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In 1959, United Air Lines and Delta Airlines introduced the Douglas DC-8. The DC-8-63 series was introduced nearly a decade later. Promoted as the “Super 63”, it was an updated, stretched, long-range variant of the DC-8. With a capacity of up to 244 passengers, it was the largest commercial jetliner available at the time, until the introduction of the Boeing 747 two years later. Powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan engines it was capable of cruising at 550–575 miles-per-hour. The turbofans were more efficient, less noisy, and more economical to operate than the earlier turbojets installed on the first DC-8 jetliners. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines purchased a large fleet of the DC-8-63 and operated them though the 1980s. The airliner was reliable, comfortable, and ideal for the carrier’s transoceanic, world routes. See "Aviation Evolutions: The Jim Lund 1:72 Scale Model Airplane Collection", which features more than 200 models, on display, pre-security, in the Aviation Museum. http://bit.ly/AviationEvolutions This image was posted on January 18, 2018.

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