A Nostalgic Goodbye to the American Airlines MD-80
Вставка
- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- The "Mad Dog" is retiring. American Airlines is saying goodbye to the last remnants of its once-proud fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft this week. To some, this is welcome news, but to many more it's a bittersweet end to an incredible era of aviation. Andy Luten, of Andy's Travel Blog, asks "why?", looks at the origins of the jet, and then speaks to captains and frequent flyers to begin understanding the attachment to this unique and nostalgic jet.
For full coverage of the MD-80 retirement (with some of my favorite MD-80 pictures), head on over to the blog: andystravelblo...
**VIDEO GEAR**
Primary camera (that had a focusing issue, sorry): amzn.to/34wbjGF
Gimbal camera: amzn.to/2N6IeMD
Gimbal: amzn.to/2HWz5lq
Our company Everts Air Cargo based in Fairbanks, Alaska has bought 17 of the AA MD80's. One of them, quite possibly the one in this video, is setting at our facility in Fairbanks still in the passenger configuration and is going to be used for contract passenger service while all the rest are being modified with a large cargo door and used only for cargo flights.
I am working as a electronics support engineer on the MD80 full motion simulator we bought from AA; we bought all of them as I know. One, MD80-2 is now in full service training new pilots, recurrent training for pilots, and for training aircraft mechanics in start up operations for maintenance. The legacy lives on and will do so for many, many years.
My favorite aircraft to fuel. AA Airside F at Tampa International. When you get a chance open the fuel panel and see if someone wrote "Taco TPA".
Thats nice that they let you do this. This airplane you were standing next to (ship 4XY) was the first MD-80 I flew on back in 2003 as a young boy. I remember every detail, and from that day I was hooked. Now I am in the concluding stages of my flight training to be a commercial pilot, however it appears that I have run out of time to fly this magnificent machine. I will always tribute my pilot career to this airplane. Thanks ol' girl!
What a fantastic story, thank you for commenting and sharing it!
Forget flying. Become an Uber driver.
Come to Everts Air Cargo in Fairbanks, Alaska and work for us flying the AA MD80 fleet we bought.
@@michaeldavidheit True. But it just wont be the same...haha. Still sounds really cool to do tho.
As an AA employee, you got my atta boy. This airplane held us together during tough times and truly kept us running. It's like the death of an old friend. Rest in peace Maddie.
Hearing that from an AA employee means the world, thank you so much!
I can’t believe they are retiring tomorrow 😢😢
It feels wrong to like your comment when its such a sad truth. 😢
NonstopET same
it hurts.
MD-80 i trust this more than the max
willem lenteren i'll take that as a compliment
I think they should bring like 2 or 3 of these out of retirement every year for a few flights just for a retro thing
Would be wonderful but I actually think a lot of them have been sold off to other airlines
genius
Sad that they’re retiring, but I’d rather see them go to another airline than scrapped!
FlightFilms yeah I just hope someday they do these like Union Pacific did their workhorses they restored a big boy and the 844 the good ol workhorses that would be great because I’m really gonna miss these
@@AndysTravelBlog sad thing is that a lot of them will sit in the desert and just rot away.
Always loved hearing those engines roar down the runway, you don't really get the same experience these days
Truly an icon in the skies!
Gspec 5 yea they sounded like roaring F-16s😂
I work for P&W, we loved building those engines.
Carrie D yup, very unique
My father started his aerospace career at Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica and he worked on many aircraft in Central America. He then immigrated to the United States of America where his dream was to work for McDonnell Douglas company. He was able to live out his dream and continue to work and build many aircraft in his lifetime, but this was his favorite - The MD 80 series jets built by McDonnell Douglas. The series had MD 80, 81, 82, 83, and 90 that he built and inspected throughout his aerospace career while with McDonnell Douglas Company and even when it merged with The Boeing Company. His employee stamp and code are on the grand majority of these and he worked so diligently to support my Mom and I. He retired in 2001 and I can remember so many times I flew this aircraft for work and pleasure. It was such a beautiful, safe and unique airplane that is a part of aviation history now as they will retire these wonderful jets. Thank you for so many years of enjoyment "Mad Dog" Super 80! To the engineers, builders, to all the pilots, crew, and maintenance staff, thank you for all your work and dedication!
