More About the Douglas DC-8

This promotional film tells us quite a bit about the aircraft that flew McGarrett to Los Angeles when his sister’s baby was ill ("Once Upon a Time," Season 1) and members of the Faculty Discount Travel Club to Honolulu with their stolen travelers cheques ("3000 Crooked Miles to Honolulu," Season 4). As well, it gives us a bird’s eye view of what the early days of jet travel were like and an all-too-brief look at the DC-3, DC-4, and DC-7, precursors to the DC-8.

We saw the Douglas DC-8 in several seasons. In Season 4, we began to see United Airlines' livery change from white with its red and blue insignia to white with orange, red, and blue stripes and the “tulip” shaped tail insignia (see pictures).

The DC-8 flew with major US airlines from 1959 until 1989 and with minor airlines into the 2010s. Today, the five remaining DC-8s are used by two air freight companies, by Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, and by NASA.