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112-423: In 1947, future travel and entertainment mogul Kirk Kerkorian purchased Los Angeles Air Service , a small irregular air carrier , for $ 60,000. As tourism to Las Vegas, Nevada , boomed, so did the fortunes of the airline. From a single Douglas DC-3 , the company expanded rapidly, adding Douglas DC-6s and Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellations , and it became the first charter airline to operate jet aircraft with

224-500: A Cessna . He worked as a general aviation pilot and made his first visit to Las Vegas in 1944. After spending much time in Las ;Vegas during the 1940s, Kerkorian quit gambling and in 1947 paid $ 60,000 for Trans International Airlines , which was a small air-charter service that flew gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. He then bid on some war surplus bombers, using money on loan from Seagram's . Gasoline, and especially airplane fuel,

336-460: A Douglas DC-8 N4863T ferry flight, with eight flight attendants and three cockpit crewmembers on board, crashed en route from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Washington Dulles International Airport . Unknowingly to the crew, a foreign object became wedged between the right elevator and horizontal stabilizer, blown there by backwash from the aircraft preceding it on

448-528: A Pontiac Firebird , Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Ford Taurus . Kerkorian died in Beverly Hills, California , on June 15, 2015, nine days after his 98th birthday. He is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California , near Los Angeles. Kerkorian was married four times, first to Hilda Schmidt from 1942 to 1952. His next marriage, to Jean Maree Hardy, lasted from 1954 to 1984. The two had met at

560-408: A high bypass turbofan , which produced 22,000 lbf (98.5 kN) of thrust. The conversions also includes new nacelles and pylons built by Grumman Aerospace . Maximum takeoff weights remained the same, but there was a slight reduction in payload because of the heavier engines. Modifications to create the -71 was more involved because the -61 did not have the improved wings and relocated engines of

672-615: A swept wing enabled a higher cruising speed and better range. First presented in 1950 as the Model 473-60C , Boeing failed to generate any interest from airlines, yet remained confident that the project was worthwhile and pressed ahead with a prototype, the Boeing 367-80 ("Dash-80"). After spending $ 16 million of its own money to build it, the Dash-80 rolled out on May 15, 1954. During mid-1952, Douglas opted to covertly begin work on definition studies for

784-490: A Ford Taurus and Jeep Cherokee. Kerkorian once owned 9.9 percent of General Motors (GM). According to press accounts from June 30, 2006, Kerkorian suggested that Renault acquired a 20 percent stake in GM to rescue GM from itself. A letter from Tracinda to Rick Wagoner was released to the public, to pressure GM's executive hierarchy, but talks failed. On November 22, 2006, Kerkorian sold 14 million shares of his GM stake (it

896-570: A Kirk Kerkorian stamp in 2017. The city of Gyumri unveiled a statue of Kerkorian in 2018. Douglas DC-8-61 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8 ) is an early long-range narrow-body jetliner designed and produced by the American Douglas Aircraft Company . Work began in 1952 towards the United States Air Force 's (USAF) requirement for a jet-powered aerial refueling tanker . After losing

1008-498: A commercial aircraft manufacturer, having received almost 300 orders for its piston-engine DC-6 and its successor, the DC-7, which had yet to fly. The Comet disasters, and the airlines' subsequent lack of interest in jets, seemed to validate the company's decision to remain with propeller -driven aircraft, but its inaction enabled rival manufacturers to take the lead instead. As early as 1949, rival company Boeing had started design work on

1120-766: A film based on the history of the Armenian genocide would be made. The resulting film, called The Promise , premiered in April 2017 in the United States. In 2000 Time magazine named him the 10th largest donor in the US. Kerkorian was declared an honorary citizen of Armenia. He was bestowed the title of National Hero of Armenia , the highest state award. Kirk Kerkorian was born on June 6, 1917, in Fresno, California , to Armenian parents who escaped present-day Turkey via cattle boat during

1232-463: A hundred flights for the Jeddah hajj pilgrimage wet leased on behalf of Union des Transports Aériens (UTA) and Air Afrique . During this time, the airline was under U.S. military contract and it operated a number of military charters. Most notable of these was the route that connected Clark Air Base , Philippines and Andersen Air Force Base , Guam , to Travis Air Force Base , California during

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1344-482: A jet-powered transport aircraft. The company's design team examined various arrangements, including some that closely resembled the Comet. By mid-1953, the team had settled on a form similar to the final DC-8; an 80-seat, low-wing aircraft powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines, 30° wing sweep, and an internal cabin diameter of 11 feet (3.35 m) to allow five-abreast seating. The use of podded engines

1456-458: A large number of DC-8 early models being available, all used the same basic airframe, differing only in engines, weights and details; in contrast, the rival Boeing 707 range offered several fuselage lengths and two wingspans: the original 144-foot (44 m) 707-120, a 135-foot (41 m) version that sacrificed space to gain longer range, and the stretched 707-320, which at 153 feet (47 m) overall had 10 feet (3.0 m) more cabin space than

1568-424: A larger wing for a MTOW up to 350,000 lb (159 t). The DC-8-63 had the long fuselage and the enlarged wing, freighters MTOW reached 355,000 lb (161 t). The DC-8 was produced until 1972 with 556 aircraft built; it was superseded by larger wide-body airliners including Douglas' DC-10 trijet. Noise concerns stimulated demand for a quieter variant; from 1975, Douglas and General Electric offered

1680-719: A pure jet airliner. Boeing's military arm had experience with large long-range jets, such as the B-47 Stratojet and the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers. While producing and supporting these bombers for the United States Air Force (USAF), Boeing had developed a close relationship with the USAF's Strategic Air Command (SAC). The company also supplied the SAC's refueling aircraft, the piston-engined KC-97 Stratofreighters , but these proved to be too slow and low flying to easily work with