Ha, the length of the video is 7:27 - was that on purpose? :-)
You stole my thoughts
Been on many of them. Reliable, basic and quick, and you knew you were flying. Always loved the way the engines sounded.
Will miss that powerful roar!
I flew for the first time a few weeks ago and it was on one of these. I had no idea they were so close to retiring them. i feel honored to have got to fly on one during their farewell tour.
Welcome MD-80 TO ROSWELL NEW MEXICO. It will be a joy to see them all here.
I was out there on Wednesday, and they are all over the place now! If you go to the airport and go just past the car rental counter parking lot you'll see a ton of them
@@AndysTravelBlog yeah i pass by everyday to work. Good site to see!
It's a wonderful video to tribute to a legendary MD-80
Many thanks Kusal
Are you the cricketer?
@@mirzaahmed6589 No my friend. I am not the cricketer.
@@AndysTravelBlog you are mostly welcome and expect more such interesting videos about aviation industry from you. Those are educational and informative
Many flights on the MD 80 over the years. My mom worked for McDonnell Douglas back in the 70’s. I remember seeing the MD 80’s off of Lakewood Blvd in Long Beach being manufactured and tested. Brings back many good memories. I loved the 2-3 seating configuration, as my wife and I always had a row of 2 to ourselves. I wish more aircraft had this option....
What a cool experience seeing them testing the new jet! And I agree, I'll miss the 2-3 layout, but Delta has it with their new A220 jets!
I remember flying in the DC-9 with Eastern Airlines. The MD-80 came and I liked it too. I'll miss them both. Great coverage of this event.
Loved when they would do the power back from the gate in the 90's at DFW. And the werrrrr of the engines at take off.
We all tried to convince them to power back on Retirement Day but they said they no longer had that procedure, was a bit of a bummer but oh well!
@@AndysTravelBlog they may not have that procedure but those captains could have done it for nostalgia. I miss the sound of the power backs
@@AndysTravelBlog We did it at MCO, in mid 80s.
Spot on as the passenger referenced a simpler time.....
Actually, AA was not the first US carrier to order the Super 80. Southern Airways was part of the original group that ordered the Super 80. Southern merged with North Central to form Republic, so it was actually Republic that received the aircraft. Also, PSA was part of the original order, and AirCal ordered Super 80s just after the initial announcement. AA and TWA ordered at virtually the same time in 1982 - they were the first two "major" US airlines to order the Super 80. Another huge order would follow that was significant to DAC....Alitalia!
Beautiful job on the video!
Very interesting Tom, thanks for clarifying!
As an AA passenger service agent @ YVR in the '80s and '90s, I handled the boarding/departure and arrival/deplaning of hundreds of flights with this aircraft. I still remember the configuration at that time was F12 Y130. Even on a short-haul YVR-SJC flight, F-class service was wonderful - cocktails, great meal, dessert, and after-dinner liqueurs with coffee! Non-revving was fantastic back then!
This was the best plane in the sky. I'm going to miss them!
Me too!
Flew out of KCMO on a Delta md-80, it was a shitty day, massive t-storms all around and approaching and boy were they ugly as all hell. We got stuck on the tarmac for 20 minutes and I watched this big mama of a t-storm move right in front of the runway probably 5 miles out. It was finally our turn to go, I thought to myself that we can't possibly take off into that monster, pilot pegged the throttles and off we went like a rocket, as soon as we pulled up we instantly banked over hard right and we zoomed off between all the storms, what a awesome ride that was, thanks for getting me home Mad Dog.
Very first time I flew in a commercial jet was in an MD-80 " PSA " back when they were around. Flew from Las Vegas to LAX, LAX to San Jose - then same coming back.
I love hearing memories like this!
Have flown for decades and the MD80 has probably been the one plane I flew on the most. Whether it was American, Delta or the old Continental, this aircraft was the backbone of US domestic air travel.
