Today seems, to me, to be a more than appropriate date upon which to make this (final) presentation of our "NEW" V6 DC-8 models (though other related material will continue follow as is considered appropriate) .... this particular installment featuring what might best be considered "The Father Of The DC-8 Line" .... otherwise popularly known as "DC-8 SHIP ONE 1958".
Today .... 63 years ago .... on "MAY 30TH 1958" .... DC-8 SHIP ONE N8008D, C/N # 45252, L/N # 01, "the first production DC-8 aircraft", departed Long Beach, California, on its maiden flight .... and a legend in world civil aviation was born.
This first ever DC-8 flight was crewed by DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY chief test pilot Hiemie HEIMERDINGER, co-pilot William MAGRUDER, flight engineer Paul PATTON, and flight test systems engineer Bob RIZER. T/O weight for this debut/maiden flight was restricted to 198,000 LBS .... and the aircraft was rotated, at 128 KTS, after a T/O roll of some 3,250 FT. DC-8 SHIP ONE remained airborne for 2 hours and 7 minutes during its debut sortie .... performing a shakedown run out over the Pacific Ocean, during which it was climbed to an altitude of 21,000 FT and achieved a cruising airspeed of some 350 KTS prior to landing at Edwards AFB, California, and from where all future DC-8 flight testing was conducted in advance of the types FAA certification .... which for the DC-8-11 was awarded on August 31st 1959.
From 1958 until 1961 DC-8 SHIP ONE was used in support of DOUGLAS's extensive flight testing program in aid of FAA aircraft type certification, and development of it's initial short/standard fuselage length DC-8-20, -30, -40, and -50 successors.
During 1960 DC-8 SHIP ONE was upgraded to DC-8-50 specification and used to flight test the first of the (then) new generation P&W JT3D SERIES fan-jet engines which powered all production DC-8-50 and SUPER 61/-62/and -63 aircraft versions. DC-8 SHIP ONE first flew in fan-jet powered form on December 20th 1960 .... and was awarded FAA certification, as the DC-8-51, on October 10th 1961.
Beyond its DOUGLAS service life as a flight testing and development aircraft DC-8 SHIP ONE was eventually reconfigured with a standard PAX interior and commenced a civil career .... flying with a number of commercial operators (mostly under leases) throughout the 1960's, 70's, and 80's. These included a DOUGLAS lease to NATIONAL AIRLINES (N8008D) from June 21st 1961 until May 26th 1962. Then its sale to TRANS INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES (N8008D) on June 20th 1962 .... and with whom this aircraft remained until January 1967. During its TIA service DC-8 SHIP ONE was also sub-leased to LUFTHANSA GERMAN AIRLINES (N8008D) from November 5th 1965 until December 1965 .... and also sub leased to CANADIAN PACIFIC AIRWAYS (CF-CPN named "Empress of Santiago") from February 10th 1966 until January 10th 1967. TIA eventually sold DC-8 SHIP ONE to DELTA AIR LINES (N8008D/Fleet # 800) and whom operated this aircraft from January 10th 1967 until March 23rd 1979 when it was sold to FB AYER & ASSOCIATES aviation brokers. The aircraft was then leased to AEROMEXICO (XA-DOE named "Quintana Roo") from April 1st 1979 until July 1st 1982. Upon the conclusion of its AEROMEXICO lease DC-8 SHIP ONE resumed its former US civil registration .... "N8008D" (although its Mexican identity .... "XA-DOE" .... was never removed from the aircraft) and was withdrawn from service, and stored at Marana, Arizona, USA, having accumulated some 60,918 hours flying time with 32,411 cycles. It remained in long term storage at Marana until 2001. During this period the aircraft acquired "TAC COLOMBIA" titles, but, never entered service with the Colombian airline .... whom eventually sourced CARAVELLE jetliners. FB AYER & ASSOCIATES then sold DC-8 SHIP ONE to FINE AIR subsidiary AGRO AIR (N8008D) on May 24th 1989 but the aircraft remained in storage at Marana. Sometime during the late 1990's it was again sold .... to FINE AIR (N8008D/XA-DOE) .... whom acquired the aircraft for spares recovery in order to facilitate the maintenance and servicing of its DC-8-50F fleet.
