Gallery: Fly Away on These 10 Classic Airliners
01saha-boeing-707
Perhaps no airliner will ever see as long a lifespan as the venerable Douglas DC-3, which celebrates 75 years of service, still flying in 2010. But aviation history buffs can easily grab a ticket on some legendary aircraft from the more recent past. Not all are hand-me-down workhorses held together with duct tape and baling wire. Many aircraft still in regular passenger service are several decades old, while others are close relatives to historic models. We bring you a gallery of 10 classic passenger airliners still in regular operation. The list does have one qualifier: Planes must currently be in regularly scheduled passenger revenue service. That disqualifies VIP planes, airshow antiques, freighters and military birds, but it also means that anyone with a stamped passport and a ticket in hand can fly into history on one of these well-loved — if not as well-known — airliners. __Above:__ Saha Boeing 707 --------------- Ah, the 707. It's as much a symbol of American postwar progress as the '57 Chevy and Apollo 11, but it's still flown in regular passenger service only on Saha Airlines — a unit of the Iranian Air Force. Just as Havana residents cherish their 1950s Oldsmobiles and Buicks, [economic sanctions](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2010/01/sanctions-keep-vintage-aircraft-flying-in-iran/) mean that Iranian aviators must make do with vintage metal. Despite high maintenance costs, the old planes have had an unintended consequence of spurring a cottage industry of plane-enthusiast tourists who travel the world over to grab a seat on the 707 service between Tehran and Kish Island. Though feared to be retired after a series of technical failures over the summer, the Saha 707 returned to regular passenger service. For how long, nobody knows. *Photo: Unveiling the [Boeing 707](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/07/0715boeing-707-test-flight/) on May 14, 1954. Flickr/[IMLS DCC](http://www.flickr.com/photos/imlsdcc/4732756563/)*
02aerosur-boeing-727
AeroSur Boeing 727 ------------------ It wasn't that long ago when visitors to any major airport could see a fleet of Boeing 727s painted in Delta livery, with their distinctive third engine swept into the aircraft's long tail. Unfortunately, high fuel costs spelled the end of the line for the venerable 727s, and airliners that graced the skies since the mid-1960s disappeared faster than threatened pat-down protests. Four passenger 727s fly in the Americas for Bolivian airline Aerosur. It's best to catch one soon, as they're planned to be pulled from service in 2011. *Photo: Employees inspect an AeroSur Company plane in a field off the runway after the plane had made an emergency landing at the El Alto airport on the outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia, on Feb. 8, 2008. No injuries were reported, according to local media. David Mercado/Reuters*
03ilyushin-il-18
Jubba Airways and Daalo Airlines Ilyushin IL-18 ----------------------------------------------- A Soviet-built prop plane flown into Mogadishu by a [low-cost carrier](http://www.jubba-airways.com/) might not inspire confidence, but if any plane can survive Somali runways it's the Ilyushin IL-18. Once the pride of the USSR, the IL-18 dominated routes in the pre-jet era where its 125-passenger configuration made it ideal for long, densely traveled routes. It first flew in 1957 and set 25 world records in the first year of service, gaining a reputation as a rugged workhorse that could land on unpaved runways in the Soviet hinterlands. Because of its ironclad reputation, it continues in passenger service in the Horn of Africa to this day. *Photo: A Cuban Aerocaribbean IL-18 at Jose Marti International Airport in Havana. Flickr/[ahisgett](http://www.flickr.com/photos/hisgett/3202849139/sizes/l/in/photostream/)*
04chathams-pacifics-convair-cv-580
Chathams Pacific's Convair CV-580 --------------------------------- Based on the 1947-to-1954 Convair CV-240 that replaced American Airlines' fleet of DC-3s, the CV-580 features upgraded Allison turboprops. The stretched version, known as the CV-340, replaced United's DC-3s. While Convair was absorbed into General Dynamics in the early 1950s, an upgraded CV-580 [still carries passengers around the islands of Tonga](http://www.chathamspacific.com/). Chathams Pacific also operates a DC-3 on other interisland routes. *Photo: This Air Chathams Pacific CV-580 needs a paint job. Flickr/[PhillipC](http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/2202535735/sizes/l/in/photostream/)*
