MD-80

Mad Dog, what comes to mind when you hear that phrase, an actual animal? Well unfortunately you are wrong. 

Hello Aviators

Today's blog is centered around a beastly aircraft named the MD-80 aka Mad Dog, the previous blog was discussing the DC-9 made by the Douglas Aircraft Company, well a couple of years after the release of the DC-9, The Douglas Aircraft Company became McDonnell Douglas (MD) after merging with McDonnell Aircraft Corporation in 1967 and this company was responsible for creating the MD-80.

History of the MD-80

The MD-80 was developed as a successor to the popular aircraft covered in the previous blog, the DC-9. Development of the MD-80 began in 1970 with the foundation of the aircraft being the DC-9. At first, the aircraft was called the DC-9 Super 80 but was renamed the MD-80 in 1983, the MD-80 was essentially a stretched more powerful version of the DC-9. The aircraft took off for the first time in October 1979 and began operations with Swissair in October 1980. 1191 MD-80s were built across several variants by the time production stopped in 1999, this aircraft also acted as the backbone of many airline fleets around the world. What made this aircraft so special is that when it was introduced to the market, it was 37% more fuel efficient than the closest competition. There are several reasons why the plane was nicknamed the Mad Dog, the first being how quick and powerful this aircraft would take off, almost as if it was a Mad Dog leaping away. The second reason is because of the noise made by the aircraft's engines when it was taking off, lastly, Mad Dog fits the MD initial in MD-80.

Specifications of the MD-80.

The MD-80 had several variants ranging from the MD-81 to the MD-88 with the most popular version being the MD-82. The MD-82 is powered by 2 Pratt and Whitney JT8D engines, similar to those on the DC-9 but with a few power differences, allowing the aircraft to achieve a maximum cruise speed of 898km/h. The plane has a wingspan of 32.82m, a height of 9.02m, and a length of 45.01m. The aircraft has a range of 3797km and can fly at a maximum altitude of around 11 000m. 

Unlike the DC-9, the MD-80 had much fewer crashes with the type only experiencing 18 accidents or incidents as of 2022. In 2022 the number of MD-80 aircraft that are still active only stands at 77 with most aircraft being converted to freighters, the rest were either retired due to age and operating costs or were written off as a result of crashes. There isn't much to say about the MD-80 because it is essentially a longer version of the  DC-9, but I hope you all learned a little something new today from this blog. Till the next one, STAY FLYING HIGH.