Gallery Update: Chasing an Allegiant MD-88 in Provo

The first day of fall and it ended up being a wet day! I'm done with classes by mid-morning on Fridays so I decided to get a little planespotting in today with elements of the rainy weather. Today, one of the Allegiant flights coming into Provo turned out to be another McDonnell Douglas MD-80. But this was not just any MD-80, but an MD-88, which as it turns out is a rare aircraft type here in the western United States!

The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series includes five sub-types: the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-87, and the MD-88. Allegiant Air was the only US-based carrier to have operated all five sub-types of the MD-80 series and all of them except the MD-87 have the same fuselage lengths. Apart from the shortened MD-87 (another rare aircraft type here in the United States!), the differences between the long-length MD-80 sub-types are relatively minor and only differ from each other in having different engine variants, fuel capacities, and weights. The MD-88 is the sole exception along with its successor, the MD-90s and MD-95 (currently known as the Boeing 717-200) by being equipped with more modern, up-to-date flight decks.

Here's a quick low-down on the standard MD-80 family:

• The MD-81 is the basic, first production model of the MD-80 family. 

• The MD-82 is equipped with more powerful engines and was intended  for operation from 'hot and high' airports but also offered greater payload and range when in use at standard airfields. 

• The MD-83 is a longer range version of the basic MD-81/82 with higher weights, more powerful engines, and increased fuel capacity. Allegiant Air currently operates 40 MD-83s in its fleet, with plans to retire them by 2020. MD-82s could also be re-engined and then re-certified to become MD-83s, a conversion process that Alaska Airlines (which once operated MD-80s from the 1980s until 2008) and Allegiant Air have already done. American Airlines also currently operates a mixed fleet of MD-82s and MD-83s, with plans to have them phased out of the fleet by 2018.

• The MD-87 is a shorter fuselage variant of the MD-80, and could seat between 109 and 130 passengers depending on configuration. The designation was intended to indicate its planned date of entry into service, 1987. Allegiant Air used to operate 4 MD-87s in their fleet and used them solely for charter purposes until 2010, with all four airframes being scrapped afterwards. Currently, no U.S. airline operates the MD-87 sub-type but there are a handful of them in use or in ownership of private owners and leasing companies. Seven airframes are currently in use as converted waterbombers by Erickson Aero Tanker.

• The MD-88 was the last variant of the MD-80 and is basically similar to the MD-82 or MD-83 except it incorporates an EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) cockpit instead of the more traditional analog flight deck of the other MD-80s. EFIS became standard on the MD-80's successor, the MD-90 and Boeing 717-200. Allegiant Air currently operates six MD-88s in its fleet with plans to retire them in 2020 along with its MD-83s. Delta Air Lines is the world's largest operator of the MD-88 sub-type with 116 aircraft in its fleet. However, it appears that Delta concentrates their entire MD-88 fleet to the eastern and partially the central United States and not so much in the western part.

The MD-80 is quickly becoming rare aircraft type to see in many parts of North America. Here's the link:

Provo (PVU) 12

Preview:

Allegiant Air McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (N403NV) arriving on 13 as AAY132 from Phoenix-Mesa. This is my first time photographing an MD-88 since getting into planespotting!

AAY132 taxiing to the terminal. Airframe was first delivered as N161PL to AeroMexico under lease from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). Allegiant purchased the airframe in 2008.

Long live the mighty "Mad Dog!"