DOUGLAS DC-8 JET ROLLOUT, GROUND TESTS & FIRST FLIGHT XD31454

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website This NASA film shows the rollout of the first Douglas DC-8 jet, and the ground testing of its instruments. At 1:25 the aircraft makes its first test flight. At 3:18 the aircraft comes in for a landing at the Douglas plant in Long Beach, California. At 4:16, a DC-8 in Delta livery is seen in service. The Douglas DC-8 (also known as the McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is an American four-engine long-range narrow-body jet airliner built from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Launched after the competing Boeing 707, the DC-8 nevertheless kept Douglas in a strong position in the airliner market, and remained in production until 1972 when it began to be superseded by larger wide-body designs, including the Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. The DC-8’s design allowed it a slightly larger cargo capacity than the 707 and some re-engined DC