The MD 80 did not need "hands on" for takeoff and landing, the aircraft had autoload. It was much more automated than a similar vintage 737. I was a captain on both.

Love the MD80, flown on them many times and they took off like a rocket and climbed sensationally. Great airplane.

The mad dog will always roar whether in the air or not

first Jet I ever flew on. I was always into jet spotting when I was a kid. knowing what I was getting on was cool. the second time, on the return flight leaving Florida I noticed that there were only 12 people including crew on the flight and I asked the pilot if he could climb as fast as possible because I thought The MD was so cool as he greeted the passengers boarding. He winked and said "Thanks, I think she is an awesome bird too! I will see what I can do." He did too and that was probably the steepest takeoff I have ever experienced. He even mentioned over the intercom that he was going to try and climb over some weather quickly after takeoff. dude was so cool.

MD-80 as well as 727 take offs were always fun unlike most offerings these days....and yes they were loud outside and in.

My favourite plane! To this day the MD-80 is the only plane that pushed me into my seat during T/O. Such a wicked feeling

I flew it from 1985 until I retired 1 Sep 2008, logging over 16,750 hours, most as a Captain as t American Airlines. I loved it!

I love the Mad Dog. The sound of them is unbelievable, it gives me a rush every single time one takes off. It gives the vibe of "hey, I'm here now back off."

My grandpa developed a redesigned reverse thruster for them.

My first time on an MD80 I was flying on Ozark Airlines. I was shocked when they backed the plane away from the terminal using just the reverse thrusters. I was lucky to have an Ozark Airlines pilot dead heading to his next duty sitting next to me. He told me the MD80 was a dream to fly and was way overpowered. Hence the backing up from the gate. He swore, although he didn't do it, the MD80 could do loopty loops.

I was fortunate to have been a passenger on many MD80 airplanes. What a fantastic aircraft. Wish these were still being produced!

I love the MD-80! Best narrowbody airliner ever, hands down!

I remember the MD80 for it's Stability when landing, you could feel the pilot adjusting engines and flaps etc. Once he/she got it setup for descent the plane was a rock, not like the Air Bus. The a320 fought the pilot all the way down, it just hated descent and landing. MD 80 was a wonderful smooth ride, I always felt safe.

My father is a retired airline pilot who used to fly the MD-80 in the former Spanish airline Spanair. He has flown the Airbus A320 and the Airbus A350 as well (Qatar Airways), but the Mad Dog has always been his favourite. He and his co-workers describe the MD-80 as a "cowboy-style aircraft", and I had the fortune of being with him in the cockpit on several occasions back when I was little. Long live the Mad Dog!

Retired airline VP... I bought the actual aircraft for our fleet and supervised their production. Going to work everyday was like going to Disneyland watching these amazing machines being built at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach. During test and acceptance flights, these could climb like a literal rocket, and were a joy to fly. The quality was superb! Later on, after the Boeing merger, the 717 (MD95) was a great airframe, with arguably the best engines for its class; BMW/RR. Great airplane, great memories.

I basically grew up in Super 80. Never got sick of it. Love it. I am bummed out that American Airlines announced that they are retiring MD80. I remember my last flight in Super 80 going to NOLA and back to DFW in 2018. I missed flying in Super 80

Miss that distinct whine and incredible climb from the dog. It will go down as my favorite domestic bird

Had a stack of flights on Delta's MD-80s, where they were known as MD-88s, early this century. Loved the rocket-like take-offs!

I remembered hearing that AA under CEO Robert Crandall got their Mad dog jets at a steal of a deal which allowed American to rappidly expand its domestic route nextwork during the 80s.

I’ve been on the Mad Dog in March from Indianapolis to Atlanta with Delta Air Lines. Such an amazing experience! Most of the passengers didn’t really care because they think it’s just a random old plane but as an avgeek, I knew that this was an experience that I’ll probably never experience again

Flown on these many times; takeoff was always a blast. You always had the sense the pilot was having fun. Nowadays, takeoffs are like a bus pulling out of the station.

I miss this aircraft type so much. My all-time favorite narrowbody. Would take it any day over a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 variant.

I flew on md80's quite a bit, and I liked them, unless you sat in the rear. It was LOUD back by the engines, but if you were in the front 2/3 of the plane, it was actually quite a bit quieter. But I always loved the look of these planes and always enjoyed flying in them. You could tell toward the end of their service lives they were getting old tho. I was flying out of DFW, and we had to get put on another MD80 as the one we were on had a cargo door that wouldn't stay closed apparently. Another flight out of DFW a year or so later, an engine failed to start and we had to go back to the gate... They are cool jets and served the airlines well it seems. I do miss the JT8 roar

Its sad to see them being scrapped. I see them passing over my house when heading for ATL. I also remember seeing a couple MD-88s on final outside my window due to frequent storms near the airport on two separate days back in April. I'm sure gonna miss them loud aircraft. #Longlivethemaddogs

Long live the Maddog!

