Widebody · ICAO DC86

Douglas DC-8-60

The Douglas DC-8-60 series stretched the original DC-8's fuselage substantially, making the -61 and -63 variants, at the time, the longest airliners in the world. That extra length let airlines carry far more passengers than the original DC-8 on the same wing and engines, dramatically improving the type's economics on high-demand routes. The stretch was so significant that a fully loaded -63 needed careful weight and balance management to avoid tipping onto its tail during ground loading. Many -60 series aircraft went on to long careers as cargo freighters after their airline passenger service ended.

Douglas DC-8-60, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: RuthAS · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The DC-8-60 series stretched the fuselage so far it was, at the time, the longest airliner ever built.

Specifications

Length57.1 m (187 ft)
Wingspan45.2 m (148 ft)
Height13 m (43 ft)
Maximum passengers259
Persons on board200
Maximum take-off weight151.9 t
Range5,090 NM (9,427 km)
Maximum speed500 kt (926 km/h)
Service ceiling42,000 ft (12,802 m)
Optimum ceiling31,000 ft (9,449 m)
Rate of climb2,000 ft/min (10.2 m/s)
Take-off distance2,862 m (9,390 ft)
Landing distance2,000 m (6,562 ft)
Engines4x Pratt & Whitney JT3D
Units built262

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Douglas DC-8-60 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Douglas, the DC-8 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

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