Talk:Douglas DC-8

Specifications

The table fails to indicate how many engines this aircraft has, a fundamental detail.Bill (talk) 23:08, 2 August 2024 (UTC)

Infobox / lead image

I see that the main image has changed several times over the years. I also see that at least one recent attempt at change was reverted due to a lack of discussion. If that is a valid argument, and since there has never been a discussion (until now), shouldn't we roll-back to the earliest image?

Pan Am DC-8-33 (gear almost up) However, Pan-Am were mostly known for their Boeings; so this DC-8 is a short-lived statistical outlier.

Douglas DC-8 Capitol Airlines, a very early photo, with colors that are not quite right

Air Jamaica Douglas DC-8-61, a perfect 'stretched' DC-8, with perfect blue sky background, but less than perfect angle and undercarriage.

Douglas DC-8-63 Air Canada, an unbelievably uncluttered scene; for a ground shot, this is as good as it gets

Setting that aside, I am not a great fan of the current (7th October 2024) image, the NASA DC-8-72 Airborne Laboratory in flight over snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range. The background is very pretty, but an unnecessary distraction. And the image, for some reason, looks like it is artificially created. The aircraft is somehow too clean, bereft of any stains, and like a vampire, casts no shadow. Actually, all joking aside, I genuinely believe this image has been manipulated. The windows are unlike any other image of this aircraft, for instance at planespotters.net, jetphotos.com, airliners.net, etc, etc. It's wrong!

Moreover, it isn't representative of what the DC-8 was all about. I believe we should aim for an image portraying the DC-8 in mainline airline service. This means going back a few years, pre-dating digital cameras, so we can expect a somewhat less polished image, but at least it will be real, and representative.

According to the Aviation Style Guide WP:AIRMOS

Infobox or lead images should show the aircraft in flight whenever such a picture is available. If an in-flight image is not available then the infobox or lead photo should show the best overall view of the aircraft and not a detail close up or similar shot

I cannot find it just now, but there may also be preferences for aircraft facing towards the text, and not only in-flight, but at altitude and in 'clean' configuration (with the undercarriage and flaps raised). This is a big ask, when you consider most images are thanks to amateur photographers, and either show the aircraft on the ground, or at best portray aircraft approaching to land, or shortly after take-off. Catching one if clean configuration usually requires air-to-air photography by a professional. Nice work if you can get it!

I have come up with several candidates or discussion. I'm hoping there are others.

WendlingCrusader (talk) 05:04, 7 October 2024 (UTC)