1792-403: A result of aging, increasing operating costs and strict noise and emissions regulations, the number of active DC-8s continues to decline, with the youngest airframes passed a half-century of age as of 2024. For domestic use, powered by 13,500 lb (60.5 kN) Pratt & Whitney JT3C -6 turbojets with water injection. First Series 10 DC-8 flew on 30 May 1958. The initial DC-8-11 model had

1904-458: A result, the crew became disoriented and lost control of the aircraft. The crew's efforts to regain control of the aircraft imposed loads which exceeded the design limits and caused it to break up in flight. Trans International Airlines and/or Transamerica Airlines operated the following aircraft at various times during their existence: Kirk Kerkorian Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian ( Armenian : Քըրք Քըրքորյան ; June 6, 1917 – June 15, 2015)

2016-488: A success, but the Comet was grounded in 1954 after two fatal accidents which were subsequently attributed to rapid metal fatigue failure of the pressure cabin. Various aircraft manufacturers benefited from the findings and experiences gained from the investigation into Comet losses; specifically, Douglas paid significant attention to detail in the design of the DC-8's pressurized cabin. By 1952, Douglas had continued its success as

2128-407: A tactical advantage in the divorce proceedings, an allegation that was later proven true. Pellicano also took a strand of Bing's used dental floss (surreptitiously acquired from rubbish) and used it to prove that it was Bing and not Kerkorian who fathered Bonder's daughter. Attorney Terry Christensen was subsequently convicted of racketeering for hiring Pellicano to tap Bonder's phone, and received

2240-549: A three-year prison sentence that was confirmed on appeal. Kerkorian's short-lived fourth marriage (2014) was to Una Davis, born in 1966. The marriage lasted only 57 days and divorce proceedings were underway when Kerkorian died on June 15, 2015. Kerkorian was active in philanthropy through his charitable foundation, The Lincy Foundation, named after his daughters, Linda and Tracy. The foundation reportedly donated more than $ 1 billion, though Kerkorian never allowed anything to be named in his honor. The foundation covered half of

2352-534: A weight increase to 276,000 pounds (125,190 kg). 33 DC-8-20s were built plus 16 converted DC-8-10s. This model was originally named "DC-8B" but was renamed when the Series 30 was introduced. The first Series 20 DC-8 flew on 29 November 1958 and received FAA certification on 19 January 1960. For intercontinental routes, the three Series 30 variants combined JT4A engines with a one-third increase in fuel capacity and strengthened fuselage and landing gear. The DC-8-31

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2464-520: Is speculated that this action was due to GM's rejection of Renault and Nissan's bids for stakes in the company as both of these bids were strongly supported by Kerkorian); the sale resulted in GM's share price falling 4.1% from its November 20 price, although it remained above $ 30/share. The sale lowered Kerkorian's holding to around 7% of GM. On November 30, 2006, Tracinda said it had agreed to sell another 14 million shares of GM, cutting Kerkorian's stake to half of what it had been earlier that year. By

2576-420: Is to replace the DC-8 with a more capable and fuel-efficient Boeing 777-200ER . The DC-8 was donated to Idaho State University and is preserved at Pocatello Regional Airport . As of October 2015 , the DC-8 had been involved in 146 incidents, including 84 hull-loss accidents , with 2,255 fatalities. The DC-8 has also been involved in 46 hijackings with 2 fatalities. The deadliest incident involving

2688-510: The Armenian Genocide . Armenian was his first language and he "didn't learn the English language until he hit the streets." His family moved to Los Angeles following the depression of 1920–21 . Dropping out of school in eighth grade, Kerkorian became a fairly skilled amateur boxer under the tutelage of his older brother Nish Kerkorian, fighting under the name "Rifle Right Kerkorian" to win

2800-632: The International Hotel (opened in 1969), the original MGM Grand Hotel (1973) and the current MGM Grand (1993). He purchased the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969. Of Armenian descent, Kerkorian provided over $ 1 billion for charity in Armenia through his Lincy Foundation, which was established in 1989 and particularly focused on helping to rebuild northern Armenia after the 1988 earthquake . Kerkorian also provided money to ensure that

2912-485: The Justice Department who filed an antitrust suit due to his owning stock in two studios. In 1979, Kerkorian issued a statement claiming that MGM was now primarily a hotel company; however, he also managed to expand the overall film library and production system with the purchase of United Artists from Transamerica in 1981, becoming MGM/UA Entertainment Company. In March 1986, he sold MGM to Ted Turner . After

3024-629: The Las Vegas Hilton and the Flamingo Hilton , respectively. After he purchased the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1969, Kerkorian (with architect Martin Stern Jr.) opened the original MGM Grand Hotel and Casino , larger than the Empire State Building and the largest hotel in the world at the time it was finished. On November 21, 1980, the original MGM Grand burned in a fire that

3136-472: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey expressed concern about the noise to be expected from the then still-unbuilt DC-8-61, and operators had to agree to operate it from New York at lower weights to reduce noise. By the early 1970s, legislation for aircraft noise standards was being introduced in many countries, and the 60 Series DC-8s were particularly at risk of being banned from major airports. In

3248-530: The Thunderbird resort in Las Vegas. Hardy, a dancer from England, traveled the world instructing dance troupes. They met and fell in love while she was sent to check opportunities to choreograph a performance in Las Vegas. The marriage produced Kerkorian's two daughters, Tracy and Linda, whose names serve as a portmanteau for Kerkorian's personal holding company, Tracinda Corporation, and his charitable organization,

