My first job after high school was working for Douglas on DC8s. My job was crawling inside the wings and seal the fuel tanks.

In the early 1990's I loaded a lot of packages on UPS DC-8's that started off as airliners and were converted to freighters. They held 18 air containers and pushing that last short one all the way to the back of the cabin was a long shove. They had four belly compartments. I spent some quality time loading and unloading those, too. They required a tail stand on the rear because those fuselages were so long. The last container position was so far aft of the main gear that too much weight in back would lift the nose off the ground. Weight and balance on aircraft is always important, but the DC-8's seemed a lot more sensitive than some other planes we loaded. It was fun to stand on the ramp when they started the engines. They did not have APUs, so they needed big huffer carts to get the engines turning. Once the fuel lit off you could feel the rumble in your chest. I got to marshall them in to their parking spots on a lot of cold early mornings. It's fun to wave a couple of flashlights at a plane that big.

I was 5 years old in 1958. My dad took us to watch the maiden flight of the DC 8. Will never forget it.

9,500 hours of DC-8 time in my logbook. Flew the -54.-55,-61,-62,-63,-71& the mighty -73 around the world. Almost all are gone now. Lots of great memories. You did not get a DC-8 type rating, you got a search warrant. Searching for all of the different locations that Douglas put the switches and gauges and controls according to the desires of the particular airline that originally ordered the aircraft.

I loved flying the DC8. I flew many different models. 55, 61, 62, 63 and the 73. The 62's I flew were ex MGM Grand and had APU's. The 63 was the model I flew the most. Flew many types in my 38 year career but will always have fond memories of the DC8.

The Douglas DC-8 was an awesome piece of engineering which had a long service life. She was the first aircraft I worked on and I've had the pleasure of flying in her cockpit. There were very few combi aircraft but quite a few DC-8 Combi's and they ran around the world never letting their customers down.

In 1973, at age 16, my first time in an airplane was a United DC-8 from Denver to N.Y. It was a thrill in every way; I wish I could fly in one again.

I was first an FE on the DC-8. I flew for Fine Air. Great bird and very fast workhorse!

Freakin best review I’ve ever heard about the dc-8. Speaker is more articulate than most American born hosts I’ve ever heard. And English is obviously not his first language. Amazing narration my brother. Fantastic. Keep’m coming.

Another masterpiece from the best reviewer, keep it up my friend

My Favorite 4 engine plane. Also when Douglas was Douglas.

I remember in 1969 living near O'HARE seeing a delta stretch 8 or series 63 .. it was so beautiful landing and so low over our house

Always loved the look of that bird :)

Great video. It takes me back to my old A&P days. I worked on all the Boeing commercial jets (of the time) and all the Douglas jets too. The DC8-73 and 747's were my favorites.

As always, thank you, Sky! The most original and the most informative of KZfaq.

Flew on many stretched Delta DC-8's. Loved them. They looked awesome on the ramp as well.

1:40 absolutely one of your best scripts, yet. Well put and properly descriptive..that being said overall this video is fantastic. Thanks for a another great video.

I flew on a DC-8 twice as a child. Once to Copenhagen, Stopped in Greenland for fuel. And to Washington Dc. Good video!

Back in the seventies i flew on a charter DC-8-6 of Air Bahama between Luxembourg and Nassau with a stop for fuel in Shannon. Although it was a cheap chartered flight, I was offered tons of games to play with (I was 7), and the staff was very friendly. Thank you for your great videos.

As a former engineer of SNECMA (now SAFRAN) I can add that it was the DC8 reengined program with the CFM56 engines (CFM is a joint venture between Snecma and GE launched in 1974) which saved the CFM56 from cancellation in 1979 with the first orders from United, Delta and Flying Tigers if I remember correctly. Thanks to this first order CFM flourished and has now equipped more that 9000 BOEING 737 aircraft, 4500 Airbus A320 series aircraft, about 500 reengined KC135 refueling aircraft, 250 Airbus A340 .... Not forgetting the 110 DC8 which were reengined at the beginning!!

Loved the video, especially a statement you made towards the end "Time has no mercy" Indeed, well said !

I always found the DC-8's to be a bit more attractive than the 707's

That was thoroughly enjoyable. I was born in Toronto in 1960. Our home was 5 miles (8 kms) from Toronto International Airport. The flight path was directly over our house. I mean, absolutely 90 degrees vertical overhead at about 1,500 feet (460 M) On busy days, we could see five planes in the air; one overhead, two approaching our house and two leaving. They flew in either direction, but most often East to West. By far, the DC-8 was the most common plane. But they were really loud. When the DC-8 Stretch came out, people started complaining to the airport. The dishes were rattling off the shelves, dogs would howl, children would cry. Not joking. A few dozen of those over your head, every day, you've had enough. I remember one night when I was a small child. Must've been a serious emergency landing. It was the middle of the night, 3 AM-ish when I woke up hearing a jet approaching. It got louder and louder and LOUDER AND FUCKING LOUDER , my parents came rushing into my bedroom and the plane passed over the engines screaming in a way we'd never heard. Must've been less than a hundred feet over hour house, in the middle of the night. To say the house shook is a fucking understatement. Mom, my brother and I were crying and furious until my Dad said "Stop crying! Imagine what those people on that airplane are going through!" Your video brought back a childhood memory I had almost totally forgotten.

