MD80 vs Boeing 717

[George_08]

Hey,

I presume that some of you guys around here have flown either/or both of these planes at some point in your careers.
Anyhow, I was speaking to an Iberia pilot the other day who is rated on the MD80, and said he "really needs four eyes to keep a check on all the controls" - What with the 717 being basically an updated MD80, and with more digital panels, does it make for a very different flying experience?

Also, more importantly - did you enjoy flying either or both of these aircraft?

Thanks,
George :)

[tinpis]

Could be wrong but I thought the 717 was a rehashed DC9-30?

http://www.geocities.com/nrpc04/dc9-30.JPG

http://superciliousness.com/hello/254/718/640/Impulse%20717%20AirlinersNetPhotoID212380.jpg

http://xoomer.alice.it/airclipper/MD80_Spanair_EC-GNY_Fregnan.jpg

http://www.caribbeanalpa.com/gallery/images/717cockpit_o.jpg

http://free.kkhy.com/dragon/Cabin_DC9-30.jpg

[dudduddud]

The 717-200 is a rehash of the MD-95, which never made it into production. It was about 5' longer than the DC-9-30 but uses the -34's wing.

http://www2.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=111

[Nardi Riviera]

"...who is rated on the MD80, and said he "really needs four eyes to keep a check on all the controls"

That very phrase that I heard from a friend, captain on MD-80's.

He stated that "if your x-check is not up to par, it will bite your ass".

Bless him. He could tell us a few stories, if he had the time.

:hmm:

[On-MarkBob]

I have never flown the Boeing 717 but I have flown both types of MD80. That is the clockwork one with normal instrumentation and the first glass cockpit one. It’s definitely a Pilots aeroplane and what I mean by that is the pilot is very much a part of what goes on. If you’re not in the loop it will bite! A pleasure to fly but hard to fly consistently well, but this makes it all the more satisfying when you get it right. Train on one of these and you can fly anything currently made in the airline business with ease.
When you get to know the aircraft it actually helps you by giving you clues. For example, when the altitude horn goes off its not just telling you that you’re approaching your assigned altitude, but asking you ‘where are the throttles?’ The engines can take up to 8 seconds to spool up, in the descent with the throttles closed it’s a prompt to think about applying power or you can be in the brown stuff! The wings are small and the airspeed can decay rapidly.
Then there is Mable as we called her. She tells you stuff like ‘Stabilizer Motion’ letting you know that the aircraft is automatically trimming the stabilizer. I remember as an F/O with Paramount at Bristol and another company MD aircraft asked for start up before us, incensed by this the Captain placed his headset by Mable’s speaker and transmitted the fire warning over the RT. ‘Fire Right Engine’. It worked, they shut the engine down to investigate and we got away before them. You’d be sacked for that today, but then it was just a laugh. When Airtours put the extra passenger seats in, the range went down somewhat and suddenly we couldn’t make places we used to. We would have to tech stop, often. I’ve never done so many unscheduled diversions since. The Guys in Ops called it the ‘Scud’ after Sadam’s missiles. They used to fire us off with no idea where we would come down!!
I was lucky to have done my training with M/Douglas in Los Angeles. Nothing like being taught by the people who made it. I remember going around the factory one day and peering into a jet through the forward air-stair door. A man was inside holding the riveting dolly for the guy on the outside as they were riveting the nose/cockpit onto the fuselage. The temperature was making life a misery for this chap so he had got himself a huge office fan and had that in there with him. He had obviously put it there before the nose was butted. At a suitable interlude I said “can I ask you a question?”, “Yeh, sure, go ahead” he said “OK, how do you get the fan out when you’ve finished?”. He looked at the fan, then looked at me, then looked at the fan again and said “OH ****!”
Great aeroplane, fond memories!