Watching this reminds of taking what amounted to a Delta late night repositioning flight out of Atlanta to Houston and being one of the only passengers on the plane. No need to upgrade as the flight attendants were always the same people heading home and those 2 hours were more often just hanging out with people who became friends.
It’s a shame the Boeing 717, like the 757, fell victim to the post 9/11 downturn in aircraft orders. In hindsight, both aircraft should have continued to evolve.
Agree completely, the 9/11 downturn changed commercial air travel in so many ways, I think we're still discovering more ways even today
Love the DC-9 (md-80, 717)!! flew many times in the ‘70s, ‘80s, early ‘90s Air Canada.
Nothing against the newer planes today, but ohh do I miss the old school Airliners. The 707,727,737-200,DC-10s L-10-11, DC-8 to name a few. And especially the MD-80
Mike Sandberg
I agree! Everything nowadays looks very similar. Boring twin engine wing-mounted crap. Quiet and boring.
It was my first jet. Easy to fly. I retired in 2018 after the 737, 757, 767I, AB319-20-21 Intl. Thanks for the memories. 1988-2018.
What cool memories you must have! I hope the video brought back some good ones for you! Happy retirement to you!
I will miss these planes. I flew on a DC-9 in 1976 and have flown on MD-80/88 aircraft several times over the last decade. Great smooth ride.
The seats Aft of the rear were the Best.... the hummm of the engines put me asleep all the time.. I ALWAYS requested them...miss You Mad Dog!!!!
Not a better view in the sky, looking out your window to see that massive turbofan
Nice video! The MD80 will be missed by a lot of people! There are only a few flying in Europe.. hopefully I will get the chance for one more time to board the old maddog! :)
Come on over to Delta! They're still flying some.
Andy's Travel Blog Do they already have plans to retire them?
piedpiper indeed they are trying to ban flights that take less than an hour, but I don’t think this will change soon! The train network can’t handle it so far and business wise you lose time and money by train 😊
An interesting video! I did not realise they had integrated doors into the back although, from memory, I think I do recall seeing there being an emergency exit door in the back of the last Qantas 717 I flew in.
Thanks! Glad you found it interesting! And yep, the 717 should be the exact same from what I know
another thing you couldve mentioned is that the shorter landing gear gave the plane one of the softest taxi/touchdown sensations of any aircraft.
Didn't know that, thanks!
State of the art jet in its day folks. Mad dawg
From what I understand the reason why it was nicknamed the "Mad Dog" was because of the great climb rate that it had, the other reason was that it was nicknamed after the MD2020 wine, which was cheap, did the trick and got you buzzed or drunk at little expense. (college days)
Never heard that before, cool!
I know some people thought MD-80s were noisy. But, the JT8D spooling up for take-off sounded so much better than the CF6, the Trent, the RB211, and the CFM56. Hearing a Mad Dog spool up made me think, "Hey, let's go flying."
"Hey, let's go flyi....oh we're already in the air"
@@AndysTravelBlog O'Hare to Atlanta, yes. O'Hare to Seattle, I could get the sentence finished.
That Last Picture Is Priceless! And Should Be Re'Imaged Largely and Proudly Put On a Very Nobally Spaced Wall!✈🇺🇸
I flew this Aircraft for years and the BAC 111. I love this Aircraft so much. So easy to fly and quite smooth.
The first plane I ever flew on in 84. I'll really miss this beautiful plane.
The DC-9 series was fantastic. As a retired pilot I flew many hours in them and enjoyed their reliability.
I flew in a Delta MD 80 last week.
I believe I flew on the MD-80 at least once and that was with another airline known as "Jet America". The flight itself was very nice and quite with where my sister and I were sitting, it was not possible to hear the engines. Not only that the service was so good. That was back in August of 1983 and we flew from Chicago, Illinois to Long Beach, California. The flight itself was great.
If you sat in the front of one of these planes you barely heard the engines and you couldn't see the wings, so the sensation was truly that you were flying.
