My heart sank with nostalgia! After 35 years of flying these redtails, I have nothing but good memories. Yes, there was rain, snow, thunderstorms, slippery runways, but for every takeoff I made, I made a landing - not always a good one, but it was a landing. I miss NWA.
My father was a mechanic his whole career with NWA. When I was old enough I worked as a bag screener on the RED concourse after an overnight watching over bags and helping the passengers from midnight charters coming in to MSP. Your vid brought back great memories - Thank you.
I flew on Northwest Airlines from Little Rock Arkansas to Manila Philippines in 2000. I found them to have the prettiest fuselage color/design of them all.
Oh man, the DC-10, my first jumbo jet ride out of Boston in October of 1990, I was overweight; I mean I was 380lbs, and couldn't get the seatbelt on, so being embarrassed I put my hands over the buckle, but when that thing took off I had two inches of room from the thrust. What power the DC 10 had, I felt like I was being stuffed in that seat. I still wonder to this day if the jet was equipped with Pratt & Whitney or GE engines but it was powerful.
Hello Mark: In 1990 it was most likely at DC-10 Series 40. These were equipped with with Pratt & Whitney engines. NW didn't operate the 30 Series (GE equipped) until the mid 90s. This series was purchased used as other operators upgraded to the MD11.
I truly miss NW, especially in the bowling shoe livery. I had the honor to fly on one of their DC9s on the GCM-FLL/MIA route, vice versa around Christmas time in the early 1990’s. Their Airbus 320s were a site in GCM in both the bowling shoe livery, as well as the merger livery prior to merging with DL. I sure hope that NW truly make a comeback. Long live Northwest Airlines!...
Flew them in April of 1975 while in the Army from Seattle to Tokyo in route to Korea. There was the most beautiful stewardess on that flight that had a face that was hard to forget. 13 months later on my return trip home when we stopped in Tokyo from Seoul for my connecting flight home, there she was again. It made my going home experience that much more enjoyable. The name on the plane back then was Northwest Orient, sad to see them go, but that is the way of the world. However thanks for the memories and that beautiful stewardess
I flew out of Detroit Metro (KDTW) alot, and that was almost nothing but NWA. I did the 747 from Detroit to Amsterdam a dozen times on business, and it was fabulous. Business Class on that flight was like sitting in your Lazy Boy at home, eating like you were dining at a four star restaurant, and basically being treated like a rockstar. At $7400 per ticket, it was worth every penny.
Nope, I feel the same way. DC-10's, L-1011's, and 727's are far more interesting than the 737/A320's that dominate airports today, especially with the loud roar they made when taking off.
I was too young to know anything about an aircraft. I only remembered the time i saw the tails of the DC-10s lined up at Schiphol and that was in 2007.
We moved to MPLS/St. Paul (MSP) from Waterbury CT in the late 80s, after I was born. Dad (6'3" Norwegian guy, Kjell Jr, from Brooklyn) got a job as an aircraft mechanic for years until the beginning of the damn Delta Buyout that began in 2005, Dad taking his severance pay and walked... He died 4 days from his 49th bday, a fortnight from my homecoming from AIT @ Fort Gordon GA Aug.5.2009 (same summer as MJ).
I've been in aircraft since I was knee-high, many many times over. Stationed at Holman Field in St. Paul (Municipal Airport/Runway, prone to flooding LOL!) as a 25U in the 2nd BN 147th AHB/ASLT Helicopter Battalion in UH-60 Blackhawks, fixing radios and servers. I was there 6yrs and flew many times more :-D
Now... due to a spinal cord/sciatic impingement(L4/L5 & L5/S1 hernation/degen) traveling down my entire low-left quarter of my body, along with hip surgery two years ago. I'm homeless, staying at Stepping Stones Shelter in Anoka..."F*CK ME TO TEARS"...
I lived under the flight path in my small town in the 90's and NWA had a daily 727 to MSP and that thing would take off so low and slow, before hush-kits, it would set off every car-alarm in the complex. Completely interrupt any conversation you were having and commanded your whole attention. Annoying at the time but I remember it fondly now.
I really wish there was a RU-vid channel full of videos just like this. Videos of terminals, ramps, and active runways from the 90’s. This was the golden age. I could watch 90’s airport vids all day.
