The DC-9 was, like many airliners designed in the early 1960’s, a bit of a revolution.  It was the airliner that allowed airlines to serve smaller markets and small airports just as the BAC 1-11 and even the Sud Aviation Caravelle was.

Today, we would regard the original DC-9-10/20 as unusable in today’s markets but there exists another airline that is servicing the same markets and, remarkably, very similar specifications. 

Hint:  David Neeleman likes it.

Question:  Can you name the airliner and tell which was/is faster?

the answer after the fold:

The Embraer E-190 is the closest of the E-Jet series.  The specifications between the two airliners are remarkably similar and, not for nothing, the markets they serve are too. 

The E-190 is ever so slightly slower according to Wikipedia but the difference is almost neglible.  The E-190 is also heavier but also has much higher thrust engines.  Why is the E-190 just a touch slower?  The DC-9 was given pretty aggressive wings for its time that permit fairly high cruise speeds.

Filed under: Trivia by ajax