My dad was one of test pilots of DC-10 program. Hard to believe some 50 yrs gone by as for the creation of this beautiful lady. I miss her, I have Flt sim has DC-10 variants with classic airline & routes. I got to fly American Airlines DC-10-10 from ORD to LAX as one first passenger flights. Glad to see her serving good things.
I once sat in the jump seat behind captain John Lane for a DC-10 predelivery flight. Long Beach > San Clemente Island > landfall at dusk over San Diego from maybe 20,000 ft (very scenic) > four touch & goes at Yuma> return to Long Beach. Factoid: Live video for preflight meetings with Yuma in the pre-internet/pre-Zoom mid-80s was handled by a series of microwave antennae on mountain tops. But the camera was simply looking down a conference table at people talking, so I can't say it added beyond a simple conference call.
My most 'memorable' flight was on a United DC-10 New York to Seattle in the late 70's ... they were showing 2001 A Space Odyssey on the in flight entertainment system - When they showed the flight of the Orion Space Plane approaching the rotating space station - it was just like we were onboard the Orion. With the DC-10's futuristic interior helping to complete the illusion. A surrealistic experience I vividly remember to this day.
As bad as the DC-10's start was, I pay high regards to the aircraft's capability as arial firefighter, especially as some of them joined after honorably retiring from Finnair. DC-10 the loyal work-horse of Finnair, doing then-longest flight from Helsinki to Tokio back in 1987, and a case-in-point of the airline being a loyal customer to McDonnell Douglas.
@747heavyboeing3 It was always going to by virtue of its design-it was cheap and simple. The L-1011 was the pinnacle of that very awkward 1970s era when machines were becoming more complex but there weren’t the digital computers to run them. This was fine for the military and other similarly complex aircraft like the A-6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat (which incidentally has the worlds first microprocessor) in terms of expense and maintenance downtime.. but not civilian aircraft which have to pay for themselves being manufactured and operated.
@@calvinnickel9995If the L-1011 entered service in the 80s, it would have been a great DC-10 alternative. They could have pioneered the ‘glass cockpit’ we see today and the computers would be sophisticated enough. The DC-10 proved it’s never a good idea to rush your plane into service with design flaws remaining.
Living near McCellan Airport, CA, almost every fire season I see two of the four DC-10 Tankers from 10 Tanker, it’s a truly beautiful aircraft and platform. I was also at SUU Travis AFB to watch the final KC-10 take off, it has been an honor to have seen one of these aircraft fly. Long live the DC-10 🫡🥹
Flew on a DC-10 as a child on a Zambian Airways plane. The pilot even let me go into the cockpit during the flight. (something you can't do now, sadly) It was amazing!
The Nkwazi.. I had the pleasure of flying on that beautiful bird myself too. Did you know that it was one of the few last ones produced (passenger)? And also one of the lowest in hours after it got retired.
Same here. It looks ready for business with that 3rd GE/PW engine on it's back like it's got a full pack... That and it looks like it's carrying a rocket launcher...Lol.
Very nice run down on the bitter-sweet finale of these impressive aircraft. In 1997 when I worked for the USAF in Japan I had the good fortune to catch a ride on a KC-10 from Tokyo to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. Very comfortable indeed since I was the only passenger and the flight included an extensive visit to the flight deck as well as a guided tour of the boom operator's station. Frankly, I consider the rush to de-commission KC-10s foolhardy, given the slow, problematic deliveries of the much smaller and less capable KC-46s and the current world situation. But I was always nothing more than a very minor cog on a small wheel, so the USAF never asked me for my opinion. I will surely miss that aircraft.
Hello, I am Panamanian and I am here to tell you that you are missing an MD10 with registration HP-1755CTW, which is from the Cargo Three airline. This aircraft is currently in storage, but it will be put into operation in November.
I flew the DC-10 for many years. I flew all there seats Captain, First Officer and Flight Engineer over the years I flew it. it is hands down the best aircraft I ever flew. I was also proud to have been an APD on the aircraft and wrote many of Type Ratings for pilots on the plane.
