[QUOTE]perception in the community that the md80 is a bad plane...BULL!!!!!
the DC9/MD80/MD90 series is one of the finest, strongest planes built. It is a joy to fly if you are a good stick and rudder pilot. It has few computers and the pilot is directly in charge of just about everything.
it has two flaws...bad piloting and bad maintenance.
The DC9 was called the last "pilot's airliner".
If you point at the md80 crashes by the third world airlines, see the above.
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I concur with the above. Current on the A340, flown Boeing, Lockheed, Hawker Siddley and the one I would gladly go back to is the DC9/MD83. Engine failures can be a challenge as the rudder input is rather heavy and can be mishandled.