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A320s at Long Beach: A320s were never built
at Long Beach but fly in every day with a variety of airlines.
©Geoffrey Thomas

The Mega Merger
The M eg a M erger

ell Apar
That F
t Ov
That Fell Apart Over Lunch
er Lunch

By Geoffrey Thomas

irbus A320s being aircraft dubbed the MDF-100 but But things were turning for
built beside C-17s, the project crashed in February Douglas. Brizendine had man-
and a MD-11 with an 1982 on lower-than-expected aged to get the division into a
A A330 wing! fuel prices, a disappointing winning position for the USAF’s
Sound fanciful? Well, it almost level of airline commitment due C-17 project plus the USAF
happened in 1988 and it is an to depressed market conditions wanted 60 KC-10s – the refuel-
extraordinary story of how pride and a lack of a new engine in ing version of the DC-10 – and
and egos killed a deal. the 24,000 thrust range. Douglas won the USN jet trainer
competition.
To understand the dynamics of
the deal we need to go back to Despite this success, Mr
1981 when McDonnell Douglas “ Brizendine, drained from the
lost its number two spot to Airbus I am afraid the interference by the McDonnell
and Lockheed announced the family, decided to retire.
closing of its Tristar production aircraft did not
line. excite anyone,” McDonnell appointed GE’s VP
In March 1982, Sandy
For Douglas, the prospects former Douglas Marketing Development Jim
were gloomy with no DC-10s to Worsham to take up a EVP posi-
be delivered beyond 1982 and President John tion at Douglas. Worsham had
only 45 Super 80s to be built. Brizendine told the met Sandy McDonnell during
the successful campaign to sell
During 1981, MDC signed author in 2008.” F-18s to the Royal Australian Air
up with Fokker for a 150-seat Force.

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