UPS To Ax ALL DC8s
 

UPS will be axing all of their DC8s come this May 31, 2009.

How many are still flying ?.

Was it something like 44 airframes ?

I think they are the largest operator on the planet .............. Its a shame to see these absolutely beautiful aircraft go.

UPS DC8s
 

I wonder how many will end up on the Ghanain register?
Or in the Gulf (Arabian) region?
Or with Johnsons Air/HeavyLift?

Or all three???

I may be wrong, but I heard somewhere that they are all owned or contractually obligated to Boeing in exchange for a good price on the B-757PF 's that UPS bought. Therefore the will not be operated by anyone else, rather they will be scrapped when UPS is done with them. Hope it's not true. One of my glider instructors was in International Sales at Douglas Aircraft Division of McD, and said that UPS once approached Douglas for a price for 60 new-build 70-series DC-8 Freighters. A price and schedule proposal was to be worked-up but it was discovered that the facilities manager in Long Beach had sold the DC-8 production tooling for scrap, ending the possibility of more 8's. He was supposedly fired on the spot. UPS then approached Boeing for B-757 freighters, and got a deal, with "terms".

First jet I ever flew in my life was a UPS DC-8.

That was over 20 years ago but seems like yesterday..Time flies.:sad:

A beautiful airplane, I remember as a kid, watching them come off of the LGB production line in the sixties.

I too have heard of the Boeing deal - to receive them in trade and chop them up in order to get them off of the market, while making room for new freighter demand. Built like iron, they were affectionately known as "pieces of eight".

It is an awesome a/c to fly. I suppose if UPS parks them, the only airlines left operating a "fleet" size operation will be us (Astar) and ATI. It will be interesting to see how much longer the Mighty Diesel will be able to take to the skies. I fear not for long...

I flew the DC-8 as passenger and cargo airplane in the 1980s...
Must say that it was a decent airplane (although I was a Boeing guy)...
Did not like the DC8-50 and -61. Flew these very little.
But the 62/63 and 73 were great machines with decent payload.
The 71 was ok - but only as passenger airplane.
xxx
The story our friend 727gm mentions above is quite correct.
However it was not for building additional DC-8.
It was to convert more 60 series into 70 series with CFM nacelles-engines.
MacDac hoped by stopping DC8-70F production to sell more DC-10F...
xxx
:8
Happy contrails

I like Boeings as well, B. But Mr. Douglas built his a/c like tanks. That's why it is so similar to driving a tank, dont'cha know. :E

UPS acquired 3-4 of my airlines -63s and converted to -73s. Now this was in the early eighties more than 25 years ago. I believe all those airplanes are still flying. I understand UPS did considerable cockpit upgrades.

I flew the DC-8 (55,63,71) as F/O for 4 years. One great airplane. I hope a couple get preserved in museums.

My understanding was that the proposal WAS for new-build DC-8's. The 70-series were not built by Douglas, but were ALL conversions of existing 60-series aircraft by Cammacorp of El Segundo, and some converted under license by Delta; and given a series designation by Douglas, sort of an incestuous relationship. I doubt that Douglas would turn down a 60-new-aircraft order. The tooling at Long Beach would be for actual new aircraft builds, fuselages, wings, tails, etc.

anyone got any nice pics of them pleez

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Photo Search Results | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad to hear it.
I really love to see these old gals out and about.
They still look so rakish and tough.
I guess that at the end of the day, the economics just don't favor their continued use.

Well if they really are in need of retirement, or expensive to operate etc.. how come they won't sell them onto the open market?

Could it be that they are possibly still quite competitive?

Those CFM engines have so much excess thrust available that when the PF calls for "climb thrust", the engineer pushes the throttles forward, rather than pulling them aft to a lower thrust setting like the ol' 727.

Sorry, not true.
The DC-8 tooling was purposely scrapped by Douglas so that a re-engined airplane would not be in competition with the DC-10.

A known fact amongst former Douglas execs.
And yes, my Dad was one of them.
For 33 years.

I suspect (although cannot be sure) that all UPS DC-8 aircraft will have the data plate removed and be scrapped.
A shame, because it is a fine well engineered aircraft.
Top-notch in nearly every respect.
Build quality on a par with the L1011.

The story goes that when UPS decided on the 757's, Boeing made it a condition of the deal that when the DC-8's were to be retired from their fleet that they would be turned over to Boeing to be scrapped. Maybe some UPS folks can shed some light on this part of the tale.