Delta Celebrates 25 Years of MD88
 

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April 30th, 2012 by Laura M. in delta.com
This past April 2012, a major milestone was achieved at Delta when our workhorse MD-88 fleet reached its 25th birthday with the company.

It was on April 1, 1987 that the first “MaDDog” in Delta’s livery, took to the skies with revenue passengers. Ronald Reagan was President; Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” was at the top of the record charts, “Cheers” was a ratings leader on television and “Lethal Weapon” was a huge box office smash. A quarter century later, the MD-88 is still hard at work, and with a recent face lift, doing so with modern style and enhanced comfort for our customers. Reflecting on the changes witnessed by the 88’s over the years is fascinating. For example, in-flight WiFi, now a staple on the MD-88 fleet, was not even on the planning charts in 1987. In fact, the internet, still in its infancy, was mostly a specialized collection of USENET newsgroups for colleges and scientists. Indeed, the MD88’s have seen a period of tremendous progress and exciting change during their careers at Delta.

The design of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series evolved from that of the Douglas DC-9, an aircraft first flown by Delta in November, 1965. Owing to successive “stretches” in the DC-9 family, the MD-80 series features about twice the passenger capacity of the first DC-9-14’s, along with significantly more powerful and efficient JT8D-219 engines.

Delta placed its initial order for 30 MD-88s in January 1986, with options for 50 more. Delta’s leadership, anxious to ingest additional capacity into the fleet as rapidly as possible concurrent with the Western Airlines merger, elected to take the first eight ships in the order as model MD-82’s, the forerunner to the MD-88. These were Ships 901-908 (N901DL-N908DL), delivered in March-May, 1987. Ultimately, these aircraft were modified by Delta to MD-88 configuration with the more advanced flight deck in 1988.

Delta had four MD-82s in service with its April 1, 1987 schedule. The inaugural cities served were Atlanta, Austin, Birmingham, Cincinnati, Jackson, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Shreveport, and Washington, DC.

One early ship is especially noteworthy from a historical perspective. Delta’s MD-82, Ship 905 (N905DL), was the symbolic centerpiece of merger ceremonies between Delta and Western Airlines in April 1987. The aircraft carried a decal showing a thumbs-up version of “Wally bird” logo, the long-time Western Airlines marketing symbol, fixed just beside the Delta widget logo on the forward part of Ship 905. Ship 905 was on display at Delta/Western employee merger ceremonies in Los Angeles on April 1, and the next day for employees in Salt Lake City.

MD-88

MD-88’s began arriving at Delta with Ship 909 (N909DL) in December 1987. Delta placed its first MD-88 into service on January 5, 1988. As compared to the early MD-82’s, the MD-88 had an updated “glass cockpit” with digital displays powered by cathode ray tubes (CRTs). This advanced avionics package eventually allowed Delta crews to shoot Category 3 instrument approaches. The MD-88 also featured aerodynamics improvements, including a redesigned (“screwdriver tip”) tail cone.

The MD-88 was delivered with a wider than usual 22-inch aisle in the coach cabin. Another new feature were handrails along the edge of the overhead bins, adding to the comfort and safety of passengers moving through the cabin. The final MD-88 (ship 9020) was delivered to Delta in December 1993.

Today, with approximately 115 ships still in service, the MD-88 soldiers on, like an old friend. Still very competent in the execution of the duties it was first obtained to perform a quarter century ago.

This is the MD88. Watch it sit still waiting for a gate in slow motion.


It's pretty badass. Look. It runs all over the place. "Whoa! Watch out!" says that 767.

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviatio.../6/1606689.jpg

Eew, it's got a JT8D! Oh! It's chasing a gate that's occupied with an RON! Oh my gosh!

Oh, the MD88 is just crazy!

The MD88 has been referred to by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most fearless airliner in the airline kingdom. It really doesn't give a ****. If it's late, it's late.

Eew! What's that smell from the forward lav? Oh, it leaks in the rain? Oh it can taxi backwards?

Now watch this: look a D0 just went D+1... MD88 don't care. It just goes when it wants. Whenever it's ready it just -- Eew, look at the back of that tail…. Watch it fly! Look at that ####.