3360-403: The "Super-73"). Two years earlier in 1982, a Transamerica Airlines route map listed the following destinations being served with scheduled passenger flights: Amsterdam (AMS), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), New York City (JFK), Oakland, California (OAK) and Shannon (SNN). Transamerica also operated charter flights from New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Cozumel, Mexico (CZM) during

3472-508: The -55 were certified in 1961. The DC-8-51, DC-8-52 and DC-8-53 all had 17,000 lb (76.1 kN) JT3D-1 or 18,000 lb (80.6 kN) JT3D-3B engines, varying mainly in their weights: 276,000 pounds (125,200 kg), 300,000 pounds (136,100 kg) and 315,000 pounds (142,900 kg) respectively. The DC-8-55 arrived in June 1964, retaining the JT3D-3B engines but with strengthened structure from

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3584-496: The -62 and -63. All three models were certified in 1982 and a total of 110 60-series Super DC-8s were converted by the time the program ended in 1988. DC-8 series 70 conversions were overseen by Cammacorp with CFMI, McDonnell Douglas, and Grumman Aerospace as partners. Cammacorp was disbanded after the last aircraft was converted. As of January 2024 , two DC-8s are in commercial service with Congolese cargo airline Trans Air Cargo . These are DC-8-62s (9S-AJG and 9S-AJO). In

3696-402: The 556 DC-8s made, around 200 were still in commercial service in 2002, including about 25 50-Series, 82 of the stretched 60-Series, and 96 out of the 110 re-engined 70-Series. Most of the surviving DC-8s are now used as freighters. In May 2009, 97 DC-8s were in service following UPS's decision to retire its remaining fleet of 44. In January 2013, an estimated 36 DC-8s were in use worldwide. As

3808-529: The British Royal Air Force was ferrying Canadian-built de Havilland Mosquitos over the North Atlantic to Scotland . The Mosquito's fuel tank carried enough fuel for 1,400 miles (2,300 km), while the trip directly was 2,200 miles (3,500 km). Rather than take the safer Montreal – Labrador – Greenland – Iceland –Scotland route (although, going further north could mean the wings icing, and

3920-554: The CFM56 was up to 23% more fuel-efficient than the JT3D, which reduced operating costs and extended the range. The largest single customer for the Series 70 was United, converting 29 of its Series 61 airliners at a reported cost of $ 400 million. By 2002, of the 1,032 Boeing 707s and 720s manufactured for commercial use, just 80 remained in service – though many of those 707s were converted for USAF use, either in service or for spare parts. Of

4032-458: The Chrysler arm of Daimler-Chrysler was sold to Cerberus for $ 7.4 billion. Kerkorian began buying Ford Motor Company stock in April 2008, and spent about $ 1 billion to accumulate a 6% stake in the automaker. By October 2008, the investment had lost two-thirds of its value, and he began selling. Tracinda explained, "In light of current economic and market conditions, it sees unique value in

4144-462: The Chrysler division on February 14, large investors such as Cerberus Capital Management , The Blackstone Group and Magna International each announced intentions to bid on the company. Kerkorian's bid, while not expected, was not surprising given his long involvement in the U.S. automobile industry. During the bidding process, he sought the aid of his close associate Jerome York who was a former CFO at both Chrysler and IBM . On May 14, 2007, 80% of

4256-498: The Comet remained grounded, the French 90-passenger twin jet Sud Aviation Caravelle prototype had just flown for the first time, and the Boeing 707 was not expected to be available until late 1958. The major airlines were reluctant to commit themselves to the huge financial and technical challenges of jet aircraft; however, none could afford not to buy jets if their competitors did. There

4368-573: The DC-8 entered service with Delta Air Lines on September 18. Permitting six-abreast seating, the four-engined , low-wing jet aircraft was initially produced in four 151 ft (46 m) long variants. The DC-8-10 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojets, and had a 273,000 lb (124 t) MTOW ; the DC-8-20 had more powerful JT4A turbojets, for a 276,000 lb (125 t) MTOW. The intercontinental models had more fuel capacity, and had an MTOW of up to 315,000 lb (143 t); it

4480-460: The DC-8 took off, after which the flight crew and authorities in Frankfurt were notified of the potential problem. The captain declined to inform passengers of the situation and landed the airliner in Frankfurt without incident. Mechanics replaced the destroyed tire and the aircraft was able to depart for New York at 4:00 pm the same day. On September 8, 1970, Trans International Airlines Flight 863 ,

4592-523: The DC-8, a feat that was eased by its fuselage keeping the same dimensions across its length. In April 1965, the company announced belated fuselage stretches for the DC-8 with three new models known as the Super Sixties . The DC-8 program had been in danger of closing with fewer than 300 aircraft sold, but the Super Sixties brought fresh life to it. By the time production of the DC-8 ceased in 1972, 262 of

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4704-402: The DC-8. Douglas' refusal to offer different fuselage sizes made it less adaptable and compelled airlines such as Delta and United to look elsewhere for short to medium range types. Delta ordered Convair 880s while United chose the newly developed short-fuselage 707-020. United prevailed on Boeing to rename the new variant the Boeing 720 in case the public thought they were dissatisfied with

4816-526: The DC-8. In 1956, Air India, BOAC , Lufthansa , Qantas , and TWA added over 50 to the 707 order book, while Douglas sold 22 DC-8s to Delta, Swissair, TAI, Trans Canada , and UAT. By the start of 1958, Douglas had sold 133 DC-8s compared to Boeing's 150 707s. Donald Douglas proposed to build and test the DC-8 at Santa Monica Airport , which had been the birthplace of the DC-3 and home to a Douglas plant that employed 44,000 workers during World War II. To accommodate

