End of the line for the B717 / MD80 / DC9

[CaptainSandL]

The end of an era.

"The Boeing Co. will announce this morning that it has decided to stop production of its 717 jetliner after the remaining backlog of airplanes has been built, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has learned.

The 717 is a 100-seat jet, previously known as the MD-95, and was inherited in Boeing's 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas. The plane is assembled in Long Beach, Calif.

It has suffered from slow sales, and Boeing had previously considered closing the line. Boeing has sold 169 of the jets and delivered 137. At the current production rate of about one plane a month, the line is likely to be shut down sometime in 2006."

S & L

[Capt. Glenn Quagmire]

I wish I could say I'm surprised but Boeing itself treated a good aircraft as its stepchild and that coupled with the fact that it was competeing with 737-600 sealed its fate a while ago.

Its a pity as it was probably one of the sexier aircraft around

[Groundloop]

How on Earth did this get moved to History and Nostalgia?!!!

This is DEFINITELY News (or a Rumour!)

[CaptainSandL]

Looks like the Mods are trying to bury the aircraft even faster than Boeing. Very sad.

[brabazon]

It's confirmed so it's definitely today's news:

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2005/q1/nr_050114a.html

[Fried_Chicken]

I know Turkmenistan still have 2 on order but who are the other customers who have the 717 on order? Will they change these orders to the similar sized B737-600?

Fried Chicken

[CaptainSandL]

Midwest Airlines said today that an announcement by the Boeing Company that it expects to discontinue manufacturing Boeing 717-200 jet aircraft in mid-2006 has no bearing on the airline's continued growth. Midwest Airlines currently operates 17 Boeing 717 aircraft and has a firm order for eight more.

"There are a number of aircraft that meet our current and future needs," said Timothy E. Hoeksema, chairman and chief executive officer. "Going forward, we will be assessing our alternatives and also determining whether we want to exercise any of the options we are holding on 717s." Midwest holds options for 25 additional 717s.

[No comment]

I thought Germanwings were trying out the 717 (from Spanair I think) too see about its viability?

[G-BBAE]

The 717 seems a very rare aircraft just like the MD11 and never really took off from their older sisters the MD80 and the DC10 respectivley.

[seacue]

From What I've Heard, there is a difference between the 717 and the MD-11.

The 717 seems to be accepted as a good product, while the MD-11 had operational iissues. Issues such as not meeting performance predictions and touchy landings.

[Flightluuvr]

Another beautiful type, and era (the DC-9 series) about to fade away. :sad: It seems like soon we will only be left with nothing but under-wing 2 and 4 engine jets, and the monstrous A380.

[G-BBAE]

There was once a rumour that Boeing were going to make a MD12 an advanced version of the MD11.
Maybe Airbus could make a trijet version of the A330/A340 and call it the A360?

[View From The Ground]

Flew on it several times with Bangkok Airways..nice plane from a pax perspective I thought..

[Final 3 Greens]

Sadly, I suppose it comes down to the position in the product lifecycle and the internal politics witin Boeing.

Does it make sense to have two internally competing products (717/736) and to maintain two production facilities with different training needs, equipment etc.

I'll be sad to see the nd of the line though, I've travelled on most of the '9s and to the short bodied 10 to the Super 80 and only last summer had me first flight on a 717 with Olympic.

They are, comfortable, way to travel, unless stuck next to an engine.

[dmbfarmer]

Long time reader first time poster.... this one made me finally register and reply.
I for one think Boeing should have pushed the 717 a little harder, it sucks to be the red headed step child.
I admit I never flew it but have one good friend that did and he spoke very highly of it. Of course he was also an engineer on it so he may be biased!

by the by I don't mean second officer!

[Fried_Chicken]

With the end of the 717, what plans do Boeing have for Long Beach? Just the C17 built there now & the plans for a Civil variant of this large freighter have come to nothing.

Fried Chicken

[PaperTiger]

Housing :uhoh: The William Lyon Company is a major developer in Southern California, and it has had a plan before the Long Beach Planning Commission for a while now to build homes on the Boeing land that adjoins the airport. Quickly followed by NIMBYism no doubt.

[Skylark_air]

Another good aircraft going to on the Desert Run, all in the name of profit.

Shame on Boeing, a company where they motto should be:

Betraying
Old classic and well
Engineered aircraft
In the name of profit
Not learning anything because of their
Grasp on the industry

[kala87]

V. sad news, the DC-9/MD-80, and more recently, the B717 were always among my favourite aircraft.

I've fond memories flying jump seat in DC-9-10's (circa 1965 vintage) in Mexico in 1999, and DC-9-30's (circa 1968 vintage) in 2003. The crews loved them, and flew them like fighters, often as not with no working autopilot. Real steam-gauge cockpit instrumentation, and all the better for it! Visual approaches into some of the southern Mexican airports, in valleys surrounded by mountain ranges,sych as Tuxtla, were beautifully executed,with neat turns on to finals at around 3 miles. Estupendo!

[Blacksheep]

The DC9/MD80/B717 was certainly one of the nicest aeroplanes to ride as a passenger. I shall miss it; but really! - all the better for steam-gauge cockpit instrumentation kala?

In this old instrument basher's expert opinion, those instruments were unreliable, inaccurate and extremely hard to keep in operational condition. People who have the skills and know-how to strip them down and repair them are getting scarce too. They were always in short supply anyway, and this clumsy Line guy found his occasional compulsory exiles to the instrument calibration lab particularly hard to bear. No-one can be bothered with the level of dedication needed to master the skills these days and I don't blame them.

Back to Boeing and Douglas. Just after Boeing took over McDonnell Douglas the next issue of Boeing's Airliner house magazine carried a picture on the inside front cover of the Boeing DC3!! Now that took some cheek, eh? At least they didn't dare to put it on the front page... :\

[Ace Rimmer]

No steam in yer 717. I flew one for a flight test report a couple of years back and it is deffo the six panel glass layout - actually what they did was take a the MD11 layout and shoe horn it into the DC9/M80 flight deck.

Though the aircraft was vey nice to fly (it had to be to tolerate my ham fisted handling) it was built on brick out house principles making it perhaps less competitive compared with other offerings. The other snag was that it was an only child rather than part of a family (Boeing were thinking about a stretch -300, I've got the gubbins on it around here somewhere basically a DC9-50 fuse based 717 - versus the -30 fuse based 717-100 but sadly it never came to pass).

That said, those who operate it seem to be very happy with it and lept coming back for more.

Mind you I recall hearing a rumor a while back (just after Boeing bought McDD) that the 717 was pretty much doomed once the deliveries passed 150 - McDs had done a risk share deal with suppliers that guaranteed 150 units worth of stock and Big B couldn't get out of it (otherwise they'd have killed it deader than dead ages back).

Ref the real estate I wouldn't be surprised when I was there the commercial side of things had contracted to just one building (the former stores) and most of the old sight was up for redevelopment.

[G-BBAE]

Ive never really understood why rear-engined jets are becoming quite unpopular with airliners, all thats being purchased is 737s or small airbuses.

[WHBM]

Ive never really understood why rear-engined jets are becoming quite unpopular with airliners
Not really, look at the recent success of the rear-engined Embraer and Canadair RJs. I think they be churning out more of these per year than DC9/727/One Elevens at the height of their production.

[CyclicRick]

No Comment:

German wings are trying out the 717 (Spanish ones), I was in one last week from EDDK to EGSS! Very quiet on the whole but the air-conditioning system went up and down with the throttles which was a bit annoying after a while because it was quite loud, but you couldn't hear the engines at all!
My favorite is still the VC-10 :ok: