TAA and the DC-9
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DHC1mk22
The curved roof hangar on the RHS is now at Caboolture, Qld....
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
And what very nearly was, instead of the Douglas DC9
Google Image Result for http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/9/8/1372890.jpg
Google Image Result for http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/9/8/1372890.jpg
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Permanently lost
Posts: 1,785
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ALR, don't think it was nearly instead of the DC-9.
As I understand it TAA wanted to introduce the Caravelle as a follow on from the Viscount. However, in the totally regulated two airline policy days Ansett didn't want to go jet and a compromise was found with the Lockheed Electra.
Australia didn't get to go jet until the introduction of the Boeing 727 which was followed by the venerable diesel 9.
As I understand it TAA wanted to introduce the Caravelle as a follow on from the Viscount. However, in the totally regulated two airline policy days Ansett didn't want to go jet and a compromise was found with the Lockheed Electra.
Australia didn't get to go jet until the introduction of the Boeing 727 which was followed by the venerable diesel 9.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes you're correct PLovett.
Interesting article from 1960 on exactly this matter. Lucky we didn't get the Airspeed Ambassador!
taa | government | electra | 1960 | 2489 | Flight Archive
Interesting article from 1960 on exactly this matter. Lucky we didn't get the Airspeed Ambassador!
taa | government | electra | 1960 | 2489 | Flight Archive
Australia didn't get to go jet until the introduction of the Boeing 727 which was followed by the venerable diesel 9.
Rgds
Love this thread, flew the DC9 and MD83 for fifteen years out of the Caribbean. Spent three years on the 707, we had a pair of ex Qantas 707's. We never referred to our Boeings as 707's, we used to call them 138's or 227's or 351's. I do get to fly to your shores now with my new employer on a French product into BNE, MEL and SYD.
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
Age: 80
Posts: 3,832
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lucky we didn't get the Airspeed Ambassador!
RECENTLY ON 'TECH LOG' in a thread on the MU-2 -
20th May 2012
sevenstrokeroll
Richard Head
DC9
earlier in the thread, someone mentioned the DC9 ...I flew it for more than 10 years and I loved it. The best plane I have or will ever fly.
When I got hired at my airline (at the time the largest DC930 operator in the world) our vice president of flying came in and said he was a rocket man and didn't care for the boeing. He then went on to say they called the DC9 the rocket.
I was disappointed at first being assigned to the DC9 while others got the 737.
BUT after flying both the 737 and the DC9 there is no comparison. The DC9 was and is called THE LAST PILOT'S AIRLINER and whoever said that was right on.
I could write about the DC9 for hours...but it is a wonderful flying plane. I had many more maintenance issues in the 737. The DC9 flew like a fighter according to one F15 driver that flew with me.
IF I HAD as much money as that kid with facebook, I would buy the rights from boeing and start buidling them again...I wouldn't lose money on em !!!
20th May 2012
sevenstrokeroll
Richard Head
DC9
earlier in the thread, someone mentioned the DC9 ...I flew it for more than 10 years and I loved it. The best plane I have or will ever fly.
When I got hired at my airline (at the time the largest DC930 operator in the world) our vice president of flying came in and said he was a rocket man and didn't care for the boeing. He then went on to say they called the DC9 the rocket.
I was disappointed at first being assigned to the DC9 while others got the 737.
BUT after flying both the 737 and the DC9 there is no comparison. The DC9 was and is called THE LAST PILOT'S AIRLINER and whoever said that was right on.
I could write about the DC9 for hours...but it is a wonderful flying plane. I had many more maintenance issues in the 737. The DC9 flew like a fighter according to one F15 driver that flew with me.
IF I HAD as much money as that kid with facebook, I would buy the rights from boeing and start buidling them again...I wouldn't lose money on em !!!
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: fort sheridan, il
Posts: 1,656
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First, I haven't had time to read the whole thread. But I do love the DC9 very much. I didn't fly it in Australia, flew it up in the USA for the largest DC9-30 operator in the world (at the time).
Someone mentioned the chatter of the speedbreak on landing...I know what you mean...and those landings were wonderful. Often, our guys would elect to manually deploy the spoilers on landing to try to smooth out the landing...they would call it a ''hand job''.
The Flight director was a work of art...
The plane was wonderful...the heritage of Douglas was a great thing.
I flew it as copilot for ten years and upgraded to captain on the 737-200...what a terrible dissapointment in an airplane! But I think all planes would be a dissapointment to someone who loved the 9.
We called it many things...pocket rocket was one ( I saw someone else call it that here)...also the Diesel 9 and simply rocket. WE did CRWOBAR approaches...simply put, if you dropped crowbar over the airport, we could beat it to the runway! ATC loved us for doing the impossible.
AS much as i hated the 737, I loved the DC9 more. Sadly, our airline retired them.
I understand DELTA acquired about 30 DC9's from NorthWest airlines and has not found a good replacement for the type, so they keep flying.
I'm looking forward to reading the whole thread.
No one understands what a great plane this is unless you flew it! Even the paint in the cockpit was better than boeing! A soothing blue green, instead of a gray like boeing has. The radar was better, the noise level in the cockpit was so low you weren't sure the engines were running unless you checked the steam gauges.
IF I WAS SUPER RICH (bill gates rich) I would buy the rights to this plane and build them as they were originally built , not the 717, and I would sell them at a competitive price and would put the others in this class out of business.
AND THEY WOULD always have the ventral stairs and the forward stairs!!!!!!
Someone mentioned the chatter of the speedbreak on landing...I know what you mean...and those landings were wonderful. Often, our guys would elect to manually deploy the spoilers on landing to try to smooth out the landing...they would call it a ''hand job''.
The Flight director was a work of art...
The plane was wonderful...the heritage of Douglas was a great thing.
I flew it as copilot for ten years and upgraded to captain on the 737-200...what a terrible dissapointment in an airplane! But I think all planes would be a dissapointment to someone who loved the 9.
We called it many things...pocket rocket was one ( I saw someone else call it that here)...also the Diesel 9 and simply rocket. WE did CRWOBAR approaches...simply put, if you dropped crowbar over the airport, we could beat it to the runway! ATC loved us for doing the impossible.
AS much as i hated the 737, I loved the DC9 more. Sadly, our airline retired them.
I understand DELTA acquired about 30 DC9's from NorthWest airlines and has not found a good replacement for the type, so they keep flying.
I'm looking forward to reading the whole thread.
No one understands what a great plane this is unless you flew it! Even the paint in the cockpit was better than boeing! A soothing blue green, instead of a gray like boeing has. The radar was better, the noise level in the cockpit was so low you weren't sure the engines were running unless you checked the steam gauges.
IF I WAS SUPER RICH (bill gates rich) I would buy the rights to this plane and build them as they were originally built , not the 717, and I would sell them at a competitive price and would put the others in this class out of business.
AND THEY WOULD always have the ventral stairs and the forward stairs!!!!!!
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: fort sheridan, il
Posts: 1,656
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
gentlemen, thanks for a great thread
If I may, here are a couple of stories from north of the equator!
One guy would get out of the captain's seat, move it and allow access to the E&E compartment, which as some would remember, allow access to the ground.
So, he would get out of the plane before the jetbridge came up, clamber down ( a skinny pilot ) and run up the stairs outside the jetway...well, the flight attendants would open up the cockpit door and see that the captain was gone
and when they opened up the main cabin door he would pretend to be out of breath and say: I had to run to catch up with you from Pittsburgh!
Also, sadly, I was present when one of our planes crashed in Charlotte , North Carolina, USA. We were parked at the gate the ill fated plane was scheduled to come into. I watched the storm approach the field...I've never said this before or since...while doing the walk around on my plane I said...THAT STORM HAS EVIL IN IT...very green clouds. Ran into my plane to monitor ATC...storm approached, shook our plane at the gate...NO WARNING FROM ATC to planes on the approach. Lightning...heard the plane announce a go around and then ATC scrambling to try to raise them on the radio...I ran out and saw the smoke coming up from the crash. Sadly, during the go aroundthe pilots did not go to full goaround power and were late going to firewall power. Would it have mattered? who would know?
