DC-9: The end of an era is near

[Kev3188]

 

...both were a POS to handle from a ground perspective.

Truth!

I worked the F28's at QX. Can't say I miss that too much...

 

[700UW]

None of the F28s that Piedmont and later US had, did not have reversers, just the rear speed brake.
 

 

[WorldTraveler]

PI used the F28s mostly on the Florida Shuttle which accounted for 32% of Piedmont's gross revenue, US came in and screwed it all up.

Happy 2014 to you all!

remind us of the details of the Florida Shuttle and how US screwed it up.

 

[robbedagain]

Lets take a rain check on that! Happy new year all be safe

 

[700UW]

Happy 2014 to you all!

remind us of the details of the Florida Shuttle and how US screwed it up.

My good friend's dad started it with Piedmont, all the F28s stayed in Florida with one spare in MIA at the "carport" hangar, and the only F28 at the time that left the state was JAX-LGA-JAX.
 
When US came in they ran all kinds of planes from say BOS-CLT-JAX-TPA-MIA, etc.. I remember them even using a 727 on the "shuttle" flights.
 
And yes US screwed it up, "mirror image" was a failure, when you buy a company you analyze what makes it work and use it, instead US said we are going to make you do it our way, and of course they failed in many areas.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

I knew DC-9. Fokker F-28, you are no DC-9. 

 

[WorldTraveler]

thanks, 700. The point, robbed, is to refresh history moments in the airline industry that easily get lost after a couple decades.

I would guess, 700, based on your account that US was attempting to integrate the Shuttle into the rest of the airline.

You are absolutely correct that there is a lot of institutional knowledge and experience that has the potential to get lost in a merger.

FWIW, and to your point, DL tried for a few months to retain Pan Am's knowledge when they bought the TATL operations but quickly realized that DL had to come up with better ideas in order to keep the TATL operation from taking down DL.

In contrast, the DL Shuttle (BOS-LGA-DCA) has seen different aircraft but it is largely the same type of point to point operation that it was when DL first flew it 22 years ago. Specific to this topic, the DC9 didn't operate on the DL Shuttle for DL but the M80 was briefly used.

I am glad that DL will be holding the T tail heritage alive with 3 generations of the DC9 family for a number of years to come.

There is more than a little bit of truth to the joke that the pilots who fly the last 737NGs and 320s to the desert will probably fly home on a DC9 derivative.

 

[wings396]

I remember flying on an F-28 out of Peru as a kid. I think it was around 1973. It was Aero Peru.

I do remember the funky tail speed brakes on the thing. I don't know of any other commercial aircraft that had those. They also did not have reversers (at least on the early models).

Glenn, they were actually called "Lift Dumpers" on the F-28. From what I have been told, Fokker didn't want to put TR's on the F-100 either, but US forced the issue on them. It had something to do with putting too much stress on the tail section of the A/C from what I recall. I also recall US laying off their use later on unless they were really needed to slow the A/C.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

I was aware of the nomenclature they used for them. I know weight and maintenance were factors in the decision to go without reversers. I had not heard of the stress issue. Thanks.

 

[700UW]

Yes US was the launch customer in the USA for the F100, it had stress issues in the tail due to the the thurst reversers as wings said and had cross bolt issues on the landing gear, the gear had to be looked at every time it was flying through a mtc station till the gear issues were solved.

 

[737823]

Top Dawg,
Thanks for the info. I was told the remaining 738s are slated to get AVOD nose to tail so the entire 737NG fleet will have this (-700/-800/-900ER).

Josh

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

Empire, then Piedmont then US Air operated the F28-1000, F28-4000 and the F100(US only).
 
PI used the F28s mostly on the Florida Shuttle which accounted for 32% of Piedmont's gross revenue, US came in and screwed it all up.

 
I apologize for my ignorance, but as far as the FL shuttle that PI operated:  was it hourly service between a couple major Florida cities or more of a point-to-point intra-Florida network?  What were the routes/cities served? 

 

[FrugalFlyerv2.0]

FWIW, and to your point, DL tried for a few months to retain Pan Am's knowledge when they bought the TATL operations but quickly realized that DL had to come up with better ideas in order to keep the TATL operation from taking down DL.

 
What a difference 20 or so years make.  DLs international ops were a disaster following the takeover of PA's international routes, including the hub at FRA.  Contrast that to what DL offers out of JFK today ... ... ...

 

[WorldTraveler]

Yes, DL waited until PA sold their LHR operations to UA and then PA itself was in dire financial shape and they had already lost a lot of premium customers to AA, DL, and UA who had all started int'l ops from their own hubs. If you remember, the first Gulf War started shortly after DL bought PA's TATL assets so it was indeed a disaster. German reunification was thrown into the mix today so Europe was a mess and DL didn't really know what to do with what it bought.

DL was burnt by indecisiveness in fixing the PA problem which is part of why DL's entire strategic culture changed even before they went into BK and why DL is so strategically aggressive now.

There really was a strategic kinship between the aggressively and thrift of the way DL and NW both operated that has continued... and it also includes figuring out how to make older aircraft work as good as or better than the newer aircraft strategies at other carriers.

 

[700UW]

October 01, 1985PI begins Florida Shuttle service with 68 daily intrastate flights serving 10 locations.