4928-504: The DC-8. Pan Am never reordered the DC-8 and Douglas gradually lost market share to Boeing. In 1962, DC-8 sales dropped to just 26 aircraft that year, followed by 21 in 1963 and 14 in 1964; many of these later deliveries were of the Jet Trader model rather than the more-prestigious passenger versions. In 1967, Douglas merged with McDonnell Aircraft , becoming McDonnell Douglas . During the early 1960s, Douglas began considering stretching

5040-474: The Lincy Foundation. Although divorced, they remained close friends and confidants. Kerkorian's short-lived third marriage (1999) was to professional tennis player Lisa Bonder , 48 years his junior, which lasted only one month. The two had signed a prenuptial agreement before marrying. Kerkorian subsequently was involved in a breach of privacy suit filed against him by Steve Bing . Kerkorian claimed Bing

5152-798: The Pacific amateur welterweight championship. Kirk Kerkorian also had an older sister, Rose Kerkorian. Sensing the onset of World War II , and not wanting to join the infantry , Kerkorian learned to fly at the Happy Bottom Riding Club in the Mojave Desert —adjacent to the United States Army Air Corps 's Muroc Field, now Edwards Air Force Base . In exchange for flying lessons from pioneer aviator Pancho Barnes , he agreed to milk and look after her cattle. On gaining his commercial pilot's certificate in six months, Kerkorian learned that

5264-472: The Series 70 retrofit, powered by the quieter and more fuel-efficient CFM56 turbofan engine. It largely exited passenger service during the 1980s and 1990s, but some re-engined DC-8s remain in use as freighters. At the end of World War II, Douglas was a dominant North American aircraft producer in the commercial aviation market, only being rivaled by Boeing , releasing the innovative all-metal Model 247 airliner in 1933, and produced prodigious quantities of

5376-667: The Super Sixties had been completed, almost half of all models produced. With the ability to seat 269 passengers, the DC-8 Series 61 and 63 had the largest passenger-carrying capacity available. That remained so until the Boeing 747 arrived in 1970. The DC-8-62 featured a shorter fuselage when compared with the Series 61 and 63, but was capable of nonstop long-range operations. All of the earlier jetliners were relatively noisy by modern standards. Increasing traffic densities and changing public attitudes led to complaints about aircraft noise and moves to introduce restrictions. As early as 1966

5488-483: The U.S, the DC-8 has been retired from commercial service entirely; only one example maintains active registration (with one flying). Samaritan's Purse (a faith-based humanitarian relief organization) has operated a DC-8-72 Combi (acquired from Air Transport International ) since 2015. In 2024, NASA retired N817NA, a DC-8-72 flying laboratory that has supported research in meteorology, oceanography, geography, and various other scientific disciplines since 1986. NASA

5600-644: The USAF's tanker competition to the rival Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker in May 1954, Douglas announced in June 1955 its derived jetliner project marketed to civil operators. In October 1955, Pan Am made the first order along with the competing Boeing 707 , and many other airlines soon followed. The first DC-8 was rolled out in Long Beach Airport on April 9, 1958, and flew for the first time on May 30. Following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in August 1959,

5712-421: The air. Just four months after issuing the tanker requirement, the USAF ordered the first 29 KC-135 Stratotankers from Boeing. Donald Douglas was reportedly shocked by the rapidity of the decision which, he claimed, had been made before the competing companies even had time to complete their bids. He protested to Washington, but without success. Having already started on the DC-8 project, Douglas decided that

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5824-514: The airline was flying scheduled service into Paris Orly Airport (ORY) on a weekly round trip routing of Paris-Shannon-Los Angeles-San Francisco with this flight being operated with a Super DC-8-73 jetliner. Following the popular Alex Haley book Roots , Transamerica flew charter flights between New York and Africa known as the "Roots" program. Other popular programs were to the Caribbean, South America, and Hong Kong. The airline also flew more than

5936-403: The best option was to press on than abandon the project. Following consultations with the airlines, several design changes were made, such as the fuselage being widened by 15 inches (38 cm) to permit six-abreast seating, which in turn led to larger wings and tail surfaces being adopted along with a lengthening of the fuselage. The existence of the DC-8 was formally announced on 7 June 1955; at

6048-628: The company public in 1965, then sold his interests in 1968 to insurance conglomerate Transamerica Corporation , profiting an estimated $ 85 million. He reinvested proceeds from the sale in Las Vegas property, notably the International Hotel . In 1966, the airline moved its headquarters from Las Vegas to Oakland, California. Transamerica Corporation later assumed the passenger contracts of bankrupt Universal Airlines and in December 1976, bought Saturn Airways , and merged their operations into TIA. The airline remained focused on charter and cargo operations until

6160-506: The cost of an 80-kilometer highway in Armenia. Over the next decade, Kerkorian financed more than $ 200 million of infrastructure projects in Armenia, including $ 60 million to the reconstruction of schools and streets and the renovation of many museums, theaters and concert halls. The Lincy Foundation was dissolved in 2011 after 22 years of charitable activities after dispensing its last $ 200 million to University of California, Los Angeles . Half

6272-403: The early 1970s, several airlines approached McDonnell Douglas with requests for noise reduction modifications to their DC-8s. While third parties had developed aftermarket hushkits , there was initially no meaningful action taken by Douglas to fulfil these requests and effectively enable the DC-8 to remain in service. Finally, in 1975, General Electric began discussions with major airlines to fit

6384-470: The end of November 2006, he had sold substantially all of his remaining GM shares. After Kerkorian sold, GM lost more than 90% of its value, falling as low as $ 1/share by May 2009, and filed bankruptcy on June 1, 2009. On April 5, 2007, Kirk Kerkorian made a $ 4.58 billion bid for the Chrysler Group , the U.S. arm of Daimler-Chrysler . After Daimler-Chrysler announced they were interested in selling