05antonov-an-24
Antonov An-24 ------------- Unlike other Soviet-era planes that ceased production as soon as previously captive markets were free to purchase Western-made aircraft, the Antonov An-24 turboprop first flew in 1957 and remains popular in the developing world. Because it's rugged and easy to fix, hundreds of An-24s fly between remote airfields across Africa and Asia. Though the last An-24 rolled out of a Ukrainian factory in 1978, the Chinese manufacturer Xian reverse-engineered an An-24 into the Xian MA60 — an aircraft with Western avionics that is still in production. *Photo: Passengers board a Cubana An-24 in Cancun, Mexico. Flickr/[hoyasmeg](http://www.flickr.com/photos/emeryjl/371340726/)*
06air-koryo-ilyushin-il-62
Air Koryo Ilyushin IL-62 ------------------------ If the thought of springtime in Pyongyang excites you, you might as well enjoy a piece of aviation history and fly on the vintage IL-62 of Air Koryo, North Korea's flag carrier. The IL-62 was the Soviet Union's most famous jet airliner, flying for Iron Curtain airlines like Aeroflot, Cubana, East Germany's Interflug and Czechoslovakia's CSA. Today, only Air Koryo flies IL-62s regularly. In addition to interiors reminiscent of Soviet-era rail cars, passengers will notice seats that fold forward, air conditioning units that spew forth condensation, and Soloviev engines that scream like banshees on takeoff. *Photo: Last call for boarding Air Koryo's Ilyushin IL-62. Flickr/[stephan](http://www.flickr.com/photos/fljckr/2605093016/sizes/l/in/photostream/)*
07tajik-air-yakovlev-yak-40
Tajik Air Yakovlev Yak-40 ------------------------- Among the contributions the USSR gave the world is the Yak-40, the world's first regional jet. The small, three-engine jet that seats between 20 and 25 was built between 1967 and 1981 and brought jet travel to small markets. While regional jets in North America and Europe tend to be built by Embraer and Bombardier, the Yak-40 is still popular in the states of the former Soviet Union. *Photo: A Tajik Air Yak-40. Flickr/[myxabyxe](http://www.flickr.com/photos/myxabyxe/2059902849/sizes/l/in/photostream/)*
08delta-airlines-mcdonnell-douglas-dc-9-40
Delta Airlines McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-40 ---------------------------------------- Most passengers probably never noticed that a mere two months ago, Delta was still flying the ancient DC-9-30s it inherited when it merged with Northwest. Most of these birds had been originally delivered to now-defunct airlines like Eastern and Hughes Airwest in the mid-1960s. But the DC-9 had originally been designed for 200,000 flight cycles (takeoffs and landings) and the interiors had been refurbished many times, so the planes were perfectly safe and none the worse for wear. The last DC-9-30s were made into beer cans in October, but the DC-9-40 — first flown in 1968 — will continue to fly until sometime in 2011. *Photo: A classic DC-9 still sports Northwest colors before the airline's merger with Delta. Flickr/[aaronx](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mugland/75210935/sizes/l/in/photostream/)*
09lades-fokker-f27
LADE Fokker F27 --------------- First flown in 1955, the Dutch Fokker F27 was designed as a replacement for the DC-3. Production ended in 1987, and Fokker went out of business in 1996, but the Argentine Air Force's civil-aviation wing [LADE](http://www.lade.com.ar/) still uses the planes for domestic flights within Argentina. *Photo: A Fokker F27 lands in New Zealand in 1973. Flickr/[PhillipC](http://www.flickr.com/photos/flissphil/107992033/)*
10klm-royal-dutch-airlines-mcdonnell-douglas-md-11
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 ------------------------------------------------- The MD-11, a derivative of the DC-10, first flew in revenue service a mere 20 years ago, making it just middle-aged by aircraft standards. However, KLM's birds are included on this list because they're the only three-engined jets currently operating in scheduled transoceanic passenger service — with the exception of an occasional Qantas A380. Tri-jets like the L1011 and 727 gained brief fame in the 1970s and 80s, until they were technologically eclipsed by more powerful and reliable twin-engine aircraft that were certified to cross oceans. Later, higher fuel prices made three-engined airlines economically unjustifiable for most airlines. Today, unless you're flying in a cardboard box or a military uniform, the jet you are on will undoubtedly have two or four engines. *Photo: A KLM MD-11 at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Wired.com*
