[(This post has been in the making for a bit)....If you're a Cargo Airline enthusiast/pilot (in the SIM or RW)...I know there are such folks around here...it goes without saying that you're attracted to the UPS livery, whenever you happen to get a glimpse of it (in the virtual or real sky). While living in Chicago, I often, used to catch e.g. the UPS MD-11s gliding across the overhead sky (unmistakably (bold) black and white livery along with the 3 (big) engines to boot...). So, I hope you enjoy this account, below, and if not, at least, the images, below, of the (Aerosoft) Douglas DC-8, here, flying the virtual skies in a classic UPS livery...]

The (old) retro livery of UPS has to be one of the sleekest of all time. The livery was in service from UPS Airline's inception in 1988 up until 2003 when the distinctive brown tail with a golden ‘swish’ was introduced.

Here are the 4 UPS Logos, so far, if you care to know (probably you care if you're a painter...🙂...):

1. Logo #1 - The Eagle and Shield (The very first UPS logo was created by the founders of UPS in 1916. This logo features an eagle carrying a package across a background of a bronze shield).
2. Logo #2 - The Shield Alone (In 1937 the logo was changed to remove the eagle and the letters UPS were added to the shield).
3. Logo #3 - Shield and Package (The 3rd logo, which was introduced in 1961, featured a string-tied package above the famous UPS shield). [Side Note: This classic (UPS) livery, nicely replicated, by Thibodba57, here, for our use with Aerosoft's DC-8, is the subject livery of my post here].
4. Current logo - The Brown Shield (In 2003, UPS introduced its current logo. Gone was the bow-tied package above the shield. The shield was given the famous brown color).

In any case, all the UPS logos (albeit simple) have always stood out as a distinctive (and effective) symbol for this highly-respected Cargo carrier. With a founding in 1907, UPS is about 113 years old now...one will not find many companies with roots that old and still operational today...(Side Note: For comparison, FedEx was founded in 1971, and is 49 years old).

Here are bits of some fascinating facts about the founding of UPS: UPS was started by two teenagers with one bicycle (the two had one bike between them) and $100 borrowed from a friend. It was actually called American Messenger Company. They ran the service from an office located under a sidewalk in Seattle, WA. At that time, most deliveries were made on foot and bicycles were used only for longer trips. (Next, consider, UPS is now worth approximately $80 billion...not bad starting from $100 investment)!

In 1913, the company acquired a Model T Ford as its first delivery vehicle. For fun, you may search for "UPS FORD MODEL T images"...This transport (although motorized)...seems barely one step ahead of the Victorian Horse Drawn Coach carriages! The origin of transporting packages by air for UPS dates to 1929; UPS packages were transported as baggage on commercial airline flights by e.g. the Ford Trimotors of the United Airlines (if you wish, you may look back, in one of my recent posts, at the (SIM) image of a Ford Trimotor in the United Airlines livery (Trimotors being ubiquitous in the U.S. in early 1930s as the go-to "airliner" of choice!)...

In 1980, UPS opened its first major hub in Louisville, Kentucky. Location was smartly chosen so that, taking advantage of the Time Zones, Louisville is accessible (by jet aircraft) across the majority of United States in less than three hours. To expand its flight network, UPS later opened a facility in Anchorage in 1985. Similar to Louisville, Anchorage was chosen for its strategic geographical position, accessible to 90% of the industrialized world in less than 9½ hours flying distance. (BTW, Anchorage is the starting point of my subject flight for this post). UPS, currently, one of the largest airlines (Cargo or not), flies an impressive (and numerous) fleet of 747/757/767/MD11/747-8s etc., having recently acquired the (advanced) 747-8F Freighters (15 in operation with with 13 more on order). UPS also did have a (historic) fleet of 53 Douglas DC-8s. It retired its DC-8 fleet in 2009, and its final DC-8 flight touched down on (May 13, 2009), at its main hub, the Louisville International Airport.

Now to my flight:

To typify an UPS flight (within my reach), I've flown this DC-8 from Ted Stevens International [PANC, Anchorage, AK] to Muhammad Ali International [KSDF, Louisville, KY]. An actual FlightAware route, flown just last Sunday, by an UPS B747-8F is this:

TED YESKA NCA13 DUSOB NCA13 YQD VBI J538 DLL JOT RAMSE FRIZN5

[I was curious to note JOT (JOLIET VOR), in this Route...recall passing through the (Chicago) Suburb town of JOLIET, of course, on the road, on weekly basis...(many years ago)...]

For adaptation and (manual) input to this DC-8's INS system, please excuse, yours truly (armchair) pilot has simplified the route by picking up 7 on-the-route VORs and the LAT/LONG co-ordinates as follows (please also see the screenshot of the SimBrief plot):

YXY> N60° 37.23' / W135° 8.33'
YOJ> N58° 33.26' / W117° 5.49'
YQD> N53° 58.41' / W101° 6.16'
VBI> N49° 28.62' / W94° 2.95'
DLH> N46° 48.22' / W92° 12.31'
DLL> N43° 33.05' / W89° 45.82'
JOT> N41° 32.69' / W88° 18.98'

The initial segment, flown into the dusk/night sky (after all, the Cargo pilots fly at night so that we can get our goods in the day), over the (breathtaking but cold) Alaskan and Canadian mountain ranges, was, indeed, exhilarating (please see the few screenshots of it)! Anyway, the DC-8 jet will be always remembered as Douglas's first ever (commercial) Jet Transport, and a worthy competitor to the legendary B707! Hope you enjoy the pictures from this flight as much as I did flying it (with this excellent SIM A/C) - having the (soft) Moon, in the sky, giving me company, all the way! Thanks for your interest and good rest of the week!

[Aerosoft(DC-8-50)/Orbx(Scenery)/REX/UPS Livery by Thibodba57 (for P3D, but works perfectly in FSX)]

Awesome shots! Glad to see you take such an interest in the Carousel INS.  It’s a blast. If I could get you a set of plotting charts I would so you could do some authentic ocean crossings.  I think I made a post with a couple screen shots of a pacific crossing I did a couple years ago. 

Amazing series

Great story and screenies, P_7878 !!

Brian, Patrick, Bernd (and all): Appreciated! Thanks for the comments!

And, Brian: Glad for the words of encouragement! Yes, an "authentic" oceanic (INS) crossing in the SIM...(as the Real pilots do)...sounds great...if I can handle it....no hurry though...And, particularly, here, for UPS, I was just checking a bit, and its (vast) International Route network is nothing short of amazing...!

(Of course, currently, UPS admits activities to be, unfortunately, marred by the Virus....just as other Airlines...(Stay Safe all)..)