Manufacturer · United States · Founded 1921
Douglas and McDonnell Douglas
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For about 30 years, if you flew on an airliner, there was a good chance Douglas built it. The company from Southern California made the most important airliner of the propeller age and fought Boeing for the jet age. Then, slowly, it lost. Its story is a lesson in how quickly leadership in aviation can disappear.
The DC-3: the aircraft that made airlines work
Donald Douglas founded his company in Santa Monica on 22 July 1921. In 1924 Douglas World Cruisers made the first flight around the world, but the company’s real legacy began in the 1930s with the DC (“Douglas Commercial”) series. The DC-2 was good. The DC-3, which first flew on 17 December 1935, was revolutionary.
The DC-3 was fast, reliable and comfortable for its day, and crucially it could carry enough passengers to make money from tickets alone. Before it, airlines depended on government mail contracts to survive. It became the most important airliner of its era, and more than 150 are still flying almost 90 years later, as our legacy aircraft guide explains.
Falling behind in the jet race
After the war, Douglas’s DC-4, DC-6 and DC-7 dominated long-distance flying. Its customers were happy, so Douglas was cautious about jets. Boeing wasn’t: its 707 entered service in 1958. Douglas’s answer, the DC-8, arrived the following year. It was a fine aircraft, later stretched into the long-range “Super Sixty” series, but Boeing had the head start, and it kept it.
The DC-9, a short-haul twin-jet with engines mounted at the tail, was a hit from 1965. But developing jets cost a fortune, and by 1967 Douglas was in financial trouble.
The arc
Douglas’s rise and fall
- 1921The bet
Douglas founded
Donald Douglas starts his company in Santa Monica, California, on 22 July.
- 1935Proof
DC-3 first flight
The aircraft that made airlines profitable flies on 17 December.
- 1959Strain
DC-8 enters service
Douglas’s first jet arrives after Boeing’s 707.
- 1967Reset
McDonnell Douglas formed
Douglas merges with St Louis-based McDonnell Aircraft.
- 1971The bet
DC-10 enters service
A widebody trijet battles Lockheed’s TriStar.
- 1980Proof
MD-80 enters service
A stretched DC-9 becomes a bestseller.
- 1997Break
Merged into Boeing
McDonnell Douglas becomes part of its old rival.
- 2006Break
Last 717 delivered
Airliner production in Long Beach ends on 23 May.
McDonnell Douglas: the trijet years
In 1967 Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft of St Louis, a maker of military jets and spacecraft. The new company’s big airliner was the DC-10, a widebody with three engines that entered service in 1971. It went head to head with Lockheed’s almost identical TriStar, splitting a market barely big enough for one.
The DC-10’s reputation was hurt by accidents in its early years, including the 1979 loss of American Airlines Flight 191 at Chicago, which investigators linked to damage caused by an improper engine-maintenance procedure. Design and maintenance changes followed, and the DC-10 went on to serve for decades, finishing as a freighter and firefighting tanker.
The MD-80 and the long goodbye
The company’s best seller of the period was the MD-80, a stretched and modernised DC-9 that entered service in 1980. Airlines like American and Delta flew hundreds of them, nicknamed “Mad Dogs”. The MD-11, an updated DC-10, followed in 1990, but it struggled to meet its promised range and sold modestly against new twins like the 777.
By the mid-1990s McDonnell Douglas couldn’t afford to compete with Boeing and Airbus. In 1997 it merged with Boeing. Boeing ended most of the airliner lines but finished one: the MD-95, renamed the Boeing 717. The last 717 was delivered to AirTran on 23 May 2006, ending the DC-9 family after 41 years and airliner production at Long Beach.
The real numbers
Douglas at a glance
1921
Founded
Santa Monica, California
1935
DC-3 first flight
17 December
1967
McDonnell merger
Became McDonnell Douglas
2006
Last airliner
Final 717, 23 May
Iconic aircraft
1936
Douglas DC-3
The airliner that made flying pay. Over 150 still fly.
1959
Douglas DC-8 →
The 707’s rival, later stretched into the long “Super Sixty” versions.
1965
DC-9 / MD-80 family
A short-haul jet family that lasted four decades.
1971
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 →
The widebody trijet, ending its days fighting fires.
1990
MD-11
A stretched DC-10 successor, now flying only cargo.
1999
Boeing 717 (MD-95) →
The last Douglas design, finished under the Boeing name.
Sources & Further Reading
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to McDonnell Douglas?
It merged with Boeing in 1997. Boeing ended the MD-80, MD-90 and MD-11 lines and finished the MD-95 as the Boeing 717, the last of which was delivered in May 2006.
Why was the DC-3 so important?
It was the first airliner that could make money carrying passengers alone, without relying on mail contracts or subsidies. That changed airline economics for good.
Where were Douglas airliners built?
Mainly at the huge Long Beach plant in California, which Douglas operated from 1941. After 2006 the site stopped building airliners.
What was the difference between McDonnell and Douglas?
McDonnell, based in St Louis, was mainly a military aircraft and spacecraft maker. Douglas, in California, was the airliner specialist. They merged in 1967.
Do any McDonnell Douglas airliners still fly passengers?
The Boeing 717 does, with Delta and Hawaiian. A small number of MD-80s still carry passengers; the DC-10 and MD-11 now fly only cargo or firefighting missions.