6496-408: The first time, in Series 10 form, on 30 May for two hours and seven minutes with the crew being led by A.G. Heimerdinger. Later that year, an enlarged version of the Comet finally returned to service, but had arrived too late to secure a substantial portion of the market: de Havilland secured just 25 orders. In August, Boeing had begun delivering 707s to Pan Am. Douglas made a massive effort to close

6608-444: The freighter versions and 325,000-pound (147,420 kg) maximum weight. 142 DC-8-50s were built plus the 20 converted from Series 10/30/40. The Series 50 first flew on 20 December 1960 and received FAA certification on 1 May 1961. The DC-8-71, DC-8-72, and DC-8-73 were straightforward conversions of the -61, -62 and -63 primarily involving the replacement of the JT3D engines with the more fuel-efficient CFM International CFM56 -2,

6720-524: The gaming and hospitality and oil and gas industries and has, therefore, decided to reallocate its resources and to focus on those industries." On October 21, Tracinda sold the 7.3 million Ford shares at an average price of $ 2.43, and said it planned to cut further its existing 6.1 percent stake in Ford, for a potential total loss of more than half a billion dollars. Kerkorian sold his remaining stake in Ford on December 29, 2008. Kerkorian's net worth in 2008

6832-569: The gaming company, dropping from 53.8 percent to 39 percent and even after pledging to purchase 10 percent of the new stock offering they now remain minority owners. Kerkorian had an on-again/off-again relationship with the American auto industry. His involvement began in 1995 when with the assistance of retired Chrysler chairman and CEO Lee Iacocca , Kerkorian staged a takeover attempt of the Chrysler Corporation . Chrysler's management treated

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6944-456: The gap with Boeing, using no fewer than ten aircraft for flight testing to achieve Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for the first of the many DC-8 variants in August 1959. Several modifications proved to be necessary: the original air brakes on the lower rear fuselage were found to be ineffective and were deleted as engine thrust reversers had become available; unique leading-edge slots were added to improve low-speed lift;

7056-463: The hands of the French bank, Crédit Lyonnais . Crédit Lyonnais invested significant sums to revive the moribund company and eventually sold it back to Kerkorian in 1996. Kerkorian soon expanded the company, purchasing Orion Pictures , The Samuel Goldwyn Company and Motion Picture Corporation of America from John Kluge 's Metromedia in 1997, and bought the pre-April 1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment library in 1999 from its parent Philips , which

7168-537: The hotel's enormous Showroom Internationale were Barbra Streisand and Elvis Presley . Presley brought in some 4,200 customers (and potential gamblers) every day for 30 days straight, breaking in the process all attendance records in the county's history. Kerkorian's International Leisure also bought the Flamingo Hotel ; eventually, both hotels were sold to the Hilton Hotels Corporation and were renamed

7280-651: The introduction of the Douglas DC-8 on trans-Pacific routes as well as the Boeing 727 on shorter routes. The airline later added McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Boeing 747 wide body jetliners to its fleet. To better reflect its growing route structure, the airline was renamed Trans International Airlines in 1960. Between 1966 and 1986 TIA operated regular charter flights between the U.S. and Europe. International destinations were Paris Orly (ORY), London Gatwick (LGW), Brussels Zaventem (BRU) and Frankfurt (FRA). TIA contributed to cheap transatlantic flights which did not exist at

7392-473: The jet airliner project, it believed that the USAF tanker contract would go to two companies for two different aircraft, as several USAF transport contracts in the past had done. In May 1954, the USAF circulated its requirement for 800 jet tankers to Boeing, Douglas, Convair , Fairchild Aircraft , Lockheed Corporation , and Martin Marietta . At the time, Boeing was only two months away from having its prototype in

7504-407: The land from Kerkorian. The rent and eventual sale of the land to Caesars in 1968 made Kerkorian $ 9 million ($ 70 million today). In 1967, he bought 82 acres (33 ha) of land on Paradise Road in Las Vegas for $ 5 million and, with architect Martin Stern Jr. , built the International Hotel , which at the time was the largest hotel in the world. The first two performers to appear at

7616-497: The late 1970s, using DC-8s. TIA was heavily involved in the transport of troops during the Vietnam, Angola, and Middle East conflicts and the relocation of refugees. In the early 1980s, Transamerica Corporation (per stockholder reports) announced its intention to divest all holdings that were not financial in nature. Transamerica Airlines, among the top five profitable holdings, was divested in 1986. Although there were potential buyers, it

7728-465: The lot was sold to Sony Corporation's Columbia Pictures Entertainment in exchange for the half of Warner's lot that it had rented since 1972. Also in 1990, the MGM film company was purchased by Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti , who then merged the former Cannon with the MGM purchase to create the short-lived MGM-Pathé Communications . Parretti defaulted on the loans he'd used to buy MGM, leaving MGM in

7840-581: The matter rested until October 1955, when Pan American World Airways placed simultaneous orders with Boeing for 20 707s and Douglas for 25 DC-8s. To buy one expensive and untried jet-powered aircraft type was brave: to buy both was, at the time, unheard of. In the closing months of 1955, other airlines rushed to follow suit: Air France , American Airlines, Braniff International Airways , Continental Airlines , and Sabena ordered 707s; United Airlines , National Airlines , KLM , Eastern Air Lines , Japan Air Lines , and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) chose

7952-460: The mid 1970s. On June 24, 1968, two Frankfurt newspapers reported that a TIA flight between JFK and FRA on June 23, 1968, left shards of tire on the New York runway and caused an incident in Frankfurt whereby emergency vehicles were scrambled in anticipation of landing a DC-8 with one blown tire (outside tire of the right-side main gear). Ground personnel at JFK discovered pieces of rubber shortly after