Sadly, "this historic aircraft" was sold for scrap and eventually broken-up at Marana during 2001 .... rather than enduring a more dignified end of life existence as permanent exhibit within an aviation park or museum which it could, and perhaps should, have been afforded had its scrap value not exceeded, by some considerable margin, what most were able, or willing, to pay in order to ensure the preservation of "this historic jetliner" for the appreciation of both present and future generation aviation-minded communities.
Throughout its career DC-8 SHIP ONE was most easily identified by its original DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY registration (excluding its period of service on foreign civil air registers whilst operating for both CANADIAN PACIFIC AIRWAYS and AEROMEXICO) .... if not by its original DC-8-10 type engine pylons which later supported P&W JT3D fan-jet engines from December 1960.
Between 1958 and 1972 DC-8 SHIP ONE spawned a family of no less than 8 basic but distinctly different classes of DC-8 TYPE aircraft .... from the original short fuselage DC-8-10, -20, -30. -40, and -50 SERIES .... to the higher capacity and longer ranging stretched-fuselage DC-8 SUPER 61, SUPER -62, and SUPER -63 SERIES developments. Within this line a multitude of DC-8 sub models of varying specifications/configurations and performance capabilities were marketed by DOUGLAS/MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS .... ranging from early turbojet to later fan-jet powered aircraft for medium range domestic to long range intercontinental type services .... and representing PAX, pure freight, and convertible PAX/freighter aircraft versions. A total of 556 DC-8's, of all SERIES, had been produced by DOUGLAS/McDONNELL-DOUGLAS between 1958 and 1972 when the last production aircraft .... a DC-8 SUPER 63 (C/N # 46163, L/N # 556) was delivered to SCANDINAVIAN AIRLINE SYSTEM (SE-DBL "Tord Viking") on May 12th 1972.
A complete history of DC-9 development can be revised per the following forum link referenced ....
"DC-8 DEDICATION - THE FIRST & LAST AIRFRMES & DC-8 DEVELOPMENT"tonymadgehjg.proboards.com/thread/9759/dc-dedication-first-last-developmentAND NOW BACK TO THE MODEL ....
DC-8 SHIP ONE 1958 .... (original configuration)DC-8-30 SHIP ONE 1958 .... engines and pylons fixed/improved over original 3D models ....DC-8 SHIP ONE 1958 .... non-reverser featured engines and exhaust/tail pipe details with lower rear fuselage air brake doors (corrected detailing and additional details added over that of the original 3D model) ....DC-8-SHIP ONE 1958 .... corrections and general improvements over original 3D model .... i.imgur.com/SwaN7WY.jpgPLEASE NOTE: Some model details may further alter between what's evident within this presentation and the final release model version (an improved texture set for this particular being intended .... the current texture being satisfactory for this presentation). I started this thread saying ....
"there's things we can and can't do" .... all of which is entirely based upon the data we have available to us work with, and also in order to avoid unnecessary texture bumping in regard to each the liveries we already currently offer (there's no way in hell we can re-do every livery/texture for the sake of even more detailed models, so, we need to be "PRACTICAL", and remain within the limitations of what we know we can achieve without imposing problems upon ourselves and everyone else too). I'm leaving all of this development "entirely up to Paul's discretion" .... as always. This's been "a difficult project" .... and given what Paul's been able to achieve, using what we have that remains of our original DC-8 development data (and in the interest of avoiding problems) it's amazing he's been able to do what he's achieved. In all honesty .... had we known beforehand what we might have been letting ourselves in for, then, we may (possibly) have thought twice about starting this particular project. However .... and thanks entirely to Paul's "dogged determination" .... what we'll eventually be able to offer "IS" superior to what we've had for years past.
A REMINDER: .... "NONE" of these "NEW V6" models have yet been released, so, don't go rushing over to "DOWNLOADS" expecting to find them. We'll announce when everything's ready/available .... but bear in mind please .... there's still "a lot of work to be done"
For the sake of interest .... here's a short BOEING archived video relating to the roll-out of DC-8 SHIP ONE during 1958 ....
secure.boeingimages.com/asset-management/2JRSXLJ8S70D?FR_=1&W=1920&H=969Mark C
AKL/NZ