I've flown on the DC10 many of times in the late 80s to mid 90s. Loved the aircraft and can say for certainty that we will never have such beautiful and elegant aircraft in this modern day of age ever.
Very good. I didn't know about the eye hospital either. How about a video on the DC-10's successor, the MD-11. As the last one was built in 2000, many more of these are probably still flying.
The original eye hospital plane used to be an ex Air Canada L1011 for along time but it was had to find parts to keep it going so they switched to the DC 10
Their lives will be comparatively short. Much like the MD-90 vs the MD-80 and DC-9.. there aren’t as many of them and they have the same disadvantages as the older versions.
@@ronparrish6666Ron, the first flying eye hospital was a DC-8-21. Actually, this particular aircraft was probably the last operational turbojet DC-8 in the world!
I think it must have been a Varig MD-11 (if I recall right) which I've used a few times between FRA and GRU. I quite liked the passenger experience. Anyway, that's as close as I ever got to flying a DC-10.
My wife and I (we live in Australia) flew down the back of a United Airlines DC10 from Chicago to Paris in October 1997. We flew on another one operated by Finnair from Helsinki to Bangkok about 5 years later. With a free upgrade, it was much nicer at the pointy end.
The last DC-10 flight I took was from Dulles to Amsterdam and back again probably back in 2001 aboard Northwest. Still remember it had the co-op label on the side together with KLM. Time flies
Gone are the days of multiple major aircraft manufactures. The duopoly consisting of AIrbus and Boeing is in stark contrast to earlier decades where there were dozens of major aircraft makers competing globally. The abundance of very different design philosophies produced some very interesting aircraft. One of my favs is the VC10.
Yes with ugly and uninteresting planes, and the airlines that make those sardine cans so miserable. I no longer look forward to flying. They rushed too many planes to the graveyard to saying they were inefficient
I was a Command Level Evaluator Flight Engineer on the KC-10 or "Big Sexy" with 8,000 total flight hours spread across the KC-10A, C-141B/C, and E-3B/C! Man do I miss flying the line!
One of the fire fighter DC-10s is currently parked at my local airport on the west coast of the U.S. Its the largest plane operating out of the airport and its impressive to watch it come and go as it goes about its mission.
I almost got to fly on a DC 10-40 around 1981-2. The flight was to Belem, Brazil with a stop in Caracas, Venezuela. But because of delays, the flight was split - the Caracas passengers went on the DC-10 and the rest of us were booked on a brand new 767 that was being delivered to VARIG. We were about 40 passengers on a plane designed for 300. I took over a middle section and slept like a baby, had all the seats for myself. Like Rose says on Titanic, "you could still smell the fresh paint."
I flew the DC 10 a couple of times in the 80-ties, even had the luck to sit in the cockpit of one of these giants during inflight to Copenhagen airport...✈
Thanks for this video. I had the fortune of flying in DC-10s several times, series 10 with PanAm and American and series 30 with Viasa and Northwest. Lovely experiences all.
Flew on a Continental DC-10 with Macho Man Randy Savage was on board. Got to jumpseat on a FedEx MD-10 a few years ago. It was a last minute equipment change from a MD-11. I was happy to see it. I figured it would be my last one and it was.
I used to fly the DC10. I was a DC10-30 Captain with Laker up to the time the company collapsed in 1982. I then flew the aircraft with Skyjet on contract to VASP flying from BRU to SAO.
Flew DC10 once from Salt Lake to LAX, Western Airlines. When I got to the gate was told the next 5 are going to LA in the next 15 minutes. As McDonell Douglas employee never flying on a wide body, I was excited to pick the gate with the big DC10. Not many on board, went to back where only 2 seats by window, put on headphones, Sinatra singing, not used to the time for big jets to get up to speed. So cool!
"not used to the time for big jets to get up to speed" OTOH in a nearly empty DC-10 cabin, on a hop from San Diego to LAX with presumably little fuel on board as well, I was really pushed back into my seat.
