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Delta MD-80/88 beacons/external lights

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Snaab

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Posts
372
Had a question...Seen many a Delta MD-80/88s flying around, and have always seen them equipped with the flashing red beacons. Yesterday, I noticed a newly painted MD-80/88 land in BWI with old-school the rotating beacons and seemingly new and very BRIGHT external lights. So, does having the cool old rotating beacons mean this was one of the older a/c in the fleet?? Also, are newer, brighter external lights installed when it goes to the paint shop?

Just curious 'cause this particular Mad Dog looked great! If you have any such pics, I'd love to see 'em.
 
It was probably a DC-9 painted in the new colors. I haven't seen an 88 with an old style beacon.

Did it have an aft galley door in front of the engine on the left side? If it had a door, it was an 88. If it did not, it was a 9.
 
The -50 DC-9's look alot like an MD-88 when they are in the new paint scheme.

No 88s have rotating beacons/strobes.
 
The -50 DC-9's look alot like an MD-88 when they are in the new paint scheme.

No 88s have rotating beacons/strobes.

After looking up pics on Airliners.Net (after I wrote the thread), I think I saw a newly painted -50 DC-9. Thanks for pointing that out! Does look great!
 
Douglas Jet (other than DC8) = Looks Great !?!

Winglet 757 with RR engines, L1011, now those are pretty airplanes, Swift, or almost anything by Siai Marchetti (Stelio Frati) but nothing resembling the 4X chromosome love child of a DC8 and Sud Aviation Caravelle is anything I'd say - "looks great." Particularly the MD90, the ugliest double bagger derivative of the entire lot. And after flying them, it is my opinion the Douglas stuff just does not handle nearly as well as Boeing equipment does. The result of lazy, outsourced, penny pinching, derivative engineering.

Guess some people think Kirstie Alley is good looking. But you'll never see Oprah in a swimsuit on a beach in Tahiti if you know what I mean.

Douglas has one thing going for them, they are cheap because of little market demand for the airplanes. You can probably get a good deal on a Pontiac Aztek too. Its versatile, carries a lot, gets reasonable fuel economy. It is the MD88 of auto design. But it aint no Vanessa Minillo.


 
Last edited:
FDJ2 isn't an exception to an exception, inclusion?


:beer:
 

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