| The Douglas DC-9 entered service Dec. 8, 1965 and was
produced until 1982. More than 976 DC-9s were built —
including 47 C-9 versions for military customers.
The 90-passenger DC-9-10 was expanded into the 15-foot longer
DC-9-30, which first flew on Aug. 1, 1966, and could carry
up to 115 passengers. The DC-9-20, which first flew Sept.
18, 1968, was especially useful for short landing fields.
The DC-9-40, first flown Nov. 28, 1967, was 6 feet longer
than the -30 and could hold 125 passengers, and the DC-9-50,
which first flew in 1974, was 12 feet longer and had the "new-look"
interior patterned after the wide-cabin DC-10. The DC-9-80,
later redesignated MD-80, launched the family of commercial
jet airliners with McDonnell Douglas "MD" designation.
More than 880 DC-9s were still flying through 1996, with many
likely to remain in service well into the next century.
|