Nice vid man. Really good video. I haven't seen such good quality. I like how it was formatted
Thanks Nicolas!
and i forgot to mention ... i loved it because it was a bit like a sports car in terms of acceleration on the takeoff roll! Lots of fun to fly!
The last takeoff to Roswell was incredible, full power and we just jumped into the air!
Another thing that’s really sad is the that the length of this video is 727
Would love it if I was that meta and thought about that but unfortunately I'm not haha
Damn, it feels like my dog died. My very first flight in 1997 was on a AirTran DC-9-30 that was already 30 years old back then. Since I live in Fort Worth I was in DC-9/MD-80 heaven. I've flown thousands of miles on the AA Super 80 and it really does make me feel sad inside knowing I'll never see another AA mad dog rising up from the horizon when I drive by DFW. That sight has been a staple and a constant my entire life (born in 1988). Rest easy mad dog, I will miss you dearly.
What a heartfelt comment, I hope the video helped you enjoy it one last time!
Andy is the King!!
Far from it, I'll accept a distant Earl title though :)
So let it be said. So let it be done!!
The original name was DC--9-Super 80
MD-80 (AKA Maddog)
[1983-2019]
May her legacy live forever!
I remember sitting on the last row right next to the engine. It gave me the worst headache ever. Oh and right before push back the flight was paused. Engine was low on oil. Saw the technician grabbed some oil to top it off. So many bad thoughts running through my mind at that time.
Then connecting flight was a 747, the Brougham!!
Jet engines consume oil by design, so it was likely not leaking or dangerously low, but rather that it had consumed enough over time that it needed to be topped off at that time. It's a routine thing to add oil to jet engines every few flights and was likely not a big deal aside from the time they wasted having to get it serviced at that time.
Wow, you’re such a pussy.
Beautiful video of a great aircraft! =D
Thanks so much! Was just trying to do the jet justice after so many good memories
@@AndysTravelBlog You did a brilliant job! I still miss traveling onboard the MD-80s of SAS. You are lucky you had a few more years with AA. =D
I flew on Eastern's DC9's weekly for 7 winter seasons from DC to NY. Riding on "Stand By" airfare I never got bumped. Had some ups and downs during flight. :^) But those old boys on Eastern never let me down.
That's really cool!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience with the audience,I appreciate this precious video of the MD-80 Passenger Jet, thank you.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@@AndysTravelBlog yes Sir I did and thank you again.
This is sad.. I saw AA MD-80 in a classic livery just few days ago. Didn't knew this was for the last time.
Sad to see the Mad Dog go. Especially when 737-200's are being restored and still flying in Canada. MD80's will forever be a super special airliner in aviation history.
Flew on a few of them over the years a great aircraft..
Good to know more about the MD 80
It was a sad day indeed, but happy I could enjoy two final Mad Dog flights: DFW - STL on N968TW; STL - DFW on N971TW
Glad you could enjoy it one (or two, I guess) last time(s)!
The absolute hands down BEST flight I've ever had on an airliner was an MD80/DC9 from Eastern Airlines. Rear engine airliners are the absolute SAFEST airliner ti fly over a large body of water like an ocean,,,,,providing you can achieve the needed cruising range needed to do this. You see, in the event of ditching in the ocean, rear engine airliners like the Boeing 717/DC9/MD80 and variants and even the Boeing 727 and Tupolev TU154 stand a much better chance of staying intact than an airliner with wing engines, thus reducing the danger of a fire or the fuselage being ripped apart from the force of the engines catching the water like big ass scoops or anchors. Sully done a remarkable job setting that Airbus A320 down in the Hudson River without ripping off the wings/engines but as a rule, any airliner with all of it's powerplants in the tail is a better option for a water landing.
Love how your video is 7:27 long!
I’ve only flown twice with American Airlines and both times with the md-80. First was from lax to jfk via o’hare in 2006, then o’hare to jfk 2013. I thought these planes were gonna fly forever. Now I assume it’s the next generation Boeings and airbuses flying out of jfk to o’hare. Sure miss sitting behind the wings looking out the window and watching the world go by. They may have been old planes, but hell, did they get the job done even though I was on vacation. Good times, good times.
