catch
I worked for Flying Tigers back in the 70s and early 80s when we operated a fleet of DC8-63 aircraft. By far the DC 8 is my favorite airliner. It could haul more than a 707 and was a pleasure to work on.
@@yonatan62 yes, I knew Art Vance. He died several years ago in a airplane crash. His son is a AAL captain and still flys his dads P51 mustang.
@@yonatan62 Art Vance and I worked for a great airline that was small enough that all the employees no mater what they did were family. I’m still a member of our Flying Tiger alumni club which meets twice a year. Our pilots and Flight Attendants also have a alumni group that is very active.
My last two flights on the DC-8-72 were LAS-ORD & OGG-LAX. I was in TUL when the DC-8 fleet was being reengined but had no direct involvement. It was amazing the tests that the aircraft went through after the changeover was made. Captain from McDonald Douglas Was Phil Battaglia, a true airman and gentleman.
We had this same DC8 flying very low over the Toronto area for days this summer. 1500' over the city. Very rare to see a large jet that low and even rarer to be a DC8!
Weather modification.
Air Canada or CP air?
@@davef.2329Nyet
@railfandepotproductions Trudeau airways
I started out flying on a DC-8-62 as a cabin crew. We lost an engine once, and you could hardly tell.
Thank you for sharing a beautiful aircraft of the DC-8-72. Having family live by one the approaches with JFK, I remember back in the 1970s seeing beautiful DC-8s flying. it was really nice seeing them fly by with Braniff Airlines using them. So nice!!
If I remember correctly, I believe the DC-8 is the first and only 4 engine conventional jetliner purposely flown faster than the speed of sound. It went something like mach 1.01 or 1.02.
Source Wikipedia. Douglas DC-8: “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 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.[29] 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 was accompanied to altitude by a F-104 Starfighter supersonic chase aircraft flown by Chuck Yeager.[30]”
Well done Alex and thus DC-8 is a Super 70 series due to the CFM-56-2 being used. 60 series has PW engines.
I was 23 when this plane started flying, a KLM DC-8 brought me to Montreal in 1974. I am celebrating my 50 years in my adopted country, which has been very good to me. Weird to see a DC-8 that aged better than I did, ouch.
Thanks Alex, what a wonderful memory. I was lucky, flew on many different DC 8 types.
The organization Operations War Child / Sumaritans Purse operated a DC-8 for various aid missions including the Flying Eye "Operating Room" mission to Mongolia to help give sight. Many cataracts were removed. Not sure if its still flying...
DC-8 beautiful Airplanes
I few with CP Air
From.Auckland to Vancouver, with stops in Fiji and Hawaii enroute .
Great Flight wonderful.service a real party all the way !
We were heading to Calgary, along with many on the Fight , going to the Galgary Stampede
Best Time ever !
I love seeing the thrust gates on the flaps.
4:23 Those CFM engines on the DC-8 never disappoint.
Yep, we love the whine of retro turbo jets but uderstand they were too fuel thirsty.
@@grandcrappy Seeing the engines this time made me wonder about range, which was the Achilles heel of that example in its heyday. That's assuming the cruising speed is at least the same, which you know was its most accessible selling point.
@@cowboybob7093 copy that. I am no industry insider, but I bet this retrofit was prolly %25 more fuel efficient.
@@grandcrappy The DC-8-62s I worked with had smaller circumference engines. About like a 727-100 or 737-100.
@dthomas9230 an excellent skill. Four thirsty turbojets, prohibitive tu run now outside of a very wealthy person's choice.
Got to see the NASA DC-8, 737-10 MAX, and a T-28 jet flying side by side over Spokane Washington, a couple of weeks ago. Actually got a few photos when they were up there.
Beautiful
love the sound of those retrofitted DC-8. The UPS fleet used to fly over my house in Long Beach every day at 7:42 pm back in the 90s. I always heard it coming, could even here them leaving the runway! Such A distinct lovely sounding Airplane!
Awesome video.The DC-8 is a personal favourite of mine.Nice to see one of these still flying.I have two models of this NASA example, early N818NA and this one N818NA,both actually the same aircraft.
Nice job Alex❤️👍
Thanks Alex for this souvenir. I flew on one from Montreal to Victoria, but made a stop in Vancouver. Can you imagine the altitude it flew from Vancouver to Victoria.....4000 feet.
Beautiful shots! Sad that the DC-8s are getting rarer and rarer!
That is a very cool catch. Also kind of funny seeing a Douglas classic assisting Boeing with their research..
