Pictures: final Boeing 717 rolled out at former Douglas Aircraft Long Beach plant

Flightglobal.com ^ | 04/20/2006 | Guy Norris

[Paleo Conservative]

The final Boeing 717 was rolled out of the former Douglas Aircraft production site at Long Beach, California just before dawn today in preparation for the start of flight tests and delivery to AirTran Airways in May (pictured below).

The last aircraft officially marks the end of commercial aircraft manufacturing on the site and emerged from the now empty Building 80 assembly line that over the past 48 years has produced 976 DC-9s, 1,191 MD-80s and 115 MD-90s. A further 556 DC-8s, 446 DC-10/KC-10s and 200 MD-11s were also produced in the adjacent Building 84.

The final 717 is the 156th, and will be the 155th to be delivered, the first having been retained by Boeing. The 717 is also the last aircraft to be rolled over Lakewood Boulevard which divides the factory from the airfield and flight test site.

The older factory buildings on the airfield side of the road, mostly built in the 1940s as part of President Roosevelt's 'Arsenal of Defense' strategy, built C-47 Dakotas, A-20 Havocs, B-17 Flying Fortresses and A-26 Invaders as well as a host of post-Second World War cargo, attack and fighter aircraft.

Almost all of these buildings have now been demolished to make room for new commercial developments. The future of the Building 80 site, which sports the iconic "Fly DC Jets" neon sign (pictured below) remains uncertain.

[Paleo Conservative]

[Paleo Conservative]

If you want on or off my aerospace ping list, please contact me by Freep mail.

[Number57]

Looks like a plane! yay

/not aviation savvy

[Glenn]

My favorite commuter aircraft.

[cmsgop]

Could you imagine if they puy those MD-90 Power Plants on that ?

[Last Dakotan]

Boeing appears to have ceded the small jet market to the Canadians and the Brazilians. Probably a dumb move.

[asp1]

I think I've seen one of these already at least a thousand times before.

/not aviation savvy, either. :0)

[COEXERJ145]

The true and sad end of the production of Douglas commercial aircraft.

[RightWhale]

Didn't know they were still building those. Looks primitive, but plenty of that style still fly into Fairbanks. Some DC-3s, too.

[COEXERJ145]

You've probably seen its larger cousin, the MD-80 or MD-90 as well as the predecessor to both the 717 and MD-80/90 series, the DC-9.

[xp38]

Is this the one scientology refers to?

[Howie66]

Having flown AirTran on a round trip....I'll NEVER use them again.

Talk about "cattle cars".

YUCK!!!

[Paleo Conservative]

You've probably seen its larger cousin, the MD-80 or MD-90 as well as the predecessor to both the 717 and MD-80/90 series, the DC-9.

Do you think there's any chance Northwest will be still flying their DC-9's in ten or twenty years?

[Seaplaner]

Some years back, I remember a DC-9 pilot telling me that he really liked the way the airplane handled.

The controls (as I recall) were push-rods and cables, and were not power assisted, so the pilot felt connected to the controls.

I'd love to hear if some contemporary DC-9...super 80...717 jocks generally agree.

.

[COEXERJ145]

I'm not sure. It would depend on how many cycles the aircraft have right now. IIRC, Northwest plans to fly their DC-9's to roughly 114,000 cycles. That is the point where the wing box would require serious maintenance which would be cost prohibitive.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The DC 9, Super 80s, etc, were the backbone of Northwest Airlines for decades.

[asp1]

That must be it. :0) One plane usually looks pretty much the same to me. I can usually identify a 747 by the "hump" on its back, but other than that......? LOL!

[cheme]

Excuse me for not being "in the know", but what is so special about this airplane. It looks like it will replace the 727 to me, but I am not an airplane guy; however, I do have a VFR private pilot license.

[COEXERJ145]

90% of people can only identify two commercial aircraft. The 747 and/or the Concorde.

[GOP_1900AD]

Stayed at the Mariott next to there many times on business. Practically lived there for a while back in 93.