Can a DC-8 go supersonic?

Can a DC-8 go supersonic?

At the time, DC-8s had been used by commercial carriers for about three years and were competing with the Boeing 707. While DC-8s weren’t designed to go supersonic, the bragging rights of being the first to do so were worth making the attempt. In order to reach Mach 1, the jet had to be in a dive.

What was the first airplane to go supersonic?

On Aug. 21, 1961, a jet designed for commercial use became the first airliner to go supersonic. And it wasn’t the famous Concorde, which wouldn’t break the sound barrier until an October ’69 test flight, or the Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-144, but rather a humble DC-8—no. N9604Z, to be specific.

What is the trim setting on a DC8?

Trim is an adjustable setting that causes a constant force to be applied to a control surface, like elevators, rudder or ailerons. Interestingly enough the DC-8 was relatively stable while supersonic, and it was only while decelerating through mach 0.95 that there was any buffeting or other symptoms.

What happened to Canada’s old DC-8s?

After the test, DC-8 no. N9604Z was delivered to Canadian Pacific Air Lines and was used by the carrier for almost two decades before being retired. But this piece of aviation history isn’t hanging in a museum somewhere.