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NWA DC-9's - how is it to fly?

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EMBpilot

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 18, 2003
Posts
434
EMBpilot said:
Looks like one of the last real man's airplanes:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nort..._id_DESC_&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=1129277

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nort...C_&photo_nr=5&prev_id=0843912&next_id=0721206


http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nort...C_&photo_nr=9&prev_id=0574743&next_id=0108392


Is there an FMS? Looks like a CDU, but only on the right side?
What are the guys flying it saying? What are the positives/negatives?
Autoland?
Noise?
Space in the cockpit?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I think that CDU is an ACARS. That thing sure is old. No thanks. But hey, some people love it. Good for them.


Bye Bye--General Lee
 
No FMS, no auto throttle or autoland. Two VORs, a very basic autopilot with attitude & altitude hold, coupled ILS. that's about it. It is alot of fun to hand fly, for an airliner;)
 
EMBpilot said:
Looks like one of the last real man's airplanes:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nort..._id_DESC_&photo_nr=1&prev_id=&next_id=1129277

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nort...C_&photo_nr=5&prev_id=0843912&next_id=0721206


http://www.airliners.net/photo/Nort...C_&photo_nr=9&prev_id=0574743&next_id=0108392


Is there an FMS? Looks like a CDU, but only on the right side?
What are the guys flying it saying? What are the positives/negatives?
Autoland?
Noise?
Space in the cockpit?

Thanks
Click to expand...

DC9 is fun to fly but you will feel drained when you are done with a trip...
FMS???? NO. Thats the ACARS. You are the FMS and you will get good at it...
Autoland??? NO.
Noise?? YES!!
Space? Yes. Rollaboard behind your seat and brain bag on the side.. Not much left for a JSer..
 
DC in the DC9 stands for direct cable. Everything has a cable attached to it. It flys great, even with all the cables. It is a great plane, if you can see it you can land on it. Not sure if the Pax in the back would like that but the plane can do about anything. The only down side is that it is not very fast. The only automation is the guy in the left and right seats (as god intended).......

This is from a guy who is now trying to forget about the round dials and figure out why the "new plane" is doing what it is doing??????????:laugh: At least until the furlough letter hit my box:crying:
 
I haven't flown a '9 for many years, but I have great memories.
If you like to fly, you'll love it. Really nice control harmony. Control tabs: You're flying air loads, not hydraulic or FBW systems. Just like an airplane.
Small cockpit, busy, extremely versatile speeds.
I'd go back in a minute, if ya paid me.
 
Dream plane with my luck they will all be gone by the time I ever get a chance to fly one.
 
Pure flame. Did you see that spikey-haired guy with the frosted tips in the left seat? E-170 all the way. The old baseball hat dude is a J4J. 63 years old. Such dedication.....


Alright, I'm drunk.
 
It was fun for the first few trips, then it becomes a pain. Sorry. Been there, done that, moved on. I love flying but that is a chore - at best!

5 legs in a day and you are tired!!!

A "basic" autopilot doesn't really describe it. Remember your first flight in a 172 with a wing leveler. That describes it much better. It does not level off, it does not track the heading bug on the FO's side, and it does not track a VOR.... It's definitely old school.
 
It is a great plane to fly. It just beats the crap out of you for five legs. One or two legs would be nice, but on a five leg day it exhausts you.

The airplane actually flys like a dream....you just have to watch it every minute, cause there is no automation to back you up.
 
I have very fond memories of the -9, It hand flys great and you will do alot of that. The wing leveling system(autopilot) is very primative. I will never forget the first time I rode a -9 jumpseat home for the weekend from Indoc, I had just found out a couple of days before that I was going to the -9. Setting in the cockpit I wondered what did I get myself into.
If you have only flown glass, it will definately be a challenge, but doable.
 
d.fitz said:
It was fun for the first few trips, then it becomes a pain. Sorry. Been there, done that, moved on. I love flying but that is a chore - at best!

5 legs in a day and you are tired!!!

A "basic" autopilot doesn't really describe it. Remember your first flight in a 172 with a wing leveler. That describes it much better. It does not level off, it does not track the heading bug on the FO's side, and it does not track a VOR.... It's definitely old school.
Click to expand...

Well its just not that bad and as for tired its only because you are switching A/C every leg. When we would fly up to 8 legs a day and kept the same a/c it was a cake walk. BTW 6700 hrs PIC in the thing.
 
My first jet after the commuters... more like

the B1900c model than the DHC-8 I had flown.


The hard part is juggling charts, coffee etc...

The first 20 min in the DC-9 sim after downgrading

from the 320 was very humbling and I had flown it

for 5 years previously.

Things I hated..

I was always hot/cold.

Stuff drips on you in your bag when you deice.

We swaped all the time.

Your ears pop all the time.

Stuff I liked....

I had really sharp skills.

I always felt safe in bad weather, it is a tank.

Bottom line.....

Not hard to fly, not easy to fly well.

DB
 
It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.
 
dbrownie said:
My first jet after the commuters... more like

the B1900c model than the DHC-8 I had flown.


The hard part is juggling charts, coffee etc...

The first 20 min in the DC-9 sim after downgrading

from the 320 was very humbling and I had flown it

for 5 years previously.

Things I hated..

I was always hot/cold.

Stuff drips on you in your bag when you deice.

We swaped all the time.

Your ears pop all the time.

Stuff I liked....

I had really sharp skills.

I always felt safe in bad weather, it is a tank.

Bottom line.....

Not hard to fly, not easy to fly well.

DB
Click to expand...

Probably the best analysis of DC-9 flying on this thread. I also did my time on the NWA DC-9s (around 4k in the right seat). It was a really fun airplane to fly especially when we used to fly out west to MSO and FCA. My biggest complaint was the fact the APU would not supply enough air to the packs to keep the aircraft cool when on the ground. If the outside air temp was above 75F, you had to have external air hooked up or you were in for a pre-departure baking.

Descent planning was easy. Pull the power off and it comes down like a rock. It will easily do a 1000ft down for every 2 miles usually without the boards. GL, you and "the nine" might just be a nice fit for the next couple of years. It will be cool to see it in Delta colors.
 
dbrownie said:
My first jet after the commuters... more like
Click to expand...
dbrownie said:
the B1900c model than the DHC-8 I had flown.

The hard part is juggling charts, coffee etc...

The first 20 min in the DC-9 sim after downgrading

from the 320 was very humbling and I had flown it

for 5 years previously.

Things I hated..

I was always hot/cold.

Stuff drips on you in your bag when you deice.

We swaped all the time.

Your ears pop all the time.

Stuff I liked....

I had really sharp skills.

I always felt safe in bad weather, it is a tank.

Bottom line.....

Not hard to fly, not easy to fly well.

DB
Click to expand...


We'll put!

The DC9 is a blast to fly. It can be a handful but you will be very sharp after flying it. Everyone should have to fly the DC9 before flying any other commercial aircraft. ;)
 
Last edited:

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