Hughes Airwest DC-9 Solid Maple Tail Panel

Designed and crafted in the United States, this laser engraved solid maple panel depicts the vertical tail of the Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas) DC-9 in the markings of Hughes Airwest (RW). The DC-9 was the manufacturer's entry into the early 1960s race to develop small jets with 65-100 seats for short-haul airline use. The DC-9 in its initial Series 10 version seated 75 passengers in a single-class cabin layout, and was notable for its "double-bubble" fuselage cross-section that resembled the number "8" when seen in profile. This was chosen to increase underfloor capacity as compared to a simpler round or monocoque fuselage shape. The DC-9 entered service in late 1965, later than the competing BAC 1-11, but ahead of Boeing's 737. Developed into higher capacity versions with seating for up to 139 passengers, a total of 976 were built before production ended in 1982 in favor of the further-developed MD-80. Each tail panel is engraved to recall an airline that operated the DC-9 with a