I remember as a child flying Air Canada from YYZ to YEG on a DC-8 63 I believe, usually the 727-200 was the equipment of choice for that route. I was very intrigued by the aircraft, but to my dismay as a child, the window spacing made it so that I did not have a clear view from my seat.
My first flight was when we immigrated to Canada from England and we flew on a DC8. THanks of the memories. Cheers 😊😊😊
This DC-8 is 3 years younger than am I. Looks great, well-maintained! Thanks for the video.
I remember Seeing the NASA Dc-8 in August and I got a ton of photos
THANK YOU for this awesome footage! I got some pretty cool photos when the dc-8 was flying over Chicago for a few days, but nothing like this!
The NASA DC-8 dis several fly bys here over Los Angeles and Santa Monica and a low pass at Santa Monica Airport about a month ago as part of this emissions program. It was amazing to see it!!
I flew from Port au Prince to New York in 1970 with a DC8 in a snowstorm, it landed like a brick and stopped at the bottom of the runway with difficulty. Golden times for jet aviation, I also traveled with the DC707 and the legendary Caravelle!
I like the new engines on the DC8-72
Saw this thing skim the runway at Burbank a couple
Months back and it blew my mind !
Awesome. I flew several iterations of the DC-8 from '87 to '92. I loved the airplane.
I like to add those engines on the DC8-72 are quiet on take off .
Takes me back to when I was a kid flying on DC-8-63CFs International Air Bahama / Loftletdir Icelandic NAS>
7:48 you can clearly see the cabin air turbo compressors intakes under the nose on final approach. Most DC-8's over the years had those removed and covered over with engine upgrades. I was wondering why NASA's DC-8 hadn't that done, then realized they are probably using them for sensor probes and such.
The old T/C inlets were right above and below the inlets you see there. Those inlets still on there are for the in-flt intake cooling air used on the primary and secondary ACM heat exchangers. The controllable exhaust outlets are back on the sides above the nose gear trunnions and use manual cockpit controlled flaps/gills. The ground cooling air is inducted by large electric fans thru the two downward-facing inlets visible above the nose landing lights. The fans turn off and these doors close on grnd. shift when the nose gear strut extends on takeoff. No more screaming T/Cs with all the thumping and banging on decent on these ACM modded airplanes. You could throw snow in the cockpit with those, as they worked so well. And not to mention, no more deafening pneumatically driven freon compressors that never worked, anyway. After years of service, they finally gave some of those planes the practicality they needed to soldier on for another few decades.
That must be an amazing place to visit. Great video, Alex.
Alex, You really made smile, maybe with a tear as well with thos pictures of NASA's DC-8, in flight yet. 817 was at the Experimental Aircraft Association fly-in (now called AirVenture) a few years back, as another 8 formerly of UAL then the one used as a flying eye surgery teaching plane worldwide many years previous to that. Working for UAL in aircraft maintenance office at ORD late '59 on for 7 years I was simply amazed at that plane. Several business trips, and employee passes sealed my admiration for it. Thanks again for your pix, mind if I keep a couple?
Been following for a long time. Your videos are awesome. I hope I am not alone in asking thatr you show us some of your camera gear, and how you choose these wonderful perspectives from a distance... It could assist many a plane-spotter
The NASA DC8 is called Galileo II. It replaced the even rarer Galileo which was a Conair 990 which crashed when it hit a P3 Orion while on landing approach to Moffett Field NAS / Ames Research Center. Only one person survived, a P3 crew member.
I always loved to see the DC 10 landing and taking off growing up as a child this is awesome.
My house is on some of PAE approach and departure routes.... saw the DC-8 overhead an geeked out over it.
I flew on DC-8's in 1984 - JFK-Shannon, Ireland-JFK on a charter flight operated by Transamerica Airlines. To me they were far better than the 707 and with the updated engines, much quieter. I always thought they were a good looking plane, especially in the 'stretched' versions. They, like other Douglas aircraft were 'overbuilt', made to take hard use, explaining in part some in use 40-50+ years after being made. Perhaps the A-340 although a widebody aircraft is a spiritual successor (and also disappearing). DC-8's became a mainstay of freighter use, including UPS and DHL.
Those CFM engines give the DC-8 some odd looking proportions. Makes the plane look smaller than it really is.