I've been aboard a wide variety of commercial aircraft over the years and this one takes the cake. It was by far the most exhilarating rocket take-off experience to this day! It's like a ride at Disneyland you want to go on over and over again. This bird pins your tail to the seat like a boss when it thunders down the runway. The MD-80 means business!

Yes, the plane does take off like a rocket.

"Have you ever flown in them?" Yes, I have.....in the front office, both sides......but not the MDs, they were the DC-9s. You're right, they were indeed a pilots airplane; not very forgiving of inattention. Once you got to know them though, they'd do just about anything you asked of them. Short takeoff and landings so I flew them out of quite a few short runways. I really enjoyed my time in them!

I've flown an MD-80 plenty of times from Dallas to Chicago. Seemed like it could ride a tailwind pretty well. I remember a few flights touching down much sooner than expected.

Wouldn't it be easier to ask who hasn't flown on one of these?

I worked at a maintenance base for 30 years as a mechanic MD80s were the bulk of the work. A few people may have called them that at times, but the nickname never took there. They were just called 80s and others called 27s, 37s.57s etc.

I love how these are short videos and be very informative at the same time.

Many times flown on them. Such lovely powerful aircraft, and amazing quiet cabin.

I remember working at Reno Air in the early 90s, for load planning, we had to seat all pax up front (first class area) if under 20 total and had to also load the fwd cargo compartment with ballast wt., sandbags and water jugs....A very tail-heavy plane when empty with those rear-mounted engines.

I flew regularly between Bakersfield, CA. to DFW for two years. I loved the plane.

I clearly remember the Mad Dog. It was the one I flew with the most in my childhood with my family on Scandinavian routes, and later on European routes with SAS. I clearly remember the huge thumb back into the seat, when the takeoff roll commenced, and how steep the climb-out felt. It was such a loud noise when I watched them take off. Wonderful aircraft to fly on!

It's so silent in the cockpit and the mirror to look at the 🧭 was so unique.

Flew md80 from Atlanta to Raleigh during covid may 2020, we sat next to the engine near the rear, I had a window seat but all I could see was the engine next to the window, the noise level was ridiculous. I plugged my ears throughout the flight! Still, an amazing and reliable jet!

I was a mechanic for AA. When we were non-revving it would be a delight to get on an MD-80 instead of a 727- 100 or 200. The 72's took a while to take off. The MD - 80 went up like a rocket. It had a climb similar to a 757. The 75 was another great aircraft.

The old man worked for AA while I was in college on the East Coast. Was lucky enough to use space-a to get home on long weekends to visit family. Route was usually LGA-DFW. Always sat aft/right, and loved to hear the engines cranking during takeoff, the steady wind sound creating white-noise at cruise. A few especially friendly flight attendants would usually sneak me a few mini's of Jack with my coke, knowing I was a college student. Dad's retired now, and I'm older, fatter, and like to sit over the wings now. Wonderful memories of the "Mad Dog".

As mentioned in the clip, the MD-80 was one of the work horses auf Austrian Airlines and I flew on it several times when I was a kid. Even though I can‘t really remember any details (apart from the strange 2-3 seating configuration due to the narrow fuselage), I will never forget the elegance of an MD-80 at take-off. For me it always looked like a swan and it is still the most beautiful and iconic (subsonic) plane ever built... I hope some will be saved in some museums!

Finnair flew the type for a long time, and on the longer domestic or shorter international flights, you'd fly most probably on a MD-82 or 83. If I remember correctly, the front section of the cabin was relatively quiet. Engine noise was totally different in the rear end. But that might be my golden memory. I remember one particular flight in stormy weather right before Christmas 2003. I guess I was the only enthusiastic of the weather, watching during the approach and going around, street lights shining occasionally through the clouds, snow and what might have been flying out there. The second (?) approach and landing were turbulent, to put it moderately. When finally storming (!) over the runway, it felt as if the pilot decided just to drop the aircraft down. I guess the pilots worked very hard in the cockpit, but it was really a ride to remember.

2:37 "American Airlines had owned 383 Mad Dogs until their final retirement." I must have been a passenger in at least half of those living in Texas during the 80's. What it joy it was to get your boarding pass and see that not only were you in an MD-80 as usual, but they stuck you in seat 32A again!

I’ve flown in two of them that I recall, one was with Transwede and the other Alitalia. Both excellent flights.

A small airline known as Midwest Express they flew MD-80 with a 4 across seating all the way through from front to back. they were known for fresh baked cookies, baked on the plane and a free glass of champagne. It was a comfortable ride and miss it.

I flew a bunch on DC-9 and MD-8X planes. Loved the exciting takeoffs!

