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Jet City Collections: The MD-80 and MD-90 -- An Overview.

Jet City Aircraft is pleased to present our newest aircraft in the Jet City Collections product suite, the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and MD-90

For those of you unfamiliar with these McDonnell Douglas twinjets, 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 MD-80 and Boeing MD-90, we at Jet City Aircraft have decided to use the McDonnell Douglas title as this company was responsible for the original design of the aircraft.

MD-80 Background

The MD-80, a quiet, fuel-efficient twinjet, was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in August 1980 and entered airline service in October 1980. Its Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 engines, combined with its efficient aerodynamic design, allow the MD-80 to meet all current noise regulations while producing operating costs among the lowest in commercial aviation.

Four MD-80 models - the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, and MD-88, are 147 feet, 10 inches (45.08 meters) long and accommodate a maximum of 172 passengers. The MD-87 is 130.4 feet (39.76 m) in length, with a maximum passenger capacity of 139. Wingspan for all models is 107 feet, 10 inches (32.88 m). The MD-80 was produced at the Long Beach Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes until December 1999.

The MD-80's nonstop range is from 1,500 to 2,700 statute miles (2,410 to 4,345 kilometers), depending on the model. The MD-81's maximum takeoff weight is 140,000 pounds (63,503 kg); the MD-82's and the MD-88's are 149,500 pounds (67,812 kg). The longer range MD-83 has a takeoff weight of 160,000 pounds (72,575 kg). The MD-87's maximum takeoff gross weight is 140,000 pounds (63,503 kg), with an option to 149,500 pounds (67,812 kg).

Operators range from the largest foreign and domestic trunk carriers to new startup airlines and charter operators. Swissair and Austrian Airlines began the first service, while American Airlines operates the largest number of MD-80s, a fleet of 275. In addition, 35 MD-80 airplanes were assembled and are operating in the People's Republic of China.

MD-90 Background

The MD-90 is an advanced mid-size, medium-range airliner that serves the needs of travelers and airlines today and well into the 21st century. The aircraft, one of the quietest large commercial jetliners in the skies, belongs to the twinjet family of aircraft that started with the DC-9 and includes the MD-80 and Boeing 717.

Following its launch in November 1989, the MD-90 first flew on February 22, 1993. After FAA certification in late 1994, the first delivery was made to launch customer Delta Air Lines in February 1995. The aircraft entered revenue service in April 1995.

The MD-90 was designed to be technically and economically competitive by incorporating many cost-effective technologies. It offers an advanced flight deck, including an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS), a full-flight management system (FMS), a state-of-the-art inertial reference system, and LED dot-matrix displays for engine and system monitoring.

The MD-90 is powered by two International Aero Engines V2500 engines designed to be more fuel efficient as well as environmentally friendly by greatly reducing emission and noise levels.

The MD-90 retains the popular five-abreast interior arrangement and offers travelers high comfort levels and low interior noise levels. The passenger-pleasing innovation features wide seats, fewer center seats and more aisle and window seats. Other features of the MD-90 include an advanced interior design, vacuum lavatories, new electrical and auxiliary power systems, an upgraded digital environmental control system, lightweight carbon brakes with digital anti-skid system, and significant improvements to the aircraft hydraulic system.

The MD-90 has an overall length of 152 feet, 7 inches (46.5 m) and a wing span of 107 feet, 10 inches (32.87 m). The fuselage provides a cargo volume of 1,300 cubic feet (36.8 cu m). Long-range cruising speed is Mach 0.76, or approximately 500 mph (812 km/hr).

The MD-90, with a maximum takeoff gross weight of 156,000 pounds (70,760 kg), will carry 155 passengers, in a typical mixed-class interior arrangement, approximately 2,400 statute miles. An ER version of the MD-90 increases the maximum gross weight to 166,000 pounds, providing a range increase to 2,500 statute miles, or, with the addition of a 565-gallon auxiliary fuel tank, an increase to 2,750 statute miles.

With a takeoff thrust of 25,000 pounds, the MD-90 can use runways as short as 5,000 feet (1,524 m) on a typical 550-statute-mile (885 km) operation with a full passenger load. At the maximum takeoff gross weight, the MD-90 requires only 7,100 feet (2,165 m) of runway. A 28,000-pound optional takeoff thrust rating is available for operators in need of special takeoff performance.

(The above information was provided courtesy of The Boeing Company)

About the Jet City Aircraft MD-80 and MD-90

For this project, we have meticulously recreated all models, variants, and engine configurations of the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-87, MD-88, and MD-90. All 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 airplanes are 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

All of our MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft feature:

	48-sided fuselage for a more rounded appearance and less distortion of textures
	Accurate McDonnell Douglas "Double Bubble" fuselage shape
	Reflective textures with dynamic shine and reflective cockpit windows
	High resolution textures for added clarity
	Amazing detail, from wheel lugs to fuselage rivets
	Accurate flap design for the MD -80 wing
	Complete lighting system, including rotating beacons, strobes, nav lights, taxi lights, tail logo lights, inspection lighting, interior cabin lights, cockpit lighting, and cargo bay lights
	Full detailed and accurate animation of landing gear, flaps, spoilers, ailerons, elevator, rudder, and horizontal stabilizer trim
	Opening forward main passenger door, operational main passenger door air stairs, opening forward and aft galley service doors, opening forward, mid and aft lower cargo doors, and operational rear passenger air stairs. (Please note that not all features are on all aircraft, depending on the model variant and options installed on the aircraft by the ordering airline.)
	Animated ground service equipment, including catering trucks and belt loaders
	Smooth, multi-stage thrust reverser deployment
	Independent suspension, sensitive to aircraft weight, balance, and speed
	Gear compresses upon touchdown
	Optional wing views for spectacular takeoff and landing replays. Watch the flaps, spoilers, and ailerons in action!

Instrument Panel and Aircraft Sounds

The Jet City MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft do not include a custom instrument panel or aircraft sounds. 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, both commercial and freeware, are available.

Other Details

	Fully compatible with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002
	The main passenger door and main passenger air stairs are opened using separate commands, so you can use jetways or non-jetway gates realistically
	Integrates easily with your choice of instrument panels and sounds
	All repaints are assigned to the correct aircraft variant, and as such, may or may not include all of the features mentioned above, depending on that particular aircraft's configuration.
	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.

What's Included

Jet City Collections: The MD-80 and MD-90 contains the following aircraft and operators:

MD-81

MD-82

MD-83

MD-87

MD-88

MD-90

Additional liveries will be available to download for free. Simply visit the various Product Support pages to see what's currently available for each model.

Specific details about the individual aircraft models are listed in the menu on the upper right portion of this page.

System Requirements

Our 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 MD-80 and MD-90 package is available for download and purchase today! To get your copy of this comprehensive package, 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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