8064-409: The new and vastly-quieter Franco-American CFM56 engine to both DC-8s and 707s. MDC remained reluctant but eventually came on board in the late 1970s and helped develop the Series 70. The Super Seventies proved to be a great success, being roughly 70% quieter than the 60 Series and, at the time of their introduction, the world's quietest four-engined airliner. As well as being quieter and more powerful,

8176-455: The new jet bombers. The B-52, in particular, had to descend from its cruising altitude and then slow almost to its stall speed to refuel from the KC-97. Believing that a requirement for a jet-powered tanker was a certainty, Boeing started work on a new jet aircraft for this role that could be adapted into an airliner. As an airliner, it would have similar seating capacity to the Comet, but the use of

8288-427: The new jet, Douglas asked the city of Santa Monica, California to lengthen the airport's 5,000-foot (1,500-meter) runway. Following complaints by neighboring residents, the city refused, so Douglas moved its airliner production line to Long Beach Airport . In September 1956, production of the first prototype commenced. The first DC-8 N8008D was rolled out of the new Long Beach factory on 9 April 1958 and flew for

8400-528: The original wingtips used on the prototype, and all remaining DC-8 Series 10 aircraft were upgraded to DC-8-12 standard. The DC-8-12 featured the new low-drag wingtips and leading-edge slots , 80 inches long between the engines on each wing and 34 inches long inboard of the inner engines. These unique devices were covered by doors on the upper and lower wing surfaces that opened for low-speed flight and closed for cruise. The maximum weight increased from 265,000 to 273,000 pounds (120,200 to 123,800 kg). This model

8512-590: The passage of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which gave it the opportunity to offer scheduled passenger service. In 1979 the airline was renamed Transamerica Airlines and on November 2 of that year it commenced scheduled transatlantic passenger flights to Shannon (SNN) and Amsterdam (AMS). The May 1, 1982 Transamerica route map depicted scheduled nonstop flights being operated between Amsterdam and New York City as well as between Shannon and Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and Oakland, CA. By 1983,

8624-408: The plane crashing), Kerkorian preferred the direct "Iceland Wave" route, which blew the planes at jet-speed to Europe—but it was not constant, and could mean ditching . The fee was $ 1,000 per flight. Although accounts claim the risk was that one in four planes failed to make it, the actual rate was closer to one in forty . In May 1944, Kerkorian and his Wing Commander John de Lacy Wooldridge rode

8736-442: The pre-May 1986 MGM library, Associated Artists Productions (the pre-1950 Warner Bros. Pictures library and Fleischer Studios / Famous Studios Popeye cartoons) and RKO Radio Pictures libraries, as well as Gilligan's Island and its animated spin-offs The New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet . The MGM studio complex was sold to Lorimar-Telepictures , which was later acquired by Warner Bros.; in 1990,

8848-497: The prototype was 25 kn (46 km/h) short of its promised cruising speed and a new, slightly larger wingtip had to be developed to reduce drag . Also, a recontoured wing leading edge was later developed to extend the chord 4% and reduce drag at high Mach numbers. On August 21, 1961, a DC-8 broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 (660 mph/1,062 km/h) while in a controlled dive through 41,000 feet (12,497 m) and maintained that speed for 16 seconds. The flight

8960-483: The purchase was made, Turner sold the United Artists subsidiary back to Kerkorian. Turner kept ownership of MGM from March 25 to August 26, 1986. He racked up huge debts and Turner simply could not afford to keep the studio under those circumstances. To recoup his investment, Turner sold the production/distribution assets and trademarks of MGM (including its post-April 1986 libraries) to United Artists while retaining

9072-553: The rugged four-engined B-17 Flying Fortress and sophisticated, pressurized long-range B-29 Superfortress . Douglas produced a succession of piston-engined aircraft ( DC-2 , DC-3 , DC-4 , DC-5 , DC-6 , and DC-7 ) through the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. While de Havilland flew the world's first jet airliner, the Comet , in May 1949, Douglas initially refrained from developing a jet airliner. De Havilland's pioneering Comet entered airline service in May 1952. Initially, it appeared to be

9184-655: The struggling MGM and sold off massive amounts of historical memorabilia, including Dorothy's ruby slippers from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz , the majority of the studio's backlots in Culver City and overseas operations such as the British MGM studio at Borehamwood. Kerkorian sold MGM's distribution system in 1973, and gradually distanced himself from the daily operation of the studio. He also owned minority interest in Columbia Pictures but his holdings were thwarted by

9296-407: The takeover as hostile, and after a lengthy battle, Kerkorian canceled his plans and sold his Chrysler stake in 1996. As part of the settlement, Iacocca was placed under a gag order forbidding him from discussing Chrysler in public or print for five years. Two years later, Chrysler management agreed to be acquired by German automaker Daimler-Benz . Kerkorian always drove an American vehicle, including

9408-527: The taxiway. The problem was not detected, and the aircraft crashed upon takeoff with the loss of all 11 on board. Following this incident, the FAA instituted new minimums between aircraft in line-up for take-off. On November 18, 1979, Transamerica Airlines Flight 18, a Lockheed L-188 Electra (N859U), operating a flight for the US military from Hill Air Force Base , crashed near Salt Lake City , Utah. While climbing between 12,000 and 13,000 ft, all electrical power

9520-460: The time of the announcement, the development costs had been forecast to be roughly $ 450 million. Four versions were offered to begin with, all with the same 150-foot-6-inch (45.87 m) long airframe with a 141-foot-1-inch (43.00 m) wingspan, but varying in engines and fuel capacity, and with maximum weights of about 240,000–260,000 lb (109–118 metric tons). Douglas steadfastly refused to offer different fuselage sizes. The maiden flight