15:18 the Air New Zealand DC-8 52 line number 328 was registered as ZK-NZD delivered in 1968 and was converted to a freighter in 1981. I started an apprenticeship as an AME with Air NZ in 1980 and remember working on NZD right up until it left the fleet in the very late 80's

I remember back in 1973 as a 10 year old aviation buff flying to Italy on Capitol International Aiways super 62 model. It was 2:00 am somewhere over the North Atlantic and Captain invited me into cockpit.He tilted the plane to the left and pointed out to me the lights of a freighter ship down below.My favorite jet of all time.Loved those scoops on the nose.Saw one 3 months ago coming into LAX.

I used to fly on the Swissair DC-8 a lot in the late 70’s on the Dubai to Geneva route with a ground stop in Dhahran. Great aircraft and memories.

9:20 DC-8, which my dad worked on and in the background C-124 which his dad helped build. My life took a different path. And the only Douglas aircraft I've flown in are the 9, 10 and C118.

In 1969 my father’s Naval Career stationed him at Naval Air Station Guam. We flew over in a Pan Am Boeing 707, and back to the States in 1971 in a Douglas DC 8, flown by a contractor service. It was the only time I ever flew on either of these planes. But I was 14 and 16 at the time and impressed by both.

Ah. The Douglas DC-8! I remember when I was a kid, in the early 90s. We knew someone who worked for Air Canada! He took us inside an Air Canada Cargo Douglas DC-8! Got to see the cockpit too! I could not remember what aircraft it was later on until doing a small bit of research and asking the man who showed us the plane, clearly it was a Douglas DC-8 series converted into a freighter! Wow! That's how I can get as close to the Boeing 707/720!!! But still... It was an amazing experience! 😊

I flew the DC9 10/32 for 7 glorious years, I loved that jet and when I finally transferred to the B737-300/400/500 I couldn’t believe how agricultural the Boeing was compared to the slick DC9. Luckily I only had to endure 3 years on the 737 before we re-equipped with Airbus A321/320/319 and later the A330-200 which is my personal aircraft of choice for a working pilot, much later I was offered a chance to fly the great B747-400 that I fly now. I would have loved the chance to fly the DC8 and the DC10 as I believe them to be superior to their contemporaries and I would have loved the opportunity to have operated them.

1:27 nice to see Air Chathams making an appearance in one of your videos!

What a great video. This answers many questions I hadn't bothered to ask since seeing these types flying over London when I lived there as a 10 year old. ( now 65) I hadn't realised DC8 was as popular as 707. Now I need to find out about the Convairs. Many thanks.

This video was very informative. As always, well done!

What a wild time for airliner marketing. The 707 did a barrel roll and the DC-8 broke the sound barrier!

Thank you for doing Douglas! Made my morning better!

Excellent video again!!!!

Thanks Skyships Eng! You make great vids

I flew on the DC 8 several times in the 1970's. I've always found it more comforting to know there are 4 engines out there on the wings and not just 2 even though I acknowledge engines of today are far more reliable (ETOPS). Probably the old Irish joke as to how long it will take to get to the destination as engines fail one by one has something to do with it. :)

I flew on one of these in the 1990's on United with the older style engines. The plane was already showing it's age then.

Your videos are so well researched lol. Great video as always, keep em coming.

Excellent video, as always from Skyships.

Great video once again sky.keep up the good work and thank you

Thank you for putting this together. I absolutely love the DC-8; it was THE first jet I flew on (an Air New Zealand/TEAL model from Brisbane to Auckland when I was just a couple of months old. I flew on another ANZ (or the same one) in about 1969. I was only 4, and I remember the windows being bigger than those on the 737-200. That was Melbourne to Christchurch having flown Christchurch to Melbourne Essendon on a Lockheed Electra.

I love Skyships! Looking forward for more!

Awesome Sky!

One of my family worked for Delta Airlines in the 70s and 80s, and Delta had quite a few DC-8's for a long time, very fun airplane to fly in when I was little. I remember how flexible they were, the wings would flap like a bird and the engines would swing from side to side in turbulent air, but it was a smooth ride in the cabin.

Fine video. Very informative and lively. I flew on one of the final commercial propeller flights in 1964, and also flew on jets during that same trip. I was lucky to be able to compare the two, because jet travel is SO much quieter inside the cabin. I immediately saw why they called them "Whisper Jets."

Yes, Another Marathon for McDonald Douglas Company. Thanks For A Great Job Skyships.

I love these videos! Well researched, well made, and nicely presented. Thank you!

Excellent video, grateful !

Well done Sky. Thank you.

There was no business class until the early 80's when Qantas instituted it. The 707 and DC-8 had first and coach/tourist configurations

Your videos are some of the very best on YT! I always learn something from them. Plus you have a great narration voice! So, all in all, thank you for all the difficult work you do to provide such information! You're a real treasure!!