By far my favorite aircraft and livery. Lots of good memories! AA's new 737's don't come close.
Really felt like the end of an era to me too, some of the best memories!
Good video. Thank you for posting. But I am glad to see them go.
Have heard that from more than a few people!
Almost crying
I love the last seat. The chatter of the engine.. you can’t hear anything lol
Countless trips on that aircraft from Tucson to Dallas. Happy retirement!
I,m am sad the American Airlines md80 just retired 😭😢🥺😫🥺
I'm sad too!
I remember boarding Alaska MD-80s from the rear air stair, mostly ONT-SEA. Grew up flying on these. I miss watching the wing lights rotate forward before turning onto the runway... holding at the line at SNA and hearing the engines spool up (back when the noise abatement rules necessitated that). Delta has the MD-95 ("717") running West Coast shuttle flights (and some from DEN), and everytime I get on one... get reminded of the good ol' MD-80. MD-95 is no MD-80, but it's now the closest thing. :
I'm a very frequent flyer and the MD-80 has always been my favorite aircraft. I always tried to get the same seat in first class. Nice & quiet, comfortable. I sure will miss them.
No other plane's engines produces sounds like those JT8D's. Always my favorite aircraft to fly.
Loved the video
Thank you, I'm glad you loved it!
Still sad they are retiring.
I'm going to miss them days were they would cause car alarms to go on and make my ears hurt 😂
N982TW was the last American Airlines MD-80 I ever saw. Will forever be in my memory!
Here's to Boeing hopefully someday making a *717MAX!*
They were loud suckers when they did powerbacks!
Boeing will never use the MAX suffix again.
@@marciomaiajr did we ask for your opinion? No so shut up
I fueled for American at KSLC for almost 5 years. I loved seeing these old birds every day and they were my favorite to fuel because they took the gas so much faster than the stupid CRJs and ERJs. You had to be careful though, cause on a hot day you couldnt fuel the wings to capacity or else they would overflow haha.
Doesn't sound like too much fun on the hot days but how cool that you got to spend so much time with them!
Absolutely fantastic job!
Thanks so much!
Great tribute to AA's Mad Dogs. Flown many miles in them despite being a Brit. Not fair though to say the 3+2 layout was unique. It started in the BAC 1-11 which the DC9 copied and even continued into the Fokker 100. What is said is the ending, by and large, of the T-tail rear engine era.
Thanks! And you're right, the 3-2 seating wasn't unique when the MD-80 came out but it sure is today, basically the Airbus/Bombardier A220/C100 is the only "new" jet with the 3-2 layout.
As much as I love flying in Boeing 777's and 787's, I'm going to really miss the MD 80's. I hope that they'll live on with other carriers or given a good home in an museum of flight somewhere here in the States.
Growing up in a smaller state capital, almost every flight I took for years was on a DC-9 or MD-80/88/90. I do miss them, even though sometimes you'd hear weird alarms from the cockpit when they started. It was a nice plane before they tried to stuff as many folks into a 737 as they could. Sadly, those days are gone.
I always loved first class in these planes for the reason what you talked about..
Good to know I'm not the only one!
I haven't flown many times but in my opinion the MD gives a smoother ride than the 737.
Right there with you Stefan
...almost NO comparison handling turbulence, really. Mad Dog was always my preference (when given the choice) back in the day. Fond memories of this jet...
Totally agree with you there. ☺
Great aircraft. True Workhorse
Tried and true!
I can remember the old DC-9's (and the MD-80's). Don't know why the one man was so enamored with the past. Never has been a time when the world or society was so simple or so tranquil. Vietnam War, Korean War, WWII, the Great Depression, WWI, numerous depressions in the 19th century, the Civil War and Reconstruction, pre-Civil War tensions, War of 1812 (White House and Capitol burned to the ground). Maybe I should just go with the flow with what he had to say but as they say "nostalgia is longing for a past that never was."
Interesting points
A couple of times fly in this aircraft. amazing experience.
This MD-80 is as beautiful as the Boeing 727-200 was. I have a American Airlines MD-82 in 1:200 diecast which I've had fir for a few years.
