The most beautiful jet airliner ever flown was retired this week after 36 years of service.
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'At 147 feet from nose to tail, it’s one long and skinny bird, made to look even sleeker by thin, small wings and engines placed at the tail. Those engines are, in fact, the reason that the Mad Dog is so beloved of aviation fans everywhere. With their 1970s technology, they’re a sonic reminder of the days when even tame commercial transports howled like fighter jets. In the case of the MD-80, that is literally true: its Pratt & Whitney JT8D engines were developed into the Volvo RM8, which powered the Swedish-made Saab Viggen, one of the classic fighters of the Cold War era.' LINK