Your videos are amazing. Please keep them coming.

I've flown In all the planes you mention in this post and my favorite was the DC-8 nice seating and a great first class. Many great memories of the DC-8.

Excellent presentation!!!

Superb episode! Quality unsurpassed! Bravo!

My First trip from CLT to JFK... Delta DC8..... it was so nice and food awe super... never forget it...

I just wanted to say I really enjoy your presentation style and how comprehensive you are with your videos. Thank you!

I remember taking a Pan Am Boeing 707 flight from New York, US to Rio, Brazil in 1974. I was sitting at a window wing seat on the left side. We took off in the evening. I remember that the left wing was level during flight. But when we arrived at Rio, The left wing was at a very high angle above my window. I assumed that the fuel load was depleting, making the wing lighter. But it got my attention!

excellent piece of work! Thank you!

Caravelle wasn't designed to compete with the Comet. It was intermediate range with the nose section produced by de Havilland, coming off the Comet 4 production line.

Brilliant presentation. Thank you!!

I worked with a refugee from Vietnam who was a commercial pilot with the Vietnam Airlines of the south, when there was a south Vietnam. He told me that to hike the DC8 was the best and most beautiful aircraft due, among other things,to its beautiful fuselage.

I knew very few about this aircraft..thank you for such a great video!

The Hawaii Five O intro showed the DC 8 in the fish eye lenses

another superb video! Like how you focus on a plane but also include competitors and context in an easy but not poor way, much of youtube lack on this. Wont ask for any specific plane cause the one you choose will be interesting. Please, keep it this way

I did and still do like the DC-8s. I also like the propeller driven airliners. Nothing wrong with then other than being a bit slower. Great footage on this video. Thanks a bunch.

The Stretch Eight. Flew it from Atlanta and Miami and back many times. My brother worked for Delta and said when they puy the new engines on they had problems with the brakes overheating, even with the engines at idle. Thet taxied out with just one engine and started the other three just before takeoff.

Loved the noise...my grandma lived under an approach to Houston Hobby...so loud flew just over the trees...LOVED IT...smoke and noise...Miss it!

This is one of your best videos. Congratations.

was a great source of comfort when the non-smoking sign went off -- and everyone would light up and relax !!!!

Well done video. I flew the 54, 55, 61, 62, 63, 71, and 73 a total of 17 years. When it was converted to the 70 series it became a great airplane. The CFM engines and the PACKs fixed the biggest problems. I got off of it and was very happy to say I got off before I hit a nacelle or a tail skid. It was a challenging airplane to fly well.

Great video! Btw, the DC-8 was one of the few planes that could operate reverse thrust inflight :)

Fantastic work! Keep it up! Liked this video a lot! Also the one about the 747. And the others I have seen so far! Cheers!

I flew on a KC135 from Pensylvania to Guam. That was the loudest, longest, and coldest flight of my life.

I love the DC8 and DC9. They are my favorite aircraft produced!

I can already see an impressive dc-9 video in the future

Fantastic narration and story telling manner makes it interesting and fun. Thank you. 🎉

That slightly drooping nose always makes me think of a hound dog. I grew up in the '60s and '70s, and the disappearance of these classic transports has been kind of sad. Thanks for a great video!

Sky ... no-one makes aircraft vids like you mate. Top class. First aircraft I ever flew on was a DC8 [TransAmerica I think] out of Dublin to New York. Wonderful memories. Thank you.

DC-8 a beautiful bird and a great review keep it up !

Very nice....Thank you...

That channel is very amazing.

Sky... another informative video

That you for doing this vid. while I enjoy all your vids, the DC-8 is one of my fav aircraft.

Great video.☺️

Very good choice of aircraft. In the UK many were "spotted" as B707. BOAC then BA became big Boeing fans. Thank you for educating us on how successful the DC-8 was. Boeing had the advantage of Defence Budget money which was illegal under "anti-trust" legislation, as uncompetitive. Strange as Boeing tried to complain about DHC/Shorts despite the irony. Thanks again for the education.

The DC 8 is my favorite aircraft type, have flown on one and enjoyed the flight.

First time viewer and now a subscriber. Informative, interesting and good editing. I'll be watching more of your content, thank you.

despite (because of?) the laconic delivery and pithy comments, I find this series excellent, packing a huge amount into each episode; technical data, historical context, interesting anecdotes and so on. keep up the good work 'Sky'! hugely enjoyable.

Thanks for history on these airplanes Its like a bed time story. Good night

hello thanks for the memories . I work the DC-8 back in 1983 , Flying Tiger cargo Airline, out of ATL . The airplanes became part of UPS fleet , very elegant airplane. saludos.

Great review,as ever!The Douglas DC-8,my favourite airliner of all❤😎👍!

Finally the dc-8

great video... the stretched 8 was a thing to behold.

Knew one of the head designers for the CFM-56 engines who still was cursing it 30 years later.

Great video

If anyone else was wondering, it's the DC-8 illustrated in the children's book 'Are you my mother' when the bird thinks a plane is it's mother.

13:14 someone flew for free! A bit chilly in there tho!