11/30/2011. Remarks by John Voss: "The Douglas Model DC-8 Series 10 was intended for domestic operations and was powered by four 13,000 lb (5,897 kg) st Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojet engines. Fuel capacity was 17,500 gal (66,245 l) and the maximum take off weight (MTOW) was 265,000 lb (120,202 kg). The aircraft could seat 124 to 176 economy class passengers depending on the airline.

N8004U was the eighth DC-8 constructed, also known as 'Ship 8', and it was the first produced for United Air Lines (UAL) of Chicago, Illinois. Named 'Mainliner Capt R.T. Freng', the aircraft is seen here shortly before a publicity photo shoot that took place while the aircraft was still with Douglas, the actual location was at Long Beach AFB (across the runway from the Douglas plant site). I recall that day as my father and his immediate family was invited too as we all got a photo taken on the gangway.

N8004U was delivered to United on May 29, 1959, and after the DC-8-11 gained its Type Certificate on August 31, 1959, this aircraft was used by UAL for its inaugural service from San Francisco, California to New York, New York on September 18, 1959. Subsequently it was converted into a DC-8-12 by adding wing leading edge slots and low-drag wing tips, this increased the MTOW from 265,000 lb to 273,000 lb (120,202 kg to 123,831 kg).

It returned to Douglas in March 1964 for conversion to a DC-8-21, receiving 15,800 lb (7,167 kg) st Pratt & Whitney JT4A turbojets engines that increased the MTOW again to 276,000 lb (125,192 kg) and reduced take off field length from 9,800 ft (2,990 m) to 8,900 ft (2,715 m). It was withdrawn from service after 55,049 flight hours and was sold to Boeing on January 4, 1978, and stored at Kingman, Arizona, where it was broken up in 1981.

Here's an interesting factoid, Boeing constructed about 1000 of its commercial 707 variants, in 2010 about 14 are still airworthy. Douglas produced nearly 600 DC-8 variants and over 100 are still flying ..."