McDonnell Douglas MD-82

McDonnell Douglas · United States · first flew 1981 · airliner

The MD-82 is the most-produced member of the MD-80 series, differing from the baseline MD-81 primarily in its higher-thrust JT8D-217 engines, which improved hot-and-high performance.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, tail-mounted
F — Fuselage	JT8D-217 engines in rear-fuselage pods with a slightly longer nacelle and revised thrust reverser compared to the MD-81's JT8D-209 — a subtle but measurable difference
T — Tail	T-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

JT8D-217 engines in rear-fuselage pods with a slightly longer nacelle and revised thrust reverser compared to the MD-81's JT8D-209 — a subtle but measurable difference
T-tail twin rear-engine layout shared with all MD-80 series; fuselage length of 45.1m identical to MD-81, MD-83 and MD-88, making engine nacelle details the key internal differentiator
Five-abreast seating for up to 172 passengers; digital cockpit panels progressive across the MD-80 series but no single definitive external indicator separating -82 from -81

Externally near-identical to MD-81 and MD-83; the JT8D engine nacelles are slightly different in reverser detail; the primary in-service distinguishing approach is operator records, registration or engine placard — not gross visual features.

Specifications

The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 has a length of 45.1 m (148 ft).
It has a wingspan of 32.9 m (108 ft).
Its maximum speed is 925 km/h (575 mph).
Typical crew: 2 flight crew.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The MD-82 first flew in January 1981 and entered service with Republic Airlines later that year. It was developed to address operator requests for better performance from high-elevation airports and in warm climates. Over 680 were built, with American Airlines becoming by far the largest operator.

Variants

The MD-82 sits between the baseline MD-81 and the longer-range MD-83 in the family; it was followed by the MD-88 with a glass cockpit. All share the same fuselage length.

Where you'll see it

American Airlines operated over 360 MD-82s, making it one of the most common narrowbodies in US aviation history; examples also served with Alitalia, SAS and Scandinavian carriers; retirements accelerated during the 2010s.

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