Flew on a 10 in October 1979. Jfk to Cologne Germany enroute to Budapest. This was just after the 10 came back into service after the may 79 Chicago crash
I used to work on several CONDOR DC-10 aircrafts to Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Puerto Plata etc, between 1995 and 1999. I loved to work on that superb Aircraft. Somehow I miss DC-10.....
I was fortunate enough to have flown on the 10 when I was twelve years old. June 1986, American Airlines from DFW to LAX. To this day, i remember how magical that flight was on that huge bird. The will be missed.
Interesting video, never knew about the flying eye hospital. Nice break off from just the usual seat count comparisons. Not that there's something wrong with that. P.S. the narrator has a great voice for this.
Only ever flew once in a DC10 and that was with Monarch Airlines from Gatwick to Varadero in Cuba back in the early 2000’s. I was very happy with the aircraft and pleased to finally be flying in one.
I love the DC-10, such a cool-looking trijet. I flew back and forth from Paris to Detroit twice a year as a kid on Northwest DC-10 40's, even got to see the cockpit pre-911.
I flow on DC 10 from Belgrade Serbia to New York and Los Angeles in 1987 and from Belgrade Serbia to Sydney Australia in 1989 operated by Yugoslav Airlines - JAT. Very comfortable and noiseless wide body fuselage.
I flew on a UTC DC10 in 1993 from Gaborone to Paris via Luanda. The take off from Luanda was very steep and over the sea to avoid potential hostile fire as Angola was still in a civil war. On a more peaceful note I remember watching KLM DC10s at Schipol in the early 70s when they were brand new.
Last time I rode on a DC10 was 1982 (not the last time I flew). Chartered as a MAC to fly soldiers and family members from Frankfurt to CONUS, one stop at England without deplaning and then a stop at Newfoundland and deplaned for a few hours due to a technical issue.
As a business traveler in the late '70's, I always preferred flights on the quiet and well-appointed DC10. I was awaiting a connecting flight at O'Hare when it was announced that an incoming flight had an accident (the engine mount failure and all were temporarily grounded by FAA). My flight got me home just fine, but the airplane's reputation as a passenger carrier immediately took its toll. And an American Airlines DC10 pilot (a relative), told me that the other Tri-jet, the awesome L1011 had some tail engine flame-out issues when excessive climb attitude in certain conditions... ultimately the death of Tri-jets as passenger planes.
I was lucky enough to work for Ansett Airlines in CNS as a load controller. We handled Continental Airlines and Thai Airways. I have a license for both the DC 10-10 and 10-30 aircraft. Was lucky enough to fly CNS to HNL return twice. Business class was amazing. 🙏
Flown aboard the DC-10 at least fourteen times on five different airlines between 1973 and 1984. My first DC-10 flight was when I was eleven aboard a Series 10 operated by American Airlines between BOS and LAX in February 1973. The very last time was aboard a Series 30 when I was 23 between LGW and BWI operated by World Airways in July 1984. I have also flown aboard the Series 40 operated by Northwest Airlines between BOS and MSP with a stop at EWR as well as between SFO and MSP. I never flew aboard the Series 15, unfortunately, which was basically a Series 10 but designed for hot and high airports, mainly operated by the now-defunct Western Airlines. Quite an impressive airliner. While the Series 30, regarded as the most popular version of the airliner, especially among European air carriers, and Series 40 were similar intercontinental versions of the DC-10, equipped with the additional twin-wheel centerline main landing gear, the Series 30 was powered with General Electric CF-6 engines similar to what was applied to the Series 10 and Series 15. The Series 40 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. One visible feature of the Series 40 was the enlarged nacelle (air intake) of the no. 2 center tail engine. The Series 40 was initially the Series 20, but Northwest Airlines instructed McDonnell-Douglas to re-designate the aircraft as the Series 40, making it a newer version of the Series 30. Japan Air Lines also operated the type. The Series 50, which was to be powered by Rolls Royce RB-211 engines, was a planned version to attract British Airways, was never built. The Series 60 was a stretched version of the DC-10, which became the MD-11 powered by CF-6 engines. That plane I never flew aboard.
