Color Scheme: Delivery Colors

Registration: OH-LFR

Composition: A Refinished Douglas Factory Polished Aluminum Model

Dimensions: Length: 37" (94cm), Wingspan 35.5" (91cm)

Condition: Mint

Model History: The blank for this model is an Original Douglas Factory/ Marketing Aids DC-8-62 Blank which I acquired in December 2002. The seller, Sarmis Luters, had actually rescued the blank from a children's sandbox about 20 years ago and then hung it in his garage until he sold it to me. Thank You Sarmis For Selling Me This Rare & Much Needed Model To Help Me Complete My DC-8 Collection! In early 2003 I first had it professionally polished and then sent it to my friend Don Stevens at Airborne Replicas for finishing in the Philippines & received it back on May 13, 2004. Once Again They Did A Terrific Job of Hand Painting The Finnair Scheme - Many Thanks To Don & The Staff At Airborne! It is very gratifying to bring this rare DC-8-62 Douglas Factory Model, literally from the sandbox (with a 20 year wait in the garage), back to what it was originally intended for - A Beautiful Display Model! If you would like to see photos of it prior to being polished & brought "back to life" please click here.

Finnair's DC-8 History: The origin of Finnair, the Flag Carrier of Finland, dates back to November 1, 1923 with the establishment of Aero O/Y which would later become Finnair OY. Prior to the end of World War II, Aero served domestic routes within Finland. In 1947 Aero expanded operations to new international destinations (within Europe) and in 1949 Aero became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and was assigned the two letter airline code of AY which Finnair continues to use to this day. [I always wondered why AY was the code for Finnair but after learning that it was originally assigned to Aero O/Y it now makes more sense.] In 1953 Aero began using the name Finnair for it's marketing purposes but the name was not officially changed until June 25, 1968. In 1960 Finnair entered the jet age with the introduction of the French Caravelle Jetliner which was used on both scheduled and charter services. Throughout most of the 1960s the Caravelle was well suited for Finnair's needs but by late in the decade the airline wanted to make the "big jump" across the Atlantic to the USA. To accomplish this goal Finnair chose the Douglas DC-8-62CF (Convertible Freighter) as their first Intercontinental Jetliner. The Ultra Long Range DC-8-62 could easily fly Helsinki to New York with a full load of passengers and/or freight. On May 15, 1969 Finnair became an true Intercontinental Airline with the inaugural of service from Helsinki to New York via Copenhagen and Amsterdam using their new DC-8-62CF. In an all passenger configuration the Finnair DC-8 was configured to 16 First Class & 124 Economy Seating. With a large cargo door located near the front left passenger door, Finnair's DC-8-62CFs could also carry large cargo pallets in combination with passengers or operate as an all cargo aircraft - depending on whatever the airline's needs were. Finnair went on to operate 3 DC-8-62CF aircraft and 1 all passenger DC-8-62 aircraft from 1969 to 1985. Click Here to See Finnair's DC-8 Fleet Information. Finnair's 3 DC-8-62CF aircraft were later converted to DC-8-72CF aircraft and are now owned by the French Air Force (L'ARMEE DE L'AIR) and are used as troop transport aircraft. Today Finnair continues to proudly serve the needs of the Finnish People with a large domestic and international route network with Helsinki as the main hub of operations.

Click Here to View a Photo of the Actual Aircraft
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Photo Courtesy Of & Many Thanks To: AIRLINERS.NET and Photographer Yrjö Mäkelä.