No guns, but a fly-off of classic airliners. Which is better? Boeing 707 or Douglas DC-8.?

Question

Both were developed around the same time, in the middle 1950's and both sought to dominate early jet airliner services.

Boeing sold a lot of 707s of various models, and they served all over the world. Military versions included the KC-135 tanker, still in service a half century after it first was delivered.

The elegant DC-8 arrived with curtains in the windows and a layout reminiscent of the magnificent DC-7 prop airliners that preceded it. Beautiful, comfortable, many airlines immediately put them in service as their first jets. Later McDonnell-Douglas stretched them and sold them as the Super DC-8, which became an early predecessor of the jumbo jets. Many in all versions remain in freight service today along with a few still in passenger service.

Some of us have traveled long distances in both types. Which was the better airliner? Did the 707 deserve to dominate the industry? Did the DC-8 deserve to be manufactured in greater numbers?

Okay, frequent flyers. Which?

If I am remembering correctly, the first Boeing 707s were built with pure jet engines with noise suppressors that made them a little quieter than the KC-135s.

When turbofans became available Boeing grabbed the technology and incorporated it from then on. Boeing quickly learned to make money building the same aircraft in different ways and adapting to the market.

Douglas was a little slower to adapt, but also built to a market. I very much respect and like both types, but have spent more time flying in 707s, with five of my eight Pacific crossing in them.

My most comfortable Pacific crossings were in a Stretch DC-8 and a 747. My least comfortable was in a Canadair CL-44.

Have to comment on the Boeing 720. It was actually a kind of spin-off version of the 707, based on the original shorter fuselage of the prototype. It was Boeing's first attempt to grow new airliners from the basic 707, followed by the highly successful 727 and 737s.

I can't say how many 720s are still flying, but quite a few 707s are still in service, mostly outside the U.S.

Of course the U.S. Air Force still has several hundred KC-135s and some other C-135 variations in service. The E-3 AWACS is based on the 707 airframe.

So many good answers I may have to put this one to a vote--something I have never done in my previous 90 plus questions.

Answer 1

The DC-8 was a great aircraft, but the 707 was more mature, so Im going to go with it.
A good point is that the DC-8 was first built with the P&W JT-4 turbojet while at the same time the 707 had the JT3C, which is a more efficient turbofan engine. The DC-8 was eventually manufactured with a turbofan, which the 707 was also being produced with at the time, the JT3D, so the 707 maintained better performance.
The DC-8 was also extremely heavy, over 50 tons heavier, which made it quite a bit lower performer than the 707 when it first came out. The DC-8 required a much higher power setting to maintain the same cruise, which was dictated by the airframe. If the airframe wasnt the limitation the 707 would be far faster. The 707 did eventually weigh as much as the first dc-8s did, but only after the wings were extended 14ft on each side to keep the same wing loading.
I do think that the later douglas designs were the best in the world until the 757 came out, they were far more efficient and mature designs than the boeing designs at the time, producing the same performance with fewer engines because of superior design. Boeing finally trumped the tri engine MD designs when engines became powerful enough to create twin engine designs with superior performance to older 4 engine designs. The 777 carries as many people as the original 747 after all.

Answer 2

There were many versions of both aircraft but i believe the dc-8 had many more versions.. The 707 began as the 720 and only one i know of is left .. but the dc-8s are still flying all over the world mainly as freighters,,, The dc-8 seemed more fleable and provided a smoother flight for some reason than the 707. The curtains on the dc-8 didnt last long.. but im thinking one of them was injected with water to get the turbines spinning or something,,, its been so long i cant remember

Answer 3

In terms of sales, the 707 won by a landslide.

In terms of longevity, the DC-8 was the winner (especially the 60/Super 70 Series).

707 advantages:

Available in many different versions for different customers.

Wider fuselage.

Manual flight controls (makes for easier maintenance).

Faster cruising speed.

Better pressurization system (anyone who has heard the children scream as a DC-8 leaves the ground knows what I am talking about).

DC-8 advantages:

Bigger windows (but only installed every second fuselage frame instead of every frame).

Larger and heavier.

Simple leading edge devices.

Slower approach speeds.


Both of these planes were overengineered (unlike the DH Comet, the BAC Trident, and every Airbus).

It is hard to choose, but I think I like the 707 the best. It was the first real jetliner and set the pattern for all jets up to the A380 and 787. The DC-8 in spite of being a good design, was just a copy of the 707 made bigger and better.

Answer 4

Matter of taste I reckon. I love the 707, dealt with the 135 in the military. But then again I am stuck on Douglas because thats what I crewed in the military(KC-10). But I think I would go for the 707 mainly because it doesn so many roles. It carries more roles than any other aircraft in the military. Plus with the addition of the CFM engines in the R models, that bird is rocket.

Answer 5

I still love the -8.....guess it's memories of when people actually dressed up and behaved themselves on airplanes,,,,,and airlines actually cared about their customers!...as compared to the 'Greyhound' with wings we get today....
If memory serves me right...the DC-8 has an unlimited airframe life (on condition) and 707 did have finite cycles..then scrap.
Still see a lot of both plying the skies of africa...

Answer 6

I think Douglass looked ahead when they designed the DC8 in a way you could "stretch" the fuselage.
the dc8-61 has to be the world's first jumbo.
259 passengers?? Not such less capacity than a 777-200 ( Alitalia seating ,, 291 passengers).
i think it was like Chevy vs Ford. Neither one alone could have produced to meet demand.

Answer 7

Both are good birds, but I like the 707.