I flew on the DC-10 a few times, all during my US Navy days. The first time I flew on it was when I left boot camp. It was mid October of 1980 aboard United Flight 225, ORD-SAN. When we were at O'Hare taxiing to the runway, the captain told us it was 32 degrees outside, and we could see snowflakes wafting around the windows. When the captain said that San Diego was checking in sunny at a balmy 74 degrees, I was elated! San Diego was my next duty station. The flight was smooth and uneventful. One of the guys from our sister company voiced reservations about the engines falling off; this was perhaps a year after that American Airlines DC-10 had crashed after taking off from O'Hare, killing all on board. I wasn't worried about it. One, the crash had been the result of improper maintenance procedures; the crash had nothing to do with the aircraft. Two, by that point, the DC-10 had been so scrutinized that it was no doubt the safest aircraft in the air back in the early 1980s! The flight was smooth and uneventful. From my window seat, I could see and hear the big, port side GE CF6 singing its song hour after hour during the flight. The aircraft was comfortable; they were more roomy back then vs. now. I remember being thrilled to have those headphones, so I could listen to music at my seat! I remember hearing the cult favorite, "Turning Japanese", by The Vapors. That was considered high tech, in-flight entertainment back then...
I am so glad I got to fly both the DC-10 and the Tristar multiple times as a kid. I had an opportunity to fly the Tupolev Tu-154 in the mid 90s but couldn't take up the opportunity.
@@derekcaan7686 The Tu-154 was an opportunity surely missed.No chance now though,unless you're in the Russian Air Force that is!A favourite aircraft of mine, definitely.
Back in the Northwest Airlines / KLM Alliance days we used to fly these regularly - they were ahead of their time in terms of comfort. In hindsight, however we are lucky to fly them without incident!
I flew 5 times with a DC10-30. With KLM (AMS-Curacau), VIASA (AMS-Aruba), and Martinair Holland (AMS-Mahon v.v), and AMS-Las Palmas. With Martinair were all charters.
Even though the United DC -10’s were pretty rough I’m glad I got to fly on these and the TWA L-1011 they were both great planes that were rushed to retirement
I always liked the DC10, having flown with UTA French Airlines Sydney to Paris a few times before the company folded, and then on one occasion with Continental to the USA, this one has a cocktail bar at the back of the aircraft, being a relatively wide body plane appealed to us!
If I remember correctly, I flew on an SAS (or Scanair?) DC-10 from Oslo to Miami (or Orlando) as a 7 year old in 1989. I am not sure about the details, but I remember distinctly the aircraft had an engine in the tail, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. 😁
Between the ‘80s, the ‘90s and part of the 2000s, my dad flew on business 🧑🏼💼 on DC-10s quite a lot. I only flew on one once back in 1992. A North-west Airlines DC-10 from Glasgow GLA to Boston Logan Airport BOS on a month-long business trip for my dad that year which doubled up as a prolonged summer holiday for my sister Alexandra and I.
Yes I flew a number of times on a DC 10 with Laker Airways to Tunisia & also to the Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport many years ago on a charter trip.
I flew on a northwest orient DC-10 from LAX to Minneapolis in 1981. I was 11 years old and I loved airplanes so I was very excited! During the flight, The captain announced to the passengers that Ronald Reagan had just been wounded in an assassination attempt. What a memorable flight.
Just going off memory, I flew on DC10s with Nigeria Airways, Ghana Airways, British Caledonian, KLM, Lufthansa and Alitalia. There may be one or two others but I don't remember.
My experience with the KC/DC/MD-10 is unique, but not unheard of. I have never flown in a KC/DC/MD-10, but tanked off of the KC-10's many times during Desert Shield / Desert Storm. I have however been inside of a KC-10 on the runway, preflight.
Cute list. There are 6 KC-10's still in service at Travis AFB in Solono County, California. I see them every day. I spoke to a KC-10 driver this year at CCAS and they anticipate having them thru 2026 or until Boeing can catch up on deliveries.
