When the Jet Age came in 1958, United entered it by being the second airline to fly the DC-8 in revenue service (being beaten by Delta by a few hours). Eventually United amassed the largest DC-8 fleet in the world, using it extensively on key routes throughout North America and to Hawaii; United continued to operate DC-8s into the early 1990s.

This scale model depicts a DC-8-62 as seen in 1969. The "Super Sixty" series had increased capacity due to longer fuselage, as well as upgraded engines and longer cruising range. The -62 was shorter than other Super Sixty models, sacrificing capacity for range. United acquired the -62 in hopes of flying nonstop to Hawaii from the East Coast.

The livery seen here is the 1958 "Jet Mainliner" livery. It would be slightly modified in 1972 into the short-lived, but much-beloved, "Stars and Bars" livery, identifying each aircraft by its model name followed by the phrase "Friend Ship."