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Douglas developed the DC-8 jetliner during the mid-1950s as a competitive design to Boeing’s 707 jetliner. Built in Douglas’ new Long Beach, California, plant, the first aircraft was rolled out and flown in 1958. It comprised a swept-wing, four-jet-engine layout similar to that of the Boeing 707 with a capacity for up to 179 passengers. Powered by four Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet engines, the DC-8 was capable of cruising speeds reaching 600 miles per hour, and with a transcontinental range of almost 4,000 miles, it could easily fly nonstop from San Francisco to New York in just over five hours. The transcontinental flight time for the piston-powered Douglas DC-7 it replaced was around eight hours. The DC-8 was also pressurized, which enabled it to fly high in the stratosphere, above most weather conditions. On September 18, 1959, the DC-8 entered service with Delta Air Lines and United Air Lines, nearly a year after the introduction of the Boeing 707. Although initially not as successful as the 707, the DC-8 had a more viable lifespan within the commercial aviation industry. Upgraded variants were introduced during the 1960s, including a stretched version that was the largest capacity airliner until the introduction of the widebody Boeing 747 in 1970.
This image was posted on July 07, 2021.