It was the first airline to operate the Douglas DC-8 and kept the type for almost 30 years, flying all the major passenger models, from early turbojets to stretched examples with high-bypass turbofans. Barry Lloyd recalls the aircraft that launched Delta Air Lines into the jet age
As the advantages of the jet engine became apparent to both operators and passengers in the late 1950s, airlines didn’t want to be left behind in the race to replace their propeller-driven aircraft.