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Home > Product Information: The DC-9 Series
40
The Series 40: Another Stretch
The third aircraft to be released in the Jet City Collections: The DC-9
product suite is the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Series 40.
For those of you unfamiliar with the DC-9, we have included some information about the aircraft that will be of interest.
The information is provided courtesy of The Boeing Company, who absorbed McDonnell Douglas into its operations in 1997.
Although the aircraft is now officially titled the Boeing DC-9, we at Jet City Aircraft have decided to use the
Douglas DC-9 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 titles as these companies were responsible for
the original design of the aircraft.
The DC-9 Family - An Overview
The Douglas DC-9 was designed specifically to operate from short runways and on short-
to medium-range routes so that the speed, comfort and reliability of jet
transportation could be extended to hundreds of communities previously served
only by propeller-driven airliners.
Smaller than the DC-8, the trim DC-9 has a distinctive high-level horizontal
stabilizer atop the rudder, commonly called a "T" tail. Two engines mounted on
the aft fuselage power the aircraft at cruising speeds exceeding 500 mph (800
km/h) and altitudes over 30,000 feet (9,144 m).
Design, development and production of the DC-9 was centered in Long Beach,
Calif., at what is now the Long Beach Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes,
where 976 of the twin jets were built during an 18-year production run. The
first flight was Feb. 25, 1965; the final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.
There are five basic DC-9 versions, designated Series 10, Series 20, Series 30,
Series 40 and Series 50. Several models in each series provide operators maximum
efficiency for diverse combinations of traffic density, cargo volume and route
distances to more than 2,000 miles (3,218 km). All models use variants of the
reliable workhorse Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine.
Common to all versions of the DC-9 are the features that make them ideal for
short- and medium-range flights providing direct service between small or large
airports. All have built-in boarding stairs for use where jetways are not
available. The low ground clearance puts the lower deck cargo bays at waist
height, to allow loading and unloading without a conveyor or loading platform.
The cockpit is designed for a two-member crew.
Passenger cabins of the DC-9s are designed for optimum passenger comfort and
convenience. Economy class seating is five across -- an arrangement consistently
preferred in passenger surveys to the six-across seating in other single-aisle
jetliners. A "wide look" interior introduced in 1973 provides a greater feeling
of spaciousness than in earlier models and offers enclosed overhead racks for
carry-on bags.
Thirty years after beginning operations and more than a decade after the final
aircraft rolled off the assembly line, DC-9s remain a mainstay in many airlines,
still building a worldwide reputation for reliability and durability unmatched
by any other aircraft. The fleet makes more than 3,500 flights per day, with
each aircraft averaging more than five hours of revenue service daily.
The first in the twinjet family, the fuselage length of the Series 10 DC-9 is
104.4 feet (31.8 m), accommodating up to 90 passengers with 600 cubic feet
of cargo space below the floor. Wingspan is 89.4 feet (27.2 m).
Engines can be JT8D-5s or JT8D-7s, with takeoff thrust ratings up to 14,000
pounds.
The DC-9 Series 20, although numbered second in the sequence of models, actually
is the fourth member of the family. This high-performance version was announced
in December 1966, and the first delivery was made in December 1968. The Series
20 is designed for operation from very short runways. It combines the fuselage
of the DC-9 Series 10 with a high-lift wing developed for the Series 30. Power
is provided by two JT8D-9s with 14,500 pounds thrust each, or 15,000-pound
JT8D-11s.
Fuselage of the Series 30 DC-9, actually second developed, is nearly 15 feet
longer than the Series 10, at 119.3 feet (36.3 m), providing seats for up to 115
passengers and cargo space to 895 cubic feet. Series 30
wingspan was increased to 93.3 feet (28.4 m), and a high-lift wing system of
leading edge slats gives the Series 30 excellent short-field performance. The
first of the type began airline service in February 1967.
Most of the Series 30s are powered by either JT8D-7 or JT8D-9 engines. Others
are equipped with JT8D-11 or the JT8D-15, with 15,500 pounds of thrust. The
Series 30 is the most widely used member of the DC-9 family, accounting for
approximately 60 percent of the entire fleet.
To again meet airline demands for a DC-9 with more capacity, the Series 40 was
developed with a fuselage length of 125.6 feet (38.3 m). Seating is available
for up to 125 passengers, 10 more than the popular Series 30s. Below-floor cargo
space totals 1,019 cubic feet. The Series 40 uses the same
wing as the Series 30. Series 40 engines are JT8D-9s, JT8D-11s or JT8D-15s. The
model entered service in March 1968.
The fifth and largest DC-9 version is extended to 133.6 feet (40.7 m) long,
permitting installation of five more rows of seats than the Series 30. Maximum
passenger capacity is up to 139, with cargo capacity increased similarly.
Wingspan is the same as for the Series 30. Engines are either JT8D-15s or
JT8D-17s, which are rated at 16,000 pounds. Airline operations with the Series
50 began in August 1975.
(The above information was provided courtesy of The Boeing Company)
About the Jet City Aircraft DC-9
This release contains all models, variants, and engine configurations of the DC-9 Series
40, which is limited to the
DC-9-41 in passenger and cargo configurations. All of our DC-9-40 aircraft feature customized visual details
and flight dynamics specific to each model and variant, along with individual options on each aircraft as specified by the original
delivery airline.