I met the captain as he jumpseated a year later...shook his hand...filled with sweat...I had made a PIREP of windshear and he said, why bother? No one cares.
sort of sad. and our planes had windshear alerting system...but we found out afterward that if you were in a 15 degree bank or more, it didn't work.
We use to use flaps 40 all the time, but flaps 50 when we wanted a really short landing. We got noise reduction kits and couldn't use flaps 50 anymore except in emergency.
our shortest segment was elmira new york, usa to binghamtom new york...less than 40 statue miles...4000 feet.
our climb profile was 250, till 10,000', then 290 to cruise...but we always went much faster...on our last leg home, we did clacker climb, clacker cruise, clacker descent, and then 250 to the marker. We used GHP for the engines....GET HOME POWER. Easily cruised above .8mach. Sometimes got aileron buzz.
I saw one guy put the reversers out in flight (20,000feet)...no problem.
some guys pulled the reverse just as the wheels hit the ground.
I remember the trim knobs and hiding pornography there
IF YOU EVER SEE a movie called, the PILOT, with actor Cliff Robertson, flying a DC8, the crew all look at the trim knob cover and laugh...you knew what was going on there!!!!!
great plane...many more stories, but that's it for now.
I do want to remind you all that the construction of the DC9 was much stronger than the 737...it had finger laps and you would never popped the top like the 737 in hawaii.
If I may, here are a couple of stories from north of the equator!
One guy would get out of the captain's seat, move it and allow access to the E&E compartment, which as some would remember, allow access to the ground.
So, he would get out of the plane before the jetbridge came up, clamber down ( a skinny pilot ) and run up the stairs outside the jetway...well, the flight attendants would open up the cockpit door and see that the captain was gone
and when they opened up the main cabin door he would pretend to be out of breath and say: I had to run to catch up with you from Pittsburgh!
Also, sadly, I was present when one of our planes crashed in Charlotte , North Carolina, USA. We were parked at the gate the ill fated plane was scheduled to come into. I watched the storm approach the field...I've never said this before or since...while doing the walk around on my plane I said...THAT STORM HAS EVIL IN IT...very green clouds. Ran into my plane to monitor ATC...storm approached, shook our plane at the gate...NO WARNING FROM ATC to planes on the approach. Lightning...heard the plane announce a go around and then ATC scrambling to try to raise them on the radio...I ran out and saw the smoke coming up from the crash. Sadly, during the go aroundthe pilots did not go to full goaround power and were late going to firewall power. Would it have mattered? who would know?
I met the captain as he jumpseated a year later...shook his hand...filled with sweat...I had made a PIREP of windshear and he said, why bother? No one cares.
sort of sad. and our planes had windshear alerting system...but we found out afterward that if you were in a 15 degree bank or more, it didn't work.
We use to use flaps 40 all the time, but flaps 50 when we wanted a really short landing. We got noise reduction kits and couldn't use flaps 50 anymore except in emergency.
our shortest segment was elmira new york, usa to binghamtom new york...less than 40 statue miles...4000 feet.
our climb profile was 250, till 10,000', then 290 to cruise...but we always went much faster...on our last leg home, we did clacker climb, clacker cruise, clacker descent, and then 250 to the marker. We used GHP for the engines....GET HOME POWER. Easily cruised above .8mach. Sometimes got aileron buzz.
I saw one guy put the reversers out in flight (20,000feet)...no problem.
some guys pulled the reverse just as the wheels hit the ground.
I remember the trim knobs and hiding pornography there
IF YOU EVER SEE a movie called, the PILOT, with actor Cliff Robertson, flying a DC8, the crew all look at the trim knob cover and laugh...you knew what was going on there!!!!!
great plane...many more stories, but that's it for now.
I do want to remind you all that the construction of the DC9 was much stronger than the 737...it had finger laps and you would never popped the top like the 737 in hawaii.