United Airlines Mainliner DC-9-10 repaint

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

The Devil "MADE HIM" do it .... but YEAH .... it looks quite good

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[Tony Madge - HJG]

Sorry Jim I was thinking of you last week as I landed in Miami I know Orlando is a big Delta hub, but didnt see any at Miami... Not that you would have missed a lot just a hurricane bearing down on us

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

On the subject of B/S textures .... this's one Tony draughted up a little while back ....


AMERICAN AIRLINES MD-80 "2013 LIVERY CONCEPT"










I say "MD-80" (not specifically defined) .... because this basic texture can be used to represent any AA MD-82 or -83 aircraft .... in fact I've applied it to both our "MODEL.01" (original DC-9 type tail cone) and "MODEL.02 (later/low-drag chisel shaped tail cone) 3D model subjects as above .... since both of which are represented among our MD-81/-82/and -82 Aircraft Base Packs and both of which are/were operated by AA.

I say "2013 LIVERY CONCEPT" .... simply because when this particular texture was draughted, by Tony, AA had only just commenced the introduction of its new/curent livery. At the time we were all hoping at least some of the airlines MD-82 and -83 aircraft might make it into the new/current livery, so, this texture was prepared in anticipation of that (then) possibilitry .... BUT .... that's "NOT" noe going to heppen of course as the airlines once large fleet of the type are presently being parted-out .... if they've not, yet, already all gone.

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[Mike Monce - HJG]

Well, a quick search of flightaware.com by either operator, or aircraft type still yields AAL MD-80s, 83s, etc. They are still operating on shorter domestic routes, though, as you say, being phased out. I have seen the new livery on the MadDogs both at my home airport of KBDL, and also at Charlotte last December when we flew to Denver and made a transfer at KCLT.

Mike

[Benoit - HJG]

I say "2013 LIVERY CONCEPT" .... simply because when this particular texture was draughted, by Tony, AA had only just commenced introducing of its new/curent livery. At the time we were all hoping at least some of the airlines MD-82 and -83 aircraft might make it into the new/current livery, so, this texture was prepared in anticipation of that (then) possibilitry .... BUT .... that's "NOT" noe going to heppen of course as the airlines once large fleet of the type are being parted-out .... if they've not, yet, already all gone.

AA's MD-80 series fleet update as of two days ago, October 25th:

57 MD-80 series remain in American Airlines fleet and are planned to be retired by the end of this year. In one single day this past September American retired 21 MD-80 series aircraft, making it the single largest retirement of airplanes from any one airline in the history of civil aviation.

Shortly after the TWA merger into American (2000-2001) they operated 360 MD-80 series aircrafts.

Benoit

[Benoit - HJG]

Well, a quick search of flightaware.com by either operator, or aircraft type still yields AAL MD-80s, 83s, etc. They are still operating on shorter domestic routes, though, as you say, being phased out. I have seen the new livery on the MadDogs both at my home airport of KBDL, and also at Charlotte last December when we flew to Denver and made a transfer at KCLT.

Mike, I have just seen your post mentioning the AA's MD-80 with the new livery, do you by any chance have registration numbers for those two sightings?

Benoit

[Tony Madge - HJG]

Mike, I did a lot of searching for images of the new livery but found non and also from what I managed to find out they never planned to paint it on the MD-80's not doubting your eyes but your the first person to mention it?
Anyway it will go on my new page that will appear soon

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

I have seen the new livery on the MadDogs both at my home airport of KBDL, and also at Charlotte last December

Are you sure they weren't CRJ's Mike ?

In one single day this past September American retired 21 MD-80 series aircraft, making it the single largest retirement of airplanes from any one airline in the history of civil aviation.

"VERY INTERESTING" information Benoit .... and an impressive undertaking on the part of AA

I wonder how many, if any, of these, might eventualy make conversionm to feighters .... given whatever airframe hours they have remaining versus the cost of both conversion and operation.

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[christrott]

I don't think there will be many ex-American Airlines MD-80s finding new lives unfortunately. The airplanes that had life left on them were some of the first retired so they could get sold to new operators. Only 1 of them was sold for the MD-80SF program and it seems to have gone well, but the MD-80SF program itself is in question because apparently they've had continuing issues with reliability of the aircraft that have been converted. The guys at USA Jet said they bought 2 additional MD-80s to go with theirs only for parts and they found after the conversion was complete that they ended up converting the wrong plane as that one's been breaking constantly. They don't know if it's due to the conversion or if it was just the worse airplane, but the mechanics that were in DAL working on it earlier this year when the APU crapped out were very clear that the airplane wasn't their favorite by any means.

[aerofoto - HJG Admin]

"INTERESTING" .... thanks Chris :0

AND YEAH .... as far as I'm aware .... AA never intended to repaint any of its MD-80's right from the very start (as much as some of us would perhaps like to have seen), so, that akll checks out with what's known too.

I'm pretty sure Mike's spotting must have been a CRJ .... of which a number "are" running around I the new/current AA livery. i've seen some of those myself at both LAX and MIA last month .... and expect to see the same there next month also.

Mark C
AKL/NZ

[hornit - HJG]

In my weekly travels around the airline world I have yet to see any evidence of AA Mad Dogs painted in the new livery.