9632-567: The time. In 1962, as part of its diversification strategy that had seen companies such as Onan , Gravely Tractor and Cincinnati Testing Labs join its automotive operations, the Studebaker Corporation purchased the airline, retaining Kerkorian as president. In June 1964, Studebaker sold the company back to Kerkorian and a partner, with Studebaker's president citing a desire to concentrate on manufactured goods like appliances, auto parts and tractors, instead of air travel. Kerkorian took

9744-411: The wave and broke the old crossing record. Wooldridge got to Scotland in six hours, 46 minutes; Kerkorian, in seven hours, nine minutes. In two and a half years with RAF Ferry Command , Kerkorian delivered 33 planes, logged thousands of hours, traveled to four continents and flew his first four-engine plane. After the war, having saved most of his wages, Kerkorian spent $ 5,000 on

9856-603: Was $ 16 billion according to Forbes magazine, making him the 41st richest person in the world and the richest person in California at that time. By 2011, Kerkorian was among those hardest hit by the stock market recession as his net worth tumbled to $ 3.2 billion. In 2013, he was listed as the 412th richest person with a net worth of $ 3.9 billion. Kerkorian was an "intensely private person". He almost never gave interviews and seldom appeared in public. "Kerkorian rarely attended board meetings and never gave speeches. He

9968-478: Was accompanied to altitude by a F-104 Starfighter supersonic chase aircraft flown by Chuck Yeager . On September 18, 1959, the DC-8 entered service with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. According to the Delta Air Lines website, the air carrier was the first to operate the DC-8 in scheduled passenger service. By March 1960, Douglas had reached its planned production rate of eight DC-8s per month. Despite

10080-418: Was an Armenian-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was the president and CEO of Tracinda Corporation , his private holding company based in Beverly Hills, California . Kerkorian was one of the important figures in the shaping of Las Vegas and, with architect Martin Stern Jr. , is described as the "father of the mega-resort ". He built the world's largest hotel in Las Vegas three times:

10192-524: Was announced in April 1965. The DC-8-61 was stretched by 36 ft (11 m) for 180–220 seats in mixed-class and a MTOW of 325,000 lb (147 t). It first flew on March 14, 1966, was certified on September 2, 1966, and entered service with United Airlines in February 1967. The long-range DC-8-62 followed in April 1967, stretched by 7 ft (2.1 m), could seat up to 189 passengers over 5,200 nautical miles [nmi] (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) with

10304-780: Was certified in March 1960 with 16,800 lb (75.2 kN) JT4A-9 engines for 300,000-pound (136,080 kg) maximum takeoff weight. The DC-8-32 was similar but allowed 310,000-pound (140,600 kg) weight. The DC-8-33 of November 1960 substituted 17,500 lb (78.4 kN) JT4A-11 turbojets, a modification to the flap linkage to allow a 1.5° setting for more efficient cruise, stronger landing gear, and 315,000-pound (142,880 kg) maximum weight. Many -31 and -32 DC-8s were upgraded to this standard. A total of 57 DC-8-30s were produced (five of which were later upgraded to DC-8-50 standard). The Series 30 DC-8 first flew on 21 February 1959 and received FAA certification on 1 February 1960. The DC-8-40

10416-480: Was due in early 1961. The DC-8-41 and DC-8-42 had weights of 300,000 and 310,000 pounds (140,000 and 140,000 kg) respectively, the 315,000-pound (142,880 kg) DC-8-43 had the 1.5° flap setting of the -33 and introduced a 4% leading-edge wing extension to reduce drag and increase fuel capacity slightly – the new wing improved range by 8%, lifting capacity by 6,600 lb (3 metric tons), and cruising speed by better than 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). It

10528-497: Was earmarked for medical research, scholarships and other projects while the other half was earmarked to create the "Dream Fund" for charitable causes around the country. Most of the $ 2 billion estate was left to charity, with a three-person committee left to distribute the funds within three years. In December 2018, the estate settled with his 4th wife for $ 12.5 million, along with $ 10 million and $ 50 million for two philanthropic foundations, advised by his 4th wife. Armenia issued

10640-405: Was essentially the -30 but with 17,500 lb (78.4 kN) Rolls-Royce Conway 509 turbofan engines for better efficiency, less noise and less smoke. The Conway was an improvement over the turbojets that preceded it, but the Series 40 sold poorly because of the traditional reluctance of U.S. airlines to buy a foreign product and because the still-more-advanced Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan

10752-555: Was in process to sell PolyGram to Seagram . In 2005, Kerkorian sold MGM once more to a consortium led by Sony. He retained a 55% stake in MGM Mirage. On November 22, 2006, Kerkorian's Tracinda investment corporation offered to buy 15 million shares of MGM Mirage to increase his stake in the gambling giant from 56.3% to 61.7%, if approved. In May 2009, following the completion of a $ 1 billion stock offering by MGM Mirage, Kerkorian and Tracinda lost their majority ownership of

10864-445: Was in service and proving popular with passengers and airlines: it was faster, quieter, and more comfortable than piston-engined types. Another British rival was the 90-seat Bristol Britannia , and Douglas's main rival in the large airliner market, Lockheed Corporation , had committed to the short to medium range 80–100-seat turboprop Electra , with a launch order from American Airlines for 35 and other orders flowing in. Meanwhile,

10976-653: Was in short supply at the time, so he sold the fuel from the planes' tanks, paid off his loan, and still had the airplanes. He operated the airline until 1968 when he sold it for $ 104 million to the Transamerica Corporation . In 1962, Kerkorian bought 80 acres (32 ha) in Las Vegas , across the Las Vegas Strip from the Flamingo for $ 960,000. This purchase led to the building of Caesars Palace , which rented

