As a guy who restored several airplanes and participated in a couple of early RVSM certifications, I can not imagine anyone trying to take a MD90 backwards to an earlier configuration. It would be a nightmare. While possibly legal, who knows if the parts even exist to dumb down an airplane to "State of the Art, Bicentennial Edition" ? Also, unless it was done under a prior approval, I doubt today's FAA Certification folks would sign off on an MD80 series type. The electrical systems don't tie together well and knowing Douglas, no one is entirely sure how the thing ever was designed to work in the first place. Those engineers are gone, scattered to the wind and too many work arounds were solved on the production floor (instead of by engineers that left a great paper trail). These sort of problems are why you see a bunch of airplanes parked in corrosion corners around the World.

One of the issues with the MD88's is that Delta's configuration is a little different. We were told to overhaul / repair some of the computers is astonishingly expensive. I would guess one reason aircraft get new flight decks is that the reliability, cost and availability is far better on stuff that is still in production.

There is too much good plug and use stuff available these days to believe Delta would spend millions trying to re-produce 1970's landfill fodder.

The 717 is a pretty radically different animal from an MD90.

End of the day, there are good reasons these airplanes ended up unloved orphans.

I did not say back Bar. I said same configuration. Like the old ones we have and convert them forward to the MD-9X configuration. Make sense?

Here are some great pictures of the Eyjafjallajokull

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/201...llajokull.html

I like that idea. More automation, now if they could do something about the small stubby wing and no pilot storage area.

Anyone know if that stuff still exists?

Avic is essentially building an updated 717. They dumped the avionics package and went with Collins Pro Line 21. The nice thing about the Collins Pro Line 21 is that it works with nearly everything else Delta has in it's newer jets like the 737, 777, 767-400 and the newer AirBus products. If the picture looks a whole lot like a CRJ cockpit, it is because this particular off the shelf solution is lifted largely from that application.

I like the tape to hold the slats up (still a DC9 'eh? )

YouTube - China´s ARJ21 700 jet makes successful test run - CCTV 071609

http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/attachm...fwXxHMMdhN.jpg

http://www.aerospace-technology.com/...es/ARJ21_5.jpg

I hear ya. Seems like the only jets that have storage anymore are the biggins.

Heyas,

Airtran is quite aware of our "blind spot" in the 100 seat category and what we'd most likely do with any 717s.

My guess is that they'd learn from DALs previous mistake and move to aquire any 717s before DAL got hold of them. Airtran is a good Boeing customer also.

Any plan to make a viable 717 fleet has pretty slim odds.

Nu

Well, if they can do it with 25 MD-90's they can do it with a few more. It is all about ROI.

Probably not, but if the FAA would sign off on a joint category with the 717 then it would make sense.

Also there is a minimal change that they would need to make to the 767/757 displays to make them compatible with the 767-400. CAL flies it in the same category. They have a few extra displays with their classic jets to make it work.

It basically equates to a speed tape on the left side of the PFD.

AAI has been looking at dumping theirs.

Yep. AirTran's complaints are lack of range and lack of economical maintenance support for orphans.

The L1011 was a GREAT airplane. It just wasn't maintainable. Solution, obvious.

If the Chinese actually produce a viable fleet of these re-worked MD90's (they actually have more in common with a MD90 than a 717) it might breathe new life into the program, but expect Boeing to fight it every step of the way and in the US, Boeing has the ear of the DOT.