Douglas DC-9 (1965-1982): The DC-9 jetliner was designed to serve smaller airports and shorter routes than those served by the larger Boeing 727. It was developed to be a jet-age DC-3, bringing reliable jet service to any airport in the world. Smaller than the DC-8, the baseline DC-9 carried fewer passengers than some versions of the propeller driven DC-6 and DC-7 airliners. The DC-9 made its first flight on February 25, 1965, and entered service with Delta Airlines just 10 months later. It quickly became one of the most popular airlines ever built. In addition, the U.S. military ordered specially modified versions of the DC-9. The C-9A Nightingale was used by the Air Force to transport sick and injured military personnel. The Navy and Marine Corps flew the C-9B Skytrain II. Three executive transport versions were delivered to the Air Force as the VC-9C. With 976 aircraft produced in eight variations, the DC-9 ended its 17 year production run in 1982. Today, more than 800 DC-9s are still flying.