Saw it in Toronto about 2 months ago looked cool
Well, let me start by saying, my father worked for Douglas Aircraft,Company starting in the the late 40s until 1973, when HE WORKED FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE MAJOR SUB CONTRACTING WHEN IT WAS McDONNEL DOUGLAS. 2, THINGS. WHEN I WAS A YOUNGER I SAW MANY DC-8s on the flight line at Douglas. I, also had the opportunity to fly in one from Portland Oregon to LAX IN 1973. IT WAS A FANTASTIC AIRPLANE. I, ALSO WORKED FOR MCDONNEL DOUGLAS IN THE MID 80s until 1992, working for External Transportation, supporting the MD-11& C-17. BEST PLACE I EVER WORKED FOR.
Already watched this video 3x now. What a catch mate. Amazing! 😁😁✈✈
Nice , this one is upgraded with CFM56-2 high-bypass engines!
Converted these from passenger to cargo back in the 70’s, nice aircraft!
Bloody awesome video Alex. Interesting that they plan on replacing it with the 777
The dc8-72 was the original longest range airliner. Set a record of about 8000nm back in the day
Oh wow, I live a few miles south of Paine Field and I saw this place fly over!
I think the DC-8 is the prettiest of all commercial jetliners. When I worked aircraft maintenance for AA, I used to travel to the terminal at Tulsa International and many times a UPS Dc-8 would be setting there. Long and sleek.
Bet the DC8 with the new CFM’s has some serious performance gains!
22K lbs. thr. / eng. versus 18K, or 19K lbs. thr. /eng. with the low-bypass PWs. And ~14-17% reduction in fuel burn. Noise and emissions much lower, as well.
Landed in Gander on a Worldways Canada DC 8-63 years ago for refuelling from strong headwinds coming across the Atlantic. We landed passing over the wreckage of the Arrow Air flight which had crashed there about a week earlier. They were still looking through the wreckage as I could clearly see them on our final.
outstanding. thanks for making the trip and the video. what a graceful old bird it is.
Even now the DC8 is still an achingly beautiful bird. Wonderful video
great vid Alex. Flew on the 8's with air Canada back in the day... love the newer engine version... thanks
What I remember about the DC-8 was how extremely long some of them looked. I never flew on one.
That ultra-long model was the later (late 1960s, early 1970s) Super 60s and 70s series (61, 63, 71, 73). The 62 and 72, like the one here, were anomalies, a much more modest stretch from the earlier, more prolific "regular bodied" (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) series, and closer to Boeing's most prolific 707-300 series. To me, the -62 and -72 were the ultimate DC-8s - combo of capability and utility. Not too big, not too small, just right... and with these engines the -72 especially the real hot rods of the DC-8 family. My first flight was on a -20 series United "Jet Mainliner," in 1962, still with the old low bypass turbo jet engines, but just about the time when the 8s started to be equipped with the new turbo fans they sported until the high bypass CFM56s on the DC-8-70 Series - same family of engines used on most jetliners to this day. This NASA 72 is the configuration the 707 would have been and was under serious consideration, with the same engines, if Boeing had not already committed to a brand new two engine scheme, and is essentially what the Air Force's KC-135 tankers have been retrofitted to. So, if you want to see what a "modern" 707 would have looked like at least at a glance, look at (most of) the recent decade's 135s.
Amazing video Alex! 👍
N817NA DC8 Just did a fly over at Moffett Field, CA
It's out plane-fart sniffing!
May 15.... Final flight of the nasa dc-8 its the end..... Rest and peace nasa dc-8🕊️😔
I miss the DC-8-72 flying pencils. They are beautiful airplanes.
Hey there and thanks for the video. Original was the DC-8 equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines (SAS Version which I did work on) These engines are GE type something. And the red anticollision lights have changes too - from Grimes Tandemlights to Blitz nowadays. Sad,
But It was a pretty looking airplan like the DC-9 läter on -82 and more
Now that’s a long 737!
I do say that the DC-8 was my favorite jet airliner. It was roomier than the 707-300 series, and when McDonnell Douglas stretched the DC-8 to the Super DC-8s, I liked those too, because there was never a change in the comfort of the cabin. I was aboard the DC-8-51 (with the original fuselage length) the Super DC-8-61 and the upgraded DC-8-70 series with GE CFM-56 engines made the Super DC-8's the most fuel-efficient aircraft for a plane that was stretched 36 feet from the original DC-8.
I remember flying a Capitol Airways DC8 coming home from Germany and later a TIA DC8 from Travis to Hickam in my younger years. Years later I flew on one of the last ever flights of a US passenger DC8 from Honolulu to Pago Pago.
I live in port angeles and I look quite often what is fly and me. and I just seen this flying on the radar today and then found this video. crazy. thxs for the video😊