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McDonnell Douglas DC-10: Your Ultimate Guide

23Jul

By Salomón Marco1 Comment

Aircraft Digest

McDonnell Douglas DC-10: Your Ultimate Guide

It is 1985 and you are on a flight from Los Angeles to Copenhagen. Chances are, you are on a DC-10, but this is not by chance. The DC-10 was built for this. The DC-10 was a workhorse of its time. An icon in aviation history. The aircraft was met with scrutiny and a lack of confidence after some incidents and accidents following its introduction into service. Despite this, the DC- 10 secured its place in the history books as a reliable, easy to maintain, and economically viable jetliner. The DC- 10 family capitalized on the gap between the smaller twinjet airliners and the larger quadjet airliners like the Boeing 747. The market desperately needed an aircraft that could reach further with less. The DC-10 delivered. The DC-10 featured advanced avio...

Why Have They Stopped Production of The Quadjet?

18May

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

History

Why Have They Stopped Production of The Quadjet?

During the Golden Age of Aviation, four-engine aircraft, otherwise known as quadjets, were all the rage. They scattered airfields both civil and military the world over. No one could seem to get enough of them. Quadjets like the Boeing 747, Airbus A380, de Havilland Comet and Concorde became emblematic of the aviation industry as a whole and among the most produced airliners of their day. Yet today, most aircraft manufacturers are ending production of what few quadjets remain in production. But why? Though the COVID-19 pandemic hastened many manufacturers' decision to end production of quadjets, other factors such as the extension of ETOPS regulations, their comparatively higher cost and a change in how we fly all contributed to the downfall of the mighty quadjet. Although ...

Remembering The Douglas Aircraft Company: The Company That (Nearly) Beat Boeing

12May

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

History

Remembering The Douglas Aircraft Company: The Company That (Nearly) Beat Boeing

At its height, just prior to WWII, Douglas Aircraft Company produced 80% of the US's commercial aircraft, and many of the US military's cutting edge fighters, dwarfing rival company, Boeing, in almost every regard. Despite this, the company is arguably most famous for its merger with McDonnell Aircraft, forming McDonnell Douglas, which soon became Boeing's main competitor in both the commercial and military scenes (before their own merger in 1997!) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Douglas Aircraft Company In 1915, former US Naval officer Donald W. "Don" Douglas would join the Connecticut Aircraft Company (the precursor to today's Sikorsky Aircraft Company), where he'd help design the US Navy's first airship, the DN-1. Three years later,...

10Mar

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

Boeing 720: The Unique Boeing Jet…

In many ways, the Boeing 720 is the odd one out when it comes to Boeing jets. All other Boeing-made jets follow the "7x7" naming convention, whilst the 720 does not, much to the annoyance of avgeeks the world over! Despite this, over a nine year period, Boeing sold 154 copies of the jet, many of which would have service lives that spanned well over 40 years. In fact, one was so good, its service life spanned a total of 50 years! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Pre-Boeing 720 During WWII, both sides began developing jet engines. By the end of the war, Britain not only had a working jet engine, but also a working jet fighter, the Gloster Meteor, which entered service in July 1944. Following the war, airlines began demanding their own jet aircra...

27Feb

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

History

Juan Trippe: The Man Who Built Pan Am

Today, Juan Trippe is known for a number of things. Primarily, this is for being the driving force behind Pan Am for almost 40 years, but also, for being the guy who helped to create the 747! According to most aviation historians, Trippe is regarded as being one of the fathers of the American airline industry. This is alongside people like Eddie Rickenbacker, Jack Frye and Pat Patterson. Due to this, Trippe has been immortalized in a number of aviation movies, including Martin Scorsese's The Aviator and Pat O'Brien's The China Clipper. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life Juan Terry Trippe was born on June 27, 1899 to Charles and Lucy Trippe. His mother was a homemaker, whilst his father was a New York-based investment banker and stockb...

13 Most Dangerous Aircraft Models From History!

1Apr

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Aircraft Digest

13 Most Dangerous Aircraft Models From History!

Whenever we fly, there's always a slight worry that the aircraft may crash. However, not all aircraft are created equal. Some are more dangerous than others. Here are the most dangerous aircraft models. Whilst it's highly unlikely that by flying on mainstream airlines, you will board one of these aircraft, it's always good to stay vigilant! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); 13. Boeing 737-200 The current 737 MAX debacle has been a serious dampener on the 737 brand. But before the 737 MAX though, Boeing's 737-200 was known as being one of Boeing's most dangerous aircraft! The 737-200 over its lifetime has been involved in 68 air accidents. This has led to 2910 fatalities and countless more injuries. For most of these flights, the accident...