McDonnell Douglas DC-8-70 (N817NA)

A fantastic capture!! A NASA bird AND a DC-8. As always, the pic is *****+ and then add in the fact it is a DC-8 (another 5) and a NASA bird (5 more). Ultra exceptional, Colin.

A total of 556 DC-8s in all variants were built between 1959 and 1973. The 70 series were all conversions of 60 series from the J3TD engines to CFM-56 turbofans. 110 60s were converted to 70s. Less than 30 are known to be flying world wide, most as freighters or private birds.

Flew on many of these back in the day. There was a perception, especially if you sat in the back of a "Stretch 8", that the plane drooped on either side of the wing spar.

I loved flying on Delta's DC-8s back in the day. Most people don't know that the DC-8 was the first passenger jet to go supersonic. On August 21, 1961, Douglas test pilot William Magruder (with none other than Chuck Yeager flying chase) took N9604Z to Mach 1.01 in a dive from 52,000 feet (also a record) at Edwards Air Force Base.

Here is a photo of the DC-8 that broke the sound barrier: "https://flightaware.com/photos/view/4108897-09dc8a2e1fdd22cbad64e741fd03eb84234934b5/aircraft/CFCPG/sort/date/page/1"

The airplane is operated by NASA out of Armstrong Flight Research Center/Edwards Air Force Base. When I was at NASA Ames between 1988 and 1998, it was operated out of Moffett Airfield, Mountain View, CA with the tail number of N717NA.

Fantastic shot of this unique aircraft!

Agree on the FIVE STAR of any DC-8, and, such a superb photograph!
However, I don't understand why this re-engined DC-8-30 is categorized as a "Series 70", because, it was a DC-8-30 (short versus stretch version) before the engine upgrade.

I don't understand why it not possibly a DC-8-50, the stretch versions being DC-60/70s.
Even if the engines are greatly de-rated, this DC-8 must have one heck of a climb rate.

National airlines "Beverly" was my first flight on a commercial jet when I was 14, having paid for the flight with my lawn mowing money.
Little brother got to go for free thanks to the parents.

That looks like a -30 or -50 series. Its not stretched long enough to be a "Super 60/70”.

Brilliant aircraft, very heavy to fly compared to the Boeing 747 but I loved flying it for many years worldwide including a flight from Singapore to Melbourne when we had a partial Hydraulic failure we manually flew it for the rest of the flight, had it fixed in Australia and we lost the same hydraulic pump (engine driven) on our way back to Singapore where we parked it and got off. The company asked us to take it to Bangkok.....nope we have done our bit.....sort it out.

Very nice story Paul. I've always liked the DC8. Was there only the single hydraulic system for flight controls? Engine driven pumps on all engines or maybe not?? The F28 would be the closest I have come to this kind of scenario...