11088-417: Was led by Robert R. Lindberg as Chairman and CEO, and William A. Hardenstine as President (the latter formerly of World Airways). TIA operated in the mid-1980s, and was based at Orlando International Airport (MCO), Florida. TIA was sold as a going concern at approximately the same time as the larger Transamerica Airlines divested its aircraft. According to its May 1, 1984 system timetable, Transamerica Airlines

11200-401: Was lost; the crew requested an immediate descent. The aircraft attained a high airspeed and a high rate of descent and the aircraft disintegrated in flight, killing all three crew members. The NTSB investigation stated the probable cause was a progressive failure of the aircraft electrical system leading to the disabling or erratic performance of flight critical flight instruments and lighting. As

11312-546: Was more profitable to sell the airline in pieces and parts. The airline was dissolved and ceased operations on September 30, 1986. Following the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and the ensuing proliferation of new low-cost airlines, Transamerica Corporation incorporated a second airline, and re-activated the Trans International Airlines (TIA) name. The new TIA, flying Super Douglas DC-8-61 aircraft,

11424-565: Was one of the worst disasters in Las Vegas history. The Clark County Fire Department reported 84 deaths in the fire; there were 87 deaths total, including three which occurred later as a result of injuries sustained in the fire. After only 8 months the MGM Grand reopened. Almost three months after the MGM fire, the Las Vegas Hilton caught fire, killing eight people. In 1986, Kerkorian sold the MGM Grand hotels in Las Vegas and Reno for $ 594 million to Bally Manufacturing . The Las Vegas property

11536-463: Was operating scheduled passenger service to the following destinations with the carrier using the two letter airline code "TV": Also according to the above referenced timetable, all Transamerica passenger flights were being operated at this time with Boeing 747 aircraft with the exception of the New York-Shannon route which was being flown with Douglas DC-8-73 aircraft (which the airline called

11648-621: Was originally named "DC-8A" until the series 30 was introduced. 30 DC-8-10s were built: 23 for United and six for Delta, plus the prototype. By the mid-sixties, United had converted 16 of its 21 surviving aircraft to DC-8-20 standard and the other five to -50s. Delta converted its six to DC-8-50s. The prototype was itself also converted to a DC-8-50. It received FAA certification on 31 August 1958, entering service with United Airlines and Delta Air Lines on 18 September 1959. Higher-powered 15,800 lb (70.8 kN) thrust Pratt & Whitney JT4A -3 turbojets (without water injection) allowed

11760-404: Was planned for December 1957, with entry into revenue service in 1959. Aware that the program was lagging behind Boeing, Douglas began a major marketing push to promote its new jetliner. Douglas' previous thinking about the airliner market seemed to be coming true; the transition to turbine power looked likely to be to turboprops rather than turbojets. The pioneering 40–60-seat Vickers Viscount

11872-420: Was powered by JT4As for the Series 30, and by Rolls-Royce Conway turbofans for the Series 40. The Pratt & Whitney JT3D powered the later DC-8-50 and Super 60 (DC-8-61, -62, and -63) as well as freighter versions, and reached a MTOW of 325,000 lb (147 t). A stretched DC-8 variant was not initially considered, leading some airlines to order the competing Boeing 707 instead. The improved Series 60

11984-407: Was seen as highly beneficial for maintenance purposes as well as to increase wing volume for accommodating fuel. The fuselage featured a double-bubble cross-section that produced relatively low drag while providing for a relatively spacious passenger cabin along with a large cargo deck that was sufficiently tall as to permit ground crews to stand up within it. While Douglas remained lukewarm about

12096-588: Was shy, but was a tough negotiator. Those who knew him describe him not as a Hughesian hermit, but as a gentle, gracious, normal guy." Kerkorian was an avid tennis player , played in tournaments, associated with other players like Lornie Kuhle, and routinely played with Alex Yemenidjian , a former MGM executive, and former owner of the Tropicana Las Vegas resort. He had a penchant for expensive clothes (especially custom-made outfits by Italian designer Brioni ), but drove relatively inexpensive vehicles, such as

12208-784: Was subsequently renamed Bally's . Spun off from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , MGM Resorts International owns and operates several properties, including the current MGM Grand , the Bellagio , the New York-New York , Mandalay Bay , The Luxor , Excalibur , Park MGM , the Cosmopolitan and the CityCenter complex in Las Vegas. MGM sold its Treasure Island Hotel and Casino property to billionaire and former New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin for $ 750 million. In 1969, Kerkorian appointed James Thomas Aubrey Jr. as president of MGM. Aubrey downsized

12320-601: Was the father of Bonder's daughter, an allegation which was later confirmed by DNA paternity testing . On August 10, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kerkorian's attorneys were being sued by Bonder because of their connection to former high-profile private investigator Anthony Pellicano , who in 2008 began serving a fifteen-year prison sentence for running a wiretapping scheme. Bonder's attorney alleged that Kerkorian's lawyers hired Pellicano to wiretap telephone calls between him and Kerkorian's ex-wife in order to gain

12432-600: Was to collect data on a new leading edge design for the wing, and, while doing so, the DC-8 became the first civilian jet – and the first jet airliner – to make a supersonic flight. The aircraft was DC-8-43 registered as CF-CPG , later delivered to Canadian Pacific Air Lines . The aircraft, crewed by Captain William Magruder, First Officer Paul Patten, Flight Engineer Joseph Tomich and Flight Test Engineer Richard Edwards, took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and

12544-465: Was used on all later DC-8s. The first DC-8-40 was delivered in 1960; 32 were built (of which three would eventually be converted to DC-8-50s). The Series 40 DC-8 first flew on 23 July 1959 and received FAA certification on 24 March 1960. The definitive short-fuselage DC-8 came with the same engine that powered the vast majority of 707s, the JT3D . Twenty earlier DC-8s were converted to this standard. All but

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