Flew one just yesterday. They are a blast to fly!!

My last S80 flight was September 3rd 2019... down to SAT and back on the same aircraft... such a special flight. A lot of other non revs did the same thing I did that day

Our country had md 80 from 1982 to 2016. The sound of the engine was beautiful and soothing to the ear

My last MD-8x flight was on Allegiant. They had taken the seats and overhead bins of various other MD's they had acquired and used them for interior spare parts. When the back of the cabin got incredibly cold I looked around and noticed that Allegiant had taken a whole interior wall section around the back emergency exit and had installed one from another plane but it didn't fit quite right. Around all of edges I could see where they had installed some kind of caulk to attempt to seal it where the fit wasn't perfect. What ever they used, it clearly wasn't working and outside air from FL34 was definitely leaking in. Fortunately the flight was somewhat short (2 hours) and by the time we landed it was easily below 50 degrees in the back. I checked the manufacturers plate as I left and it showed assembly date of 5/88. That meant the plane was about 34 years old at the time. I notified an Allegiant employee that there was clearly a leak in the back (not one of those contracted gate agents). I don't think she cared one way or another.

I'm glad to have flown on these a few times!

First fight as a kid was on an eastern air 727. But grew up riding the mad dogs and man they were awesome. Pilots always said they flew like a truck but as a kid it might as well have been a rocket ship. Always seemed like on decent they would race until the last second and almost dump you weightless right before final. What a trip. Airliners now a days just do t have the same character

I flew the wonderful MD-80 many times for many years with BWIA. Great aircraft and great memories. 👍🏼🇹🇹🇹🇹

I flew on an MD-90 back in 2011. Loved it.

Magnificent airplane! I had the delightful pleasure of flying in it (several times in the jump seat - pre-Sep 11 of course). American Airlines, Northwest, Delta, Aeropostal, Aserca, Láser, Spanair… The take off was always fun and I can just close my ejes and hear the particular sound it made when the slats were retracted!

Nice Video simple flying team ........ Loved it much ❤️

Avianca had a bunch of them. Flew them all the time. Awesome airplane. Always impressed me the climb up rate during take off. Unbelievable.

The DC9/MD80 is my favourite family of aircrafts. I have flown on all of them but the DC9-20 and 40 series. I will miss them all.

2020’s certainly been quite the mad dog

Back in 2003, I suggested on an online discussion forum that American Airlines look at re-engining the MD-80 planes with the then-new Pratt & Whitney PW6024 engine to make the plane far less noisy and more fuel efficient. Had that idea become reality, it's likely that American and Delta would be flying the MD-80's even now, though of course with updated systems like a redesigned cockpit.

ive flown on one of these 7 times years back, what a sound an the power they had from a dead stop.... just wow..

Flew in them many many times over the years. Last time was LGA-Cleveland and back around 2008. Great plane.

I got to fly on a Delta MD-80 and MD-88 in 2019, unaware they would be retired in 2020. They were also the first planes I've ever flown on. Really cool airplanes I'm glad I had the privilege of flying on.

I have flown on quite a few MD-80's. I use to fly PSA from San Diego to Oakland a couple times a month in the early 70's. I liked it for a short haul plane.

Great aircraft. I was fortunate to function as both first officer and captain of the MD80

I read in many pilot blogs over the years that it was sometimes hard to land.

I took a 16 week weekend cpa review course in San Diego in the 90’s flying PSA MD 80’s from Las Vegas every week. What a great plane.

Yes in deed. The next best thing to a roller coaster. They really put you back in the seat! And that wide throttle roar was intoxicating..👍🏻😊

Yes I’ve flown on many of the md 80s delta and American and usair and it is still my absolute favorite aircraft

My first flight was in a DC-9 at the age of five. It was, to that point, the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced. The downside to its design, though, was the close proximity of the engines to the fuselage. A few years back, I ended up in the window seat of an MD-80, right next to the engine. I hadn't realized that a modern airliner could be so excruciatingly loud. I made sure to have some foam earplugs for the return trip and have a pair with me every time I fly now, just in case.

Worked as a ramp agent for a delta! Hated the cargo pit because it was so long. Cleaning all the seat on over night aircraft took about an hour on each one. But whenever I flew on it it was such a wonderful aircraft! Miss seeing them!

Great plane. 3/2 seating, great short/medium haul ride. Made a zillion trips from LGA to DCA & BOS. Also did the LGB-DFW-EWR run back in the days when AA served Long Beach. MD80 was a staple between ORD & LGA as well. Only downside was you didh't want seats in the back - serious noise issue.

Lots of flights logged abroad the Mad Dog, lots of good memories. A big part of my business career. I miss her!

I think MD-80 is the most beautiful airliner in the world. yes I have flown on it once with AA few years ago with my family it was very amazing.