The airplane is accurately modeled in shape and scale, and uses all of the advanced features that
today's design tools have to offer,
including full animation, dynamic shine, and reflective textures. Great care was taken to make best use of display resources
to ensure that the frame rate hit remains minimal. In simple terms, this airplane is full of detail and is an amazing replica
of the real aircraft.
And speaking of detail, unlike some other designers which attempt to "wow" potential customers with a lot of descriptions
of useless things like cardian lugs, torque flanges, and track rollers, we'll take the less dramatic approach and tell you
what you really want to know about our planes. You know, the stuff that matters.
Aircraft Visual Details
Click on the hyperlinks below to view images of the Jet City Aircraft DC-9 Series
40.
All screen shots have been converted to jpeg format to allow for fast loading, so please be aware that the image quality will not be
as high as what you will see in the flight simulator. None of the aircraft images on our web site have been
altered, edited, or otherwise tampered with in order to falsely depict the product. Enjoy the previews!
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Check out our high-resolution image gallery to enjoy the spectacular details on this aircraft. These images are quite large (over 1200 pixels wide) and will
open in a new browser window.
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Flight Dynamics
By now you know that the DC-9-40 looks good and is full of awesome features, but how well does it fly?
Even the best flight dynamics designers will tell you that it is impossible to create 100% accurate flight dynamics
for Flight Simulator, but you can get things pretty close. We believe that you'll find the flying characteristics of
the DC-9 Series 40 to be quite acceptable.
We have seen several designers claim that their flight models were designed by real pilots and were "Pilot approved," only to be seriously disappointed when
we actually flew the airplane. Having said that, we will not be so bold as to make such claims, but
we will say that we used real aircraft specifications while designing the flight model. As a result, the airplanes accelerate down the runway properly and maintains a correct
climb-out rate and speed for a DC-9, they
are stable at cruise speed and altitude, and are very manageable airplanes through the descent and landing phases of flight. The
aircraft's range is very close to their real counterparts, as is the fuel burn.
Remember that this airplane was designed with performance in mind, and is a very capable airplane. Knowing this, it is of
great importance to always plan ahead.
The DC-9-41 is significantly longer than the short-bodied Series 10 and 20. It’s a heavier airplane and care must be taken to rotate slowly on takeoff to avoid tailstrikes, and climbouts will
take longer, especially at higher altitudes.
Like most other T-tailed, rear-engine aircraft, the DC-9 has the ability to push back from a gate without the use of a tug.
The process is called a “Powerback” and it uses reverse thrust to move the plane backwards. The process is not approved at all
airports, but you do have the option to powerback in the simulator as our DC-9 has that capability.
The DC-9 Series 40, while challenging to pilot due to the lack
of conveniences found in more modern airliners, is a wonderful airplane to fly, either by autopilot or manually.
Instrument Panel and Aircraft Sounds
The DC-9 Series 40 does not include a custom instrument panel or aircraft sounds. As a development group, we could have made two
decisions: One would be to commit to doing the full line of all DC-9's; the other to do far fewer
aircraft models, and commit to include a panel and sounds. We could not do both, as there simply is not enough manpower available.
So we took the best route for us -- one which maximized our group's best talents -- and focused on providing the full DC-9 model
lineup. With the existence of the Iron Knuckles DC-9 panel and sound package, and Flight1's continued commitment to supporting that product,
it simply made more sense to focus on the airplanes themselves rather than attempting to duplicate an already outstanding panel and sound product.
Having said that, when you install the aircraft, it uses the default 737
panel and sounds that are included with the simulator. Of course, you are in no way limited to using that configuration, as other
options are available.
If you already have the Iron Knuckles DC-9 package, you can easily merge that package with our aircraft simply by running the merge application
included with your DC-9 Series 40 download or CD. Doing so will allow you to use our aircraft with the Iron Knuckles DC-9 panel, sounds, and if you
choose, the virtual cockpit.
If you have yet to experience the Iron Knuckles DC-9 package, we strongly recommend you consider it as it's an amazing
piece of software. Jet City Aircraft's DC-9s paired up with the Iron Knuckles DC-9 panel and sounds creates an unbeatable package
sure to keep DC-9 enthusiasts very pleased for a long, long time to come.
Other Details
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Fully compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 |
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The main passenger door and main passenger air stairs are opened using separate commands, so you can use jetways or
non-jetway gates realistically |
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Integrates seamlessly with the Flight One Iron Knuckles DC-9 panel, sounds, and virtual cockpit |
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All repaints are assigned to the correct DC-9 variant, and as such, may or may not include all of the features mentioned
above, depending on that particular aircraft's configuration. |
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We allow third party repaints of our aircraft, so long as repainters adhere to our repaint policy which can be found
in the Repainter Support area at the Jet City Forums. |
Models and Airlines
The Jet City Aircraft DC-9 Series 40 package contains the following aircraft and operators:
Additional liveries are available for free. Click here to go to the DC-9-40 Product Support page to see what's currently available.
System Requirements
 
This aircraft should run fine on any system capable of running
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight or Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002. As with any add-on for flight simulation, the more powerful your CPU and video card,
the better performance you will receive. Frame rates with our aircraft are comparable to other high-detail add-on aircraft.
Download and Purchase
The DC-9 Series 40 is available for download and purchase now, either as a single model or as part of the DC-9 Complete
Package! To get your copy of this aircraft, please select "Buy and Fly"
in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or
click here to go there now.
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