From a passengers POV the DC-10 was a big comfortable airplane From a native of NYC's POV the fact that the DC-10 designed to fly out of LGA was a huge plus in the aircraft's favor
Flew on a rare Canadian DC10 30ER from Honolulu- Vancouver in 1995-- I believe Swissair were the only other airline to have this variation of DC10 30. Flight hours achieved by these last DC10s would have been interesting information
The MD-10 is basically a DC-10 with a glass cockpit. Also, it can be operated with a two-person crew (no flight engineer needed). The MD-11 is a new aircraft (albeit based on the DC-10). It’s stretched, has a new wing and updated engines.
The MD-10 is basically a DC-10 with the technology of an MD-11. Physical differences include new wings (split and canted winglets on the ends) and new engines on the MD-11, as well as a stretched fuselage with a different tail area.
higher mtogw, assymetric airfoil horizontal stabilizer, tail fuel, tail fuel management system to reduce trim drag, special wing trailing edge treatments, brake temp sensors, electrical distribution differences. the MD-10 glass cockpit utilized flat panels instead of CRTs (MD-11) and therefore different architecture for the avionics. there were differences in how the automation of some of the systems too.
@@Craigkenyon-yc3tk I would have expected the MD-11s to come from factory back then with CRTs indeed, and the conversion to LCDs on the MD-10s makes sense. This begs the question, if MD-11s are getting converted to LCDs as well whenever a display replacement is necessary?
You can still fly on a trijet today, it’s just a lot harder than it was a couple decades back! Air Koryo still operates the TU-154 on occasional charters for tourists to the hermit kingdom :)
I think my last flights aboard DC-10s were in 2006. I remember one particular ride from MEM to AMS aboard a Northwest DC-10 on its final or next-to-final revenue flight for the airline. Some of the interior panels and non-critical equipment had already been removed. As a passenger, the DC-10 was fine, but I preferred the A330s that replaced them.
I actually know someone who has taken a flight from St. Louis Lambert to London. At the time (I said goodbye at the airport) I thought it was a flight that couldn’t possibly make the airline consistent profit, yet it existed.
Sadly the first time I learned about the DC10 was regarding the crash at Chicago international. American Airlines Flight 191, and learned it was ultimately the crash that ended the carrier of the plane as a Commercial Jetliner
I’ve flown on DC-10s from Premiair, Scanair, and United as far as I know. The Unitedreturn flight was the most rememberable since we had an engine failure in the tail mounted engine and had to turn back to LAX. Some 3 or 4 weeks later a DC-10 from United crashed after a catastrophic failure to the tail mounted engine and despite remarkable airmanship with a severely crippled plane about half of the passengers and crew perished in flames at landing. I see this as the accident I nearly escaped. I’m 100% sure it was the same aircraft. There is a Mayday episode on this fatal crash. This was in 1989.
This is sad ! This is my sons favorit plane and the first one he was ever a passenger on, flying from Copenhagen to Larnaca and showing a lot of knoledge acording to the flight engineers and the captain onboard and at the same time pretty impressive as he was only 5 years old. But the sad part for me is the this type of aircraft is the most comfortable plane I have ever been in. Not alot of noice inside and pretty good leg- and headroom and the smooth landings and take-offs I will always remember with a smile and a warm feeling.
I left Hawaii in February 1997 flying on a Hawaiian Airlines DC10 from HNL to PHX to start my "adult life". Failed and came back Home to Hawaii on a Continental Airlines DC10 from Newark, NJ to HNL in December 1998. I believe it was Continental Flight 10. 11 hour Non-stop flight!
Notice that there is no model 20. When the DC 10-10 was new, Northwest Airlines contracted to get MD's proposed international version. Initially it was to be a DC10-20. Northwest specific PW JT-9 engines though instead of the normal GE CF6 because their 747's used the same basic engine. Also, the contract stipulated that Northwest would have the "latest version''. Then MD designed an international version with the CF6 engines and called it the DC10-30. Because of Northwest's contract their version was relabeled as the D10-40.
