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N900DE performed the final MD-88 passenger flight for Delta. (Photo: Hunter Lyons)
[ Planes ]June 3, 2020 11:34 am ET
By Ian McMurtry

The JT8D Engine Roars into History Books as Delta Retires McDonnell Douglas Fleet

With the retirement of Delta’s McDonnell-Douglas MD-88s, the chapter for the MD-80 series in North America and the world closes for major airlines. However, it is more than just the metal fuselage that will see service decrease as the engine that once powered numerous aircraft types is falling silently into the history books. Coming off the militarily successful J-52, the JT8D was Pratt & Whitney’s response to the increasing demand for the smaller sizes requested for commercial jets. The Boeing…

[ Planes ]April 16, 2015 6:00 am ET
By Ian McMurtry

TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: British West Indies Airways

Prior to Caribbean Airlines's dominance of the Caribbean market in recent years, another Trinidad and Tobago carrier used to own the title of being one of the biggest island fliers. Its name was British West Indian Airways, or BWIA for short. BWIA dates back to 1939, when New Zealander and…