McDonnell Douglas MD-80/MD-90

Developed as an improved and enlarged variant of the DC-9 the MD-80’s first designation was DC-9 Super 80. Not only the fuselage had been stretched but also wings and horizontal stabilizer were enlarged. More powerful engines required bigger nacelles. When production stopped in 1999 a total of 1191 had been built.

For the MD-90 more fuel-efficient and bigger engines were used and the fuselage had been stretched again. 116 MD-90s have been built between 1993 and 2000.

The fuselage in front of the wing is very long so it’s easy to get the correct centre of gravity despite the weight of the rear-mounted engines. Compared to the DC-9 the wing loading is lower for the MD-80. Because of the vertical stabilizer’s small size directional control is a problem in case of an engine failure. A gyro on rudder is therefore recommended.

Powerplant:    Glow:               2 x 7.5 cc  (.45 cu.in.)  engines

                           Turbine:          2 x 30 N  (7 lbs.)  thrust

                           Ducted Fan:   diameter up to  85 mm  (3.3’’) (MD-80)

diameter up to 105 mm (4.1’’) (MD-90)

Specifications:

Fiberglass parts : Norbert Rauch

Span Length Wing Area Weight

Foam cores: Stefan Hinze

MD-81 (82/83/88) 2.06 m (81’’) 2.82 m (111’’) 46.6 dm² (719 sq.in.) 8 kg (18 lbs.)

 MD-87 2.06 m  (81’’)     2.49 m (98’’)      46.4 dm²  (719 sq.in.)     7 kg  (15 lbs.) Retracts: ---

 MD-90                            2.06 m  (81’’)     2.91 m  (115’’)     46.4 dm²  (719 sq.in.)     8 kg  (18 lbs.)

Basic Instructions:

Videos: (1)

Pics:

(Hugo Gloor)

(Andreas Gfeller)

(Alexander Henßler)

(Martin Binder)

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