Heads-up: I'm releasing a livery challenge for this plane, read the pinned comment below for further details.

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Credits

• CFM-56: GalacticaAsia
• PFD in cockpit: SARACONIKaviationindustry
  

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I'm back... but not for long.

By back, I don't mean back to SimplePlanes (i've always been here), but rather, I'm back from Vietnam!

But not for long, because I'm leaving yet again for Jeju Island, South Korea. Yes, 2 vacations in less than 3 weeks. It'll be a fun trip, and I'm kinda excited about it.

Anyway, this is the first airliner of the D-series; if you've seen my D-03-100, you should know what I mean.

When I made the D-03-100, I had just reached silver, and I didn't know how to make planes yet. I didn't really "make" it, more like edited Marine's ANe 250 and added a livery on top of it. But now, I've designed this airplane from scratch. I have truly come a long way.

Oh, and why VARIG? A few reasons:

• I wanted to put a real airline livery on a fictional plane, since my fictional nation is intertwined with the rest of the real world.
• VARIG is one of those airlines that are well-known, but not really talked about, so I wanted to represent it here.
• This airline, being Brazilian, also hints at the Brazilian airliner community here in SP with Gabriel747, WINGSIRONDYNAMIC and Volotok. Their airliners are nice, but what I'm truly impressed with is the passion that they have, and strong friendship between themselves.

With that, I'll leave you to enjoy the lore segment!

Oh yeah, this was my backup entry for the Points Challenge, in case the Hawaiian Pizza went south. I don't think I need to worry too much... or do I?

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Lore

Take a deep breath, because this is the longest lore I've ever typed.

The D-01 is a short-haul airliner made by RCP Engineering, and is the first aircraft in the D-series.

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History

RCP Engineering's predecessor, Wright Engineering, had been famous in the 1950s for manufacturing airliners, including some revolutionary ones like the W-2000.

However, in 1964, Wright Engineering went nearly bankrupt as it could not outcompete airliners like the 707, 737 and DC-8, and the company stopped producing aircraft. It was only revived when the new Republic of Cursed Planes government placed a 86% stake in the company in 1969, nationalising it.

To recover, RCP Engineering was tasked by the government to build military aircraft for the air force. This provided a cushion for RCP Engineering to fall back on, and by 1976, the company had financially recovered.

Even though the company was successful building fighter jets, it still always wanted to go back to the glory days and build great airliners. So in 1979, plans were submitted for a new 150-passenger jet, that could rival the 737.

The new airliner, named D-XX, would have a T-tail configuration with the engines on top of the wings, much like the VFW 614. Apart from giving the aircraft a rather unique appearance, it allowed the D-XX to land at even the most poorly-maintained airports, giving it immense flexibility.

By 1982, the design was finalised and green-lighted. The prototype D-01-100 made its first flight on 8 April 1986, and by 1989, the D-01-200 (production model) started selling to customers.

In 1992, a stretched version that could carry 186 passengers, the D-01-300, was released. It turned out to be more popular than the -200, as it had more capacity.

In 2007, a “D-01 Advanced”was proposed, featuring more advanced technology and updated CFM-LEAP-1b engines, similar to those used on the A320neo. On 7 August 2010, the prototype D-01a-3, the Advanced version of the D-01-300, took to the skies for the first time.

In 2013, deliveries to customers began. The Advanced model was branded the D-01a, while the current D-01-200 and -300 were branded as the D-01c (c for current/classic).

In 2020, the last D-01 Classic, a -300, rolled off the assembly line. The Classic’s manufacturing efforts were switched to production of the Advanced series, and today, only the Advanced models, the D-01-2 and D-01-3, are being produced.

A true butter landing

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Production

As of May 2023, 2,742 D-01-200s and 6,315 D-01-300s have been produced, with 9,818 D-01as on order. The original operators were airlines that flew to underserved, small airports, but nowadays, with most runways being up to standard, most operators are budget airlines that fly them on domestic and international routes.

2 military variants of the aircraft, the D-01M, a transporter/AWACS aircraft, and the P-01 marine patrol aircraft, have also been produced. A combined 730 aircraft have been sold so far, with more than half being ordered by the RCPAF.

The total number sold, 9792, is pale against the A320's 10,516 and 737's 11,002, but for a relatively small company, is impressive.

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Flying with VARIG

To fly to the many small airports in Brazil, VARIG, the largest Brazilian airline at the time, used 737-200s and 737-300s due to their ruggedness.

However, the D-01 came out, and it promised to offer this same reliability, with more advanced technology. So taking a gamble on this new airliner, VARIG ordered 50 D-01-200s in 1986, becoming the 3rd customer after Island System Airways and RCP Express.

In December 1989, VARIG received its first D-01-200, PP-VDR. The D-01s quickly became a success within the fleet, serving many small airports with ease, without encountering a single issue. The airline liked them so much that they ordered 20 more, and replaced their 737 Classics with this.

However, the D-01s wouldn't last forever as VARIG went into liquidation by 2005. 30 of the D-01s were sent to airplane boneyards. However, 15 were inherited by Gol Airways, the successor to VARIG, while a total of 25 were purchased by African Express Airways and LATAM.

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If you made it here, congrats! Please upvote and comment, as it really means a lot to me!

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