I used to fly the MD-80 for Vanguard Airlines. It might have roared on the outside but it was whisper quiet in the cockpit. I loved it.

I remember my first flight of a MD-80 plane when they were new, sitting in front of the wing. So silent and comfortable! This is one of the most beautiful planes in the sky and specially the ones with unbelievable long bodies in front of the wings. True elegance! And at the same time working very well in all aspects.

I flew on 4 delta MD-88s, got the window seat next to those engines every time. I will never forget rocketing out of O'hare, Atlanta, and Palm Beach, it felt amazing

I pumped many many pounds of Jet-A into MD-80s when my airport wan an AA hub back in the 90s. I got to fly in them once in a while as an airline employee on D-2 passes. Airports were fun places to work and flight benefits were awesome back in the day. We also has plenty of 727-200s, Fokkers, -757s, 767s, and MD-11s. We had a bunch of AE turbo props, too. I miss working on the ramp.

Absolutely! Such a great plane to fly on and always such a cool plane to have seen flying in the past.

I used to build the MD-80 wings in Malton, Canada back in the day. Twenty years pasted before l flew on one.

I flew an MD-80 on Delta from Denver to Dallas in 2003. My seat was on the aisle in the front row of coach in the 3 side, so I had tons of legroom.

Been on many MD-83s, with American and Allegiant. They used to use the thrust reversers for pushback at DFW.

I remember being on one and getting caught in some high altitude wind sheer. I felt the plane drop a bit, followed by the loud buzz-saw of the engines. I was impressed with how much power those engines had - they really pressed you back into the seat. The plane was able to recover in seconds.

As a Delta flyer, the MD's were the only planes flying from my local airport. I haven't had the chance to fly on it's replacement, the a220 yet, but I've heard great things. Going to miss these workhorses... but time marches on. We've had to say goodbye to the dc10, L1011 and 747 as well.

Flew on them from Southern California to Northern California many times. They were quiet and comfortable. Had a 2-3 seating arrangement, which was nice on the 2 seat side.

I have flown on a Delta MD-80 between Charlotte and Atlanta several years ago, transferring onto another Delta international flight from Atlanta. Quite smooth flight, and yes, relatively fast takeoff.

This was the first plane I flew on back in the 90s. Even got to go in the cockpit during the flight. Great memories ^_^

I flew an MD-87 with my family when i was 3 years old. We we’re flying SAS down to Copenhagen, and it was one of the last MD-80 flights before SAS retired the fleet

I was fortunate enough to have been able to work on the mad dogs when they were brand new as I was employed by McDonald Douglas as a flight ramp mech Dept 587 I worked on the very last ones delivered to TWA before production ended and I finished my career on the C-17 but I really loved the MD80s how ever I didn’t care for the MD90s Thank you for the memories from this old retired mechanic

The very first time I ever flew on an airplane was an AA MD80, from SDF-DFW in 2009. It was FASCINATING!

I flew on a MD80 of the Italian carrier Meridiana Eurofly from Ibiza to Milan. Nice experience

I worked as both a final assembly Mechanic and a Flight Ramp Mechanic on the MD-80 Production Facilities in Long Beach California.

I'll never forget asking if I could move from my aisle seat to a window seat, and they relocated me to the last row. When I open the window, all you could see was the front of the nacelle! I was quite dejected, and then part way through the flight it occurred to me that if the engine fails, I wouldn't have had much time to realize it had done so! 😱

I remember flying on an Austrian Airlines (MD-87 I guess) back from London to Austria sometimes around 1990 as a kid. This was the 2nd or 3rd flight for this plane and everything was shiny and smelled brand new. The pilots where also enjoying the plane as it seemed as the take off from Heathrow was quite... energetic. A very memorable flight, also because we taxied by a parked Concorde, many 747s and other cool stuff. It helped that this was my second flight ever :)

I flew the MD-88 with delta, and with Allegiant. And the DC-9 with NWA, they were pretty cool!

Yep.....I was always a great fan of the MD 80 since I lived near an airport where these Engineering Marvels inspired myself to travel not only on the MD 80 but other Marvelous airlines as well

My first ever time on a plane was on an MD-80 (Delta). 2013. I was 41 years old.. It was my first time flying. I was pretty nervous. Baltimore to Detroit. VERY SMOOTH flight. I'll never forget it.

I love flying on the mad dog it was such a beautiful aircraft being a flight attendant with American airlines it's been the most experience with my dog md-80s

I flew in one in 2021 from Panama City to Caracas. Still beautiful as always.

flew on it many years back from LIS to CGN, oerated by Nordic Leisure/Nordic Regional in the name of Gewrmanwings. Boarding through the stairs at the rear of the aircraft and the window seat directly in front of one of the engines was a treat :-)