17,000 hours flying that family of aircraft. One had to know how to fly.
I loved meeting so many MD80 pilots during retirement festivities in Roswell, they all were so proud to fly that jet.
Steam aeroplanes....lol
Used to fly -10 series. Flew LR25s before that, the 10 almost flew like a 25 when it was light.
What ill remember about the MD80 was the way that literally blasted off the ground and shot up fast into the sky. It was a like a roller coaster but heading up instead of down. I thought it was scary. Other planes today glide up and it’s slow.
Nothing quite like a full power takeoff in an MD80!
Nothing beats the Maddog!
I've flown on an MD-80 twice. Both times from Billings, MT, oddly enough. The first was from BIL to DEN, and the other was from BIL to MSP. I never forgot that 3-2 seat alignment. On the flight to MSP, I was near the back, right near one of the engines.
And I THANK YOU for this video. Best regards,
You're welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
@@AndysTravelBlog pleasure!
Loved those planes. Tricky to land on a rainy day. 5 stars to Donald douglas
1:36 - Hijacker stairs.
Wow. Lived to see the entire production run and retirement. Get a used one NOW, while they're cheap!
most likely all due for D-Check.. will cost you
Correct about no fly by wire, actual steel cables ran from the yoke and pedals, wrapped once around a servo for the autopilot, and continued to the control surface. The servos would freewheel until the autopilot was engaged, then a clutch would allow the servo to manipulate the cable. The yoke and pedals would move as the servos moved the control surfaces.
I just love hearing about the engineering that went into those amazing aircraft!
I’m going to cry
Right there with you Paul
The original name for the aircraft was the DC-9 Super 80.
Yep! I actually had a shot zooming in on the registration plate of the aircraft I was on where it said DC-9-83 but had to cut it
great great great what the guy in the last third of the Video mentioned. a more tranquil time.. i will sign that Right away. MD-80 was a crownjewel. a gem....thank you so much for this Video.. oh and yes the most quiet first class cabin.flew a lot with mad doggie
Glad you enjoyed the video!
The Super 80 and 757 are probably the two best aircraft in the American Airlines fleet. Reliable, comfortable and very passenger friendly. Too bad that all airlines have gone to the stupid Airbus jalopies and the B737, since all they do is cram people in, and skimp on everything else including room. I hate the 737 the most, and the A319 is no bargain either. Both are nothing short of cattle cars. Much prefer the Super 80 and 757 any day of the week. Nice comfy seats, room to move around and bathrooms that are useable !!!
Bruce Warchol I couldn’t agree more.
I think you'll find many people that agree with you here!
I also missed MD80.Maybe not American Airline,but im flying Lion air md80 before
Well put Andy thank you..
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Kind of on topic, some MD-87s are being use for fire tankers.
Andy is incorrect in his statement that AAL was the first American carrier to fly the MD-80. It was Muse Air based in Dallas at Love Field. They were also the first non-smoking carrier in the U.S. Muse Air was started by Lamar Muse who started Southwest Airlines. It was a fabulous airline! Muse was also the carrier chosen by McDonnell Douglas to do a world wide tour with the aircraft to sell to other carriers.
Apologies for the incorrect statement, it didn't come up in any of the research I did.
The story at Douglas Long Beach was that after the Lamar Muse made the MD-80 purchase, he asked what logo he wanted painted on the side, that it was included in the pricetag. He grabbed a piece a paper, and wrote "Muse Air" in cursive and said, this!
@@AndysTravelBlog Forgot about Muse Air/Transtar
Informative video . Gonna miss the Mad Pup
Delta still has their Mad Dog's for at least another year or so
now that's gonna be a sad goodbye if they retire their MDs ... taking in count they were the Dc-9 launhc customer
Don't forget about the MD-95, sorry "B717." Those are getting updated, so at least another decade of life
@@tyrell. I forgot about that!
@@timothyperry3327 They're great! FBW took over some of the manual control, and passenger-wise the cabins aren't nostalgic looking but they're comfortable. Favorite plane in the fleet after the ex-TWA 757s.