Newsletter
ES
Sign in

Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis

Douglas DC-8-21 illustration in Project Orbis livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas DC-8-21

DC8-45280Unknown
RegistrationUSN220RB
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?We checked that this aircraft’s registration, serial number and model match the official civil aviation register: FAA (United States), data as of Oct 8, 2026.That makes its identity more reliable. The verification expires after 12 months: if the register stops confirming it, the badge disappears.How we verify
OperatorProject Orbis
2operators
0incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Douglas DC-8-21 built in 1959. Has operated for United Airlines and Project Orbis.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld
Old · 67 years
Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Recent flights

Checking flight activity…

Technical data

First flight1959
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
MSN45280
Hex / ICAO 24-bitA1E27A
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

The model · Douglas DC-8

Figures for the DC-8-63 variant, the most representative of the family · it is 54% the length of a football pitch

Length57.1 m187 ft
Wingspan45.2 m148 ft
Height12.9 m42 ft
Range7,408 km4,000 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed895 km/h483 ktMach 0.84
Service ceiling12,800 m41,995 ftIt flies above Everest (1.4 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight161,025 kg354,999 lb
Maximum payload89,022 kg196,260 lbIts 259 passengers with baggage would weigh about 25.9 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity259 passengers
Endurance8 h 17 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

The type first flew in 1958 (68 years ago) · About 556 units built · Production ended in 1972

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Douglas DC-8 Compare this aircraft

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

1959
Built
Assembled by the manufacturer.
Jan 2, 1959
Delivered to Douglas Aircraft Company
Delivered to Douglas Aircraft Company as N8038D.
Jun 16, 1960
Transferred to United Airlines
Transferred to United Airlines.
Jan 1, 1982
Transferred to Project Orbis
Transferred to Project Orbis.

Operators

1959-01-02
Douglas Aircraft Company
Registration N8038D
1960-06-16
United Airlines
Registration N8003U
1982-01-01
Project Orbis
Registration N220RB

Register of memories

This space lets visitors record the memories they have with this aircraft and, in doing so, help fund this non-profit project: the largest aviation encyclopedia in the world.

Diamond
your photo
(Your name could be here)

Did you fly on this aircraft on your honeymoon? You can record it for posterity.

Get one
Gold
your photo
Your partner's name

Did you meet on a flight like this one? Leave the name written forever.

Get one
Silver
your photo
Your father's name

Did he ever fly on this aircraft? Honor him with a memory.

Get one
Memories in rotation—
Get one
See the full list of memories

Current position of the aircraft

Looking for a signal…
View on the adsb.lol live map

Real-time position via adsb.lol (ODbL license). There is a signal only while the aircraft is airborne and within coverage.

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280

MLA

“Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280 (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc8_45280,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45280 |title=Douglas DC-8-21 · N220RB · Project Orbis |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}