DC-8

The final DC-8  flight operated by UPS Airlines touched down on the morning of May 12 at Louisville International Airport. The plane received a water cannon tribute as it rolled down the runway.  The first UPS Airlines DC-8 flight, from Louisville to Milwaukee, occurred on Feb. 1, 1988.

 UPS Airlines, the Louisville-based division of Atlanta-based shipping giant United Parcel Service Inc., made the decision in April to retire its fleet of 44 DC-8s as part of a cost-cutting initiative. UPS once owned 49 DC-8 aircraft, but sold five over the years.

 Of the 556 DC-8s originally produced, 97 remain in service following the retirement of the fleet.  The company now operates about 220 planes and charters an additional 309 planes, according to a UPS fact sheet.

         -Business Journal - Louisville

  “What other aircraft could lose all hydraulic and all electric capabilities and still take you across the pond happily. Remember:  The DC-8 is never broken, just misunderstood.  A real tribute to the pocket protector engineers whose slide rule was their computer.”

       Daniel Cole, A-300 Captain

  “The Electric Jet pilots made fun of the DC-8, but it was like a Timex watch, it took a licking and kept on ticking.”

       Don Guillot,  DC-8 Captain Retired