The MD88 is really pretty badass. It has no regard for any other airplane whatsoever. Look at him, he's just grunting, and #######. Eew!

What's that? A split elevator on taxi? Aileron’s just flapping in the wind? Oh that's nasty. They're so nasty. Oh look it's chasing things and scaring them!

The MD88s have a fairly long body, but a distinctly thickset broad pneumatically heated strakes unless it’s a 90 then they’re electric, and, you know, their controls are on cables to tabs, allowing them to move about freely, and they twist around.

Now look: Here's the end of the runway. Do you think the MD88 cares? It doesn't give a ****, it goes right to the end to get some pavement. Flaps 5 takeoff? Flaps 28 landing plus 15 knots? How disgusting is that? Now the brakes will squeal. Eew, that's so nasty.

But look! The MD88 doesn't care! It's at the gate getting dinged like a thousand times. It doesn't give a ****. It's just hungry. It doesn't care about being dinged. Nothing can stop the MD88 when it's hungry. What a crazy ####!

It's sitting in slow-motion again. Still waiting for the gate.

Now, what's interesting is that other airplanes just wait around until the MD88 is done flying, and then it swoops in to pick up the scraps. It says, "You do all the work for us, MD88, and we'll just take whatever you earned, how's that? What'daya say, stupid?"

Look at this 320: "Thanks for the Song Flying and the shuttle, stupid!"

Look at this EMB-175 talking to the 320: "Thanks for the shuttle flying, stupid!"

"Hey, come back here," says the MD88.

Airbuses don't care, and you know what? The Boeings do it too. Oh, look at these little RJs. They're like "Thanks stupid! Thanks for the flying! See you later." The MD88 does all the work and all these other planes just pick up the scraps.

At nightime the MD88 goes hunting for gates, because it's IROPs on a clear day in Atlanta and it’s on time but there is no room on ramp 2... so it's late.

Oh, look, now it’s 149 passengers instead of 142! Look at that ####, no more aft galley? Long line waiting to get on? Little does the MD88 sitting at the gate know, FYI: it's been stung! It's been bitten by the early ground power pull from the rampers who didn’t ask to pull power and air -- eew, that's disgusting -- all the poisonous venom is seeping through the MD88's electrical body, and it passes out.

Now the MD88 is going to pass out for a minute, and then it's going to get right back up and it’s ready to go, and on the way in ATTILA sends a message, slow to cross RMG 5 minutes later than the 300 cost index calculated, but that message is erased before anyone knew it was sent, because it's a tyrannical bastard. 500 cost index now!

Look at this! Like nothing happened! The MD88 gets right back in there and makes A-35 but no gate!

How disgusting. There goes the last DFW! There’s screaming in that cockpit. That DFW wasn’t due out until 15 minutes prior to the original arrival time.

And of course, what does the dejected MD88 sleep-in-the-lounge pilots have to eat for the night?

Chinese food in terminal B with that guy who is out to set the speed record for yanking your change out of the drawer, you cash wielding bastard. That guy is fast.

The MD88.

You are brilliant. Bowing down and facing ATL as I post.

Love it, love it. Glad to see that classic post again on the big 2-5 for the MadDog.

Brilliant prose! It should be mandatory reading for all prospective airline wannabees. My hat is off to all the Manliest of all Manly airplanes! Of course I always have a soft spot in my heart for the Rabid Chihuahua (DC-9,not the Mad Dog)....

That is FUNNY as sh*T!!!
- ATL MD88 driver here.....Mandarin Express cash slinger..too funny

Bravo sir......

"Mad Dogs....we do more before 8 am than most fleets do all day!!!"

I remember when I was young and saw one go backwards for the first time.

The MD-80 (with another carrier who thinks their's are Super) got me into flying. I still love the thing (even though I've never flown it). It's the only thing that could make Rube Goldberg go, "Man that's complicated!"

I'm positive the day I retire the MadDog is still chugging along in DL colors, eating up RJ (or whatever we'll call it in 30 years) for breakfast.

I can't believe Delta got them only 2 months after I was born. :eek:

Hahahaha you have never seen the MD90 :eek:

Can you say "pylon flaps"

Rube would be \sooo proud .

Time well spent! Bravo on the honey badger remake.

