Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bryce Rea on July 28, 2011 at 8:41am

MD-80 Delta

MD-90 Delta

 

Haha.  They were both operated in the Widget colors.  Can't beat that.

Permalink Reply by Danny on July 28, 2011 at 2:52pm

Hmm well I'd say Insel air....just for pride LOL....inside its like a bus though hahaha. So I'd have to go with either AA or Delta

Permalink Reply by Shane on August 2, 2011 at 12:38am

I would have to go with Reno Air. They were a great airline and they had fun...I still remember their yummy Reno air chips.

Permalink Reply by Brian Sherman on August 20, 2011 at 2:19pm

My favorite MD-80 operator was Midway. I flew on a Midway MD-88 about a week after they took delivery of their first two. Sure wish Gemini 200 would make it! ha

Permalink Reply by Larry Ludwig on March 31, 2012 at 3:08pm

I am a sim pilot instructor on the MD-80 for AA, so you know my answer there.

I am looking for a quality model of the MD-80. I liked the Gemini Jets version, but it seems that they are almost impossible to find. I managed to the 757 and 767. Any opinions on a quality model in 1/100 1/200 etc ?

Permalink Reply by Bryce Rea on March 31, 2012 at 6:39pm

Yeah Larry the GeminiJets 1:200 version of the AA MD-80 is one of the most sought after GJ200s ever.  I had one that had a terrible finish.  It was all spotty, and looked bad in my opinion so I sold it.  It also had a wing that was glued in sloppily from the factory.  Even with all those problems though it sold on ebay for $110.  So a mint one I assume would bring even more.

Permalink Reply by Larry Ludwig on March 31, 2012 at 7:07pm

Hey I like your Avatar picture,  I was a captain on the ATR 42/72 for AMR Eagle, and I think I flew all of them except maybe one or two that was with Simmons before we all became Flagship. It was a nice airplane. Funny to hear the people complain about being on a "puddle jumper" when they were getting off a 12 year old MD-80 and getting on a brand new ATR-72 with EFIS and better avionics than the MD-80 had.

Permalink Reply by Bryce Rea on March 31, 2012 at 7:18pm

Hahaha.  I loved flying them!  When they started service to Joplin, MO that was what they flew in, and I flew them quite frequently.  Now they have switched to the ERJs.  The last ATR I flew was the one in the Avatar.  I took that pic as it was pulling into the gate.  N545AT with the special Support our Troops ribbon and titles.  I can't tell you how many times I was sitting in the terminal at Joplin and would hear people say "I can't believe we are going to fly on this little prop plane..."  Then when it would arrive they would say something like "Oh...  That's bigger than I thought it would be..." Hahahaha.

Permalink Reply by Larry Ludwig on March 31, 2012 at 8:39pm

That's nice to hear,  it was a nice airplane to fly, and VERY safe. You can do things with a turboprop you could never do in a jet, such as get down and stop in minutes. They are being retired, I saw there was a poster up for the "going away party" for the ATRs, and I was going to attend, if I haven't already missed it (!)  I flew them mostly out of MIA, but I was in JFK for a while also. I had a suite in the Bahamas (Nassau) a couple of nights a week for over a year, right there on cable beach. That was rough duty. (wak)

Permalink Reply by Bryce Rea on March 31, 2012 at 10:31pm

Yeah I loved flying on them.  They were great little planes.  And yeah, that's why Joplin got switched to ERJs.  Because they are being retired...  It's a shame.