The Douglas DC-8 was an American piston-engined airliner project by

Douglas Aircraft The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated as ...

. A concept developed more than a decade before the DC-8 jetliner, the piston-engined DC-8 was to have propellers in the tail, an idea first used at Douglas by Edward F. Burton on a fighter project. The airliner project was canceled after development costs made it commercially unviable.

Design and development

Based on the cancelled XB-42, the program began shortly after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. It was intended to operate on short- and medium-range routes, carrying between 40 and 48 passengers in a then-novel

pressurized {{Wiktionary Pressurization or pressurisation is the application of pressure in a given situation or environment. Industrial Industrial equipment is often maintained at pressures above or below atmospheric. Atmospheric This is the process by ...

cabin (which had been pioneered by the

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...

307 __NOTOC__ Year 307 ( CCCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Severus and Maximinus (or, less frequently, year 1060 ...

in 1938, but was still not in standard airline use). The DC-8 was to use the same

Allison Allison may refer to: People * Allison (given name) * Allison (surname) (includes a list of people with this name) * Eugene Allison Smith (1922-1980), American politician and farmer Companies * Allison Engine Company, American aircraft engine ...

V1710s as the XB-42 (these rated at ), fitted below and immediately behind the cockpit. They were to power

contra-rotating Contra-rotating, also referred to as coaxial contra-rotating, is a technique whereby parts of a mechanism rotate in opposite directions about a common axis, usually to minimise the effect of torque. Examples include some aircraft propellers, res ...

propellers in the tail, as in the XB-42, by way of

driveshaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connec ...

s under the cabin floor (an arrangement reminiscent of the

P-39 The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

). This arrangement, also proposed for the

Douglas Cloudster II The Douglas Cloudster II was an American prototype five-seat light aircraft of the late 1940s. It was of unusual layout, with two buried piston engines driving a single pusher propeller. Only a single example was built, which flew only twice, ...

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aircraft, reduced drag by 30% and eliminated the problems associated with controlling the aircraft with one engine out."Tail Pusher Cruises at 200mph", March 1947, Popular Mechanics
article with photos of Cloudster II Cabin access would have been by airport stair through a single

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

side door. Despite performance predicted to significantly surpass conventional twin airliners, excessive complexity and high development costs (with consequent high sales price and operating costs) meant that less risky types, such as

Convair Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, i ...

's 240 and

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

's 2-0-2, were preferred, and the DC-8 was dropped before a prototype was built.

Specifications (estimated)

Bibliography

;Notes ;References * - Total pages: 721 *

External links

DC-8 'Skybus' concept

"Your Pin-up Douglas DC-8 Transport", February 1946, Popular Science
bottom of page 96, art work Page 97
"Tail End Propellers Will Push The New Douglas Air Transport", November 1945, ''Popular Science''
early article revealing DC-8 design to general public

a 1945 ''Flight'' article on the DC-8 and Martin 202 {{Douglas airliners Abandoned civil aircraft projects of the United States Aircraft with contra-rotating propellers DC-08 Low-wing aircraft Twin-engined pusher aircraft

Design and development

Specifications (estimated)

See also

Bibliography

External links