Photographs of Delta Air Lines Douglas DC-8-11’s in the 1959 “pre-widget” delivery livery, particularly in color, are almost non-existent. That is what makes this shot of “N803E” at Atlanta truly a rare gem. Delta beat United Air Lines by just a few hours in inaugurating the world’s first service with this pioneering first generation jetliner on 9/18/59 from NY-Idlewild to Atlanta (where the aircraft used the one and only “Jetway” in use at the destination airport at the time). Delta would go on to fly not only these very early -11’s, but also the DC-8-33/-51/-61/-71 variants (with the last stretched, re-engined DC-8-71 not being retired until 1989, thirty years after service start with the aircraft type). The original JT3C powered -11’s, such as N803E, were eventually converted to JT3D turbofan equipped -51’s during the early 1960’s, at which time the earliest version of the still in use triangular “widget” logo was applied to the aircraft.