Check this site out. DC-9/maddog stuff...

AIRLINERCAFE.COM - Ultimate DC-9/MD-80/MD-90/MD-95 Guide

The mighty maddog had some sad days too...

http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/dl1288/1.jpg

http://www.airdisaster.com/photos/dl554/1.jpg

http://avherald.com/img/delta_md88_atlanta_110528_1.jpg

Some MD88 trivia for you "newbies". Why is it called an MD88, not 85 or 86? Because Delta was the carrier that partnered with M/D for the all class/EFIS cockpit and it was to be delivered.....1988.

Why did Delta choose the MD88 and not the modern 737-400/500 at the time? During the mid 1980s the UDF (unducted fan) was at the forefront being developed. If it had become a reality, it would have been easy to reengine rear mounted engines vs the underwing engines. A gamble that seems to have paid off, even without the UDFs.

Was in the first MD82 class in Long Beach. The capts were DC9 drivers and were somewhat awed at the glass (the ones who had not flown the 75/76). The 88 was my first capt's job there and loved it.

Would love to go back and do some real "flying" again. But not the 4 to 6 legs a day and 9 hour layovers. Enjoy.......

Started a collection of artwork from the executive offices of various aircraft manufacturers. My first item was from Boeing:


... and just picked up my Douglas print:

Thank you for your work, doing the dangerous and thankless job of flight test, while in revenue service. Thanks to your generation of MD drivers and ours, and thousands of service difficulty reports, airworthiness directives, mod programs, work arounds and re writes of performance manuals phase one is nearly complete. The challenges of doing this work while maintaining a schedule can not be over stated.

Our jet now has fences, kinks, chord extensions, fairings, changes in angle of incidence, tail anhedral, vents, dozens of strakes, vortilons, root extensions, tabs, three different stabilizer extensions, anti float tabs, fins, four different pylon fairings, five separate tip extensions, pylon elevators and hinge modifications ... and as long as we manually add 10 knots to the FMC hold speed, it won't stall and fall into a spin by hitting execute.

True story - Talking to an FAA Certification Program Manager ... "yeah, it is a horrid design, but very few have crashed." Tip of the hat to you and those who continue your work, even past the demise of the morons, I mean, manufacturer, who built the thing.

Now that is seriously...funny. Starting sound or maybe look like a Beech 1900.

So Bar, what I hear you saying is the -88 is the V tail bonanza for airline pilots.

Lest we forget that while undergoing flight testing, the DC9-80s tail fell off during hard landing tests. But is there a quieter commercial cockpit in existence?

You mean a Designated Engineering Representative did a lot of work under a FAA Delegation of Authority program Friday afternoon after a three martini lunch?

I'm laughing because there is so much ironic truth in what you just posted.

MD-80 tail separation during landing - YouTube

http://www.911research.dsl.pipex.com...vy_landing.jpg

Now I know that this is a celebratory thread for the Mad Dog, so we wouldn't want to put it down too much, but after reading Bucking Bar's post a few above, I was reminded of perhaps my favorite thing I have ever read on this forum, period.

Would anyone be able to dig up Bucking Bar's 100 item MD-88 list? Anyone who hadn't read it when it was buried in the DL Latest & Greatest would get a second chance, and anyone reading it a second time will still laugh for a good twenty minutes.

It seems like the MD-88 wouldn't care if it were posted on it's birthday thread.

Wow wow wow WOW! Someone has some time on their hands.

Thank you and I hope someone finds it. Need to add a couple of things. Sand Bags to get the CG in the green got left off.

So no flight testing? No research? No documets? Just a drunk and a pen?

And its still here 25 years later with a lot more to go?

That MD-88, it really is a bad ass.

Well if you're playing music, might as well dance, MD88 FMC Style!

Like the Fed says, "... it doesn't crash much."

FMS does everything you tell it to do.

the best way to prevent having issues... put down the newspaper.

So the Fed that cetified the 88 to enter service thought it was fine to certify because it doesn't crash much?

It shouldnt crash much since it hadn't been certified yet.

http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/ima...80sw007883.gif

Wow, Douglas technical schematics from the original maintenance manual. Left this off:

I think Bar likes the MD-88 about as much as I like the 737.