Douglas DC-9-20
Douglas · United States · first flew 1968 · airliner
The Douglas DC-9-20 was a specialised short-field version of the DC-9 twinjet, combining the short fuselage of the original Series 10 with the longer wing of the Series 30.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | twin turbofans mounted on the rear fuselage below a T-tail |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- twin turbofans mounted on the rear fuselage below a T-tail
- low, swept wings on a slim, cigar-shaped fuselage
- short-to-medium fuselage length distinct from later stretched DC-9 variants
Like other DC-9s, its rear-mounted engines and T-tail stand out, though the Series 20's larger wing relative to its short fuselage distinguishes it from the standard Series 10.
Specifications
- The Douglas DC-9-20 has a length of 31.8 m (104 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 28.4 m (93 ft).
- Typical crew: 2 pilots plus cabin crew.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Built for Scandinavian Airlines to serve short, sometimes gravel or snow-affected Nordic runways, the DC-9-20 first flew in 1968 and paired extra wing area and high-lift devices with the shorter Series 10 fuselage for better short-field performance.
Variants
Only a small batch of Series 20s were built for SAS, making it one of the rarer DC-9 sub-variants.
Where you'll see it
It served with SAS for many years on regional Scandinavian routes before retirement, and was not widely operated elsewhere.
Related aircraft
- Douglas DC-8 Super 63
- Douglas DC-8 Super 61
- Douglas DC-9-30
- Douglas AC-47 Spooky
- Tupolev Tu-144
- Tupolev Tu-154
- BAC One-Eleven 500
- Boeing 727-200
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