So beautiful to see the red tail. Northwest has too be the greatest US Airline ever to have flown in the Skies. Anyone agree with me? I’m open to people disagreeing
Good tip...wish me luck. I was raised in MN and it's the first airline I ever flew on (FAR-MSP on an AVRO), so I'm a little passionate. Keep doing what y'all do!
Brings back so many memories! I got the opportunity to fly on countless NWA flights (DC-9s and A320s) from Columbus to Sioux Falls, SD with a layover in MSP. Videos like these make me wish they were still around!
I remember back in the late 60's and early 70's when Northwest-Orient planes simply had a red tail and no logo. The front sides of the airplane had "Northwest" displayed on them, but the tails were just painted red and that was it.
All,of the flight's that I,took!! Were,on Northwest Airlines,except one on Delta,during a Sever Thunderstorm,lightning struck the Wing,on the Right Side,also cracked a Window (Slightly ") But,with that in mind,I,love flying,with no "Fear ",at all !!
Good eye! That is the air intake door for the auxiliary power unit. All the airliners now have them in the tailcone, but the 727 also had an APU in a strange place- it was in the right main wheel well. Of course, both of these airplanes had a #2 engine in the normal tailcone location for the APU.
I remember flying out of Honolulu with my battalion from Schofield Barracks, Oahu on a Northwest 747 to Korea; a 9 hour flight, we pretty much just slept the whole time haha, that was a blast though.
Wow what nice piece of history, here is a little family tree, my father was an USAF c135 First Officer. After Vietnam he joined northwest in 1976 flying 727s and evidentially went to 747-200 and retired in 2005. My sister started in 1994 as a flight engineer on the dc10 and shes still works for delta now flying the a350. I started here as a co-pilot at 22 years old in 1999 on the dc9s and now flying the 767-400 that are soon going to retire. Thanks for showing this amazing footage alot of folks and retired ex northwest employees really do appreciate this
I forgot Northwest owned BAE-146s shown at 1:16 and 1:42. Maybe I did see them, just never processed it (Edit: I absolutely saw them looking at old pictures. In fact I don’t know why I came to this conclusion). It would be nice if Delta had Northwest liveries on their planes like what U.S.Airways had (now American) with Piedmont and American West etc.. I know the CEO said they won’t, but I hope that will change. I miss flying this airline so much. It may not have been as modern as Delta, but it had the best aircraft, airport ambiance, employees, and charm. The sun will never set on Northwest Airlines!
Growing up in Detroit, I used to watch them fly over my house all of the time. They had this unusual propeller like drone mixed in with the jet noise. A very unique sounding plane.
@@CHRISGT34 I forgot about this comment. I grew up in Detroit as well. One of the approach patterns was south of my house. I absolutely saw them looking at old photos, I just wasn’t good with planes back then as I am now. I believe the last of them were retired in ‘06, because I remember I stopped seeing them after that. DTW hasn’t changed too much since those days and the merger, besides the lack of nwa logos and the old Michael Berry, Smith, & James Davey Terminals Demolished. I just want to know who put those stupid dots on the windows. A beautiful terminal, so close to perfection. I’d give anything to fly on nwa again. They had the best fleet BAe-146s, DC-9-30s/40s/50s, 757-200s/300s, DC-10-30s/40s, 747-400s/200s & so much more.
It won't happen. But Delta should definitely make a retro livery for NWA similar to how American did for the other airlines it bought like PSA, America West, and Reno Air.
Gorgeous shots! I was in my 3rd year as a flight attendant…wonder if I was on any of those planes or walking thru the airport? What wonderful memories this brings back
I was sadden to see NWA leave us. NWA was the first airline I was ever on. I'm now a flight attendant with a different airline (Not delta). I always wanted to work for NWA. Sadly, that dream will never come true. BRING BACK NWA!!!!!
Gawd I miss my red tailed ladies. From the age of 5 years old, I KNEW I was going to be a Flight Attendant and fly for Northwest Airlines. They were the only company I applied for. Dreams do come true!
My first flights were with Northwest when I was younger in the late 90s and early 2000s. I can't remember which planes I was on, but the routes we flew were KDTW-KMCO and KDTW-KBNA. Anyone have any idea which planes would have flown these around 1999-2003? A320? DC9?