@ Musée de l’air et de l’espace, Le Bourget, France
December 2016
The French Air Force employed this DC-8 Sarigue for electronic intelligence purposes. This aircraft and has been on display here since its retirement in 2001. The name Sarigue stands for Systeme Aeroporte de Recueil d’Informations de Guerre Electronique (Airborne Electronic Warfare Information Gathering System). First flown in 1958, the DC-8 was Douglas’ response to the Boeing 707. In August 1961, a Douglas 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 and maintained that speed for 16 seconds. By doing so, the DC-8 became the first civilian jet (and the first airlinert) to make a supersonic flight. Nikon D500 w/18-200 mm, processed with Aperture.