Yes a few times once with Garuda Indonesia in 1994 HKG-DPS & Again in January of 1997 with United Airlines from DEN-LAX the latter being an equipment upgrade because of the Christmas holiday season. Although I might have very well flown on the DC-10 more times than that as I did travel by air alot in the USA as a infant/toddler with my parents while on holiday back in the 1980's.
Technically, FedEx's upgrades from DC-10 to MD-10 was more tha just glass cockpit, it was to bring cockpit commonality with the MD-11 which fedEx also had in its fleet.
My dad was one of test pilots of DC-10 program. Hard to believe some 50 yrs gone by as for the creation of this beautiful lady. I miss her, I have Flt sim has DC-10 variants with classic airline & routes. I got to fly American Airlines DC-10-10 from ORD to LAX as one first passenger flights. Glad to see her serving good things.
I once sat in the jump seat behind captain John Lane for a DC-10 predelivery flight. Long Beach > San Clemente Island > landfall at dusk over San Diego from maybe 20,000 ft (very scenic) > four touch & goes at Yuma> return to Long Beach.
Factoid: Live video for preflight meetings with Yuma in the pre-internet/pre-Zoom mid-80s was handled by a series of microwave antennae on mountain tops. But the camera was simply looking down a conference table at people talking, so I can't say it added beyond a simple conference call.
Who here watched the last KC-10 land yesterday?
yup
I tracked it on FR24
@@AbhradeepGhosh-hy8gosame
I was able to get pictures of its arrival into AMARG
GUCCI 10 right
My most 'memorable' flight was on a United DC-10 New York to Seattle in the late 70's ... they were showing 2001 A Space Odyssey on the in flight entertainment system - When they showed the flight of the Orion Space Plane approaching the rotating space station - it was just like we were onboard the Orion. With the DC-10's futuristic interior helping to complete the illusion. A surrealistic experience I vividly remember to this day.
As bad as the DC-10's start was, I pay high regards to the aircraft's capability as arial firefighter, especially as some of them joined after honorably retiring from Finnair. DC-10 the loyal work-horse of Finnair, doing then-longest flight from Helsinki to Tokio back in 1987, and a case-in-point of the airline being a loyal customer to McDonnell Douglas.
@@Astro_Aladfar The DC 10s outlasted Tristars by decades too.
@747heavyboeing3
It was always going to by virtue of its design-it was cheap and simple.
The L-1011 was the pinnacle of that very awkward 1970s era when machines were becoming more complex but there weren’t the digital computers to run them.
This was fine for the military and other similarly complex aircraft like the A-6 Intruder and F-14 Tomcat (which incidentally has the worlds first microprocessor) in terms of expense and maintenance downtime.. but not civilian aircraft which have to pay for themselves being manufactured and operated.
@@calvinnickel9995If the L-1011 entered service in the 80s, it would have been a great DC-10 alternative. They could have pioneered the ‘glass cockpit’ we see today and the computers would be sophisticated enough.
The DC-10 proved it’s never a good idea to rush your plane into service with design flaws remaining.
The most gorgeous and badass airplane every built. Worked on these for 25 years - miss them dearly.
This was the first aircraft I ever flew on a ward air DC10 from Prestwick to Calgary in 1982 I was seventeen greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
i love the old dc10 an i am a l-1011 guy but have a big heart for the old air craft
Living near McCellan Airport, CA, almost every fire season I see two of the four DC-10 Tankers from 10 Tanker, it’s a truly beautiful aircraft and platform. I was also at SUU Travis AFB to watch the final KC-10 take off, it has been an honor to have seen one of these aircraft fly.
Long live the DC-10 🫡🥹
Flew on a DC-10 as a child on a Zambian Airways plane. The pilot even let me go into the cockpit during the flight. (something you can't do now, sadly) It was amazing!
I had it as a kid also on a martinair md10 (updated dc10), in july 2000 , was impressed with the engine in its tail 😂
The Nkwazi.. I had the pleasure of flying on that beautiful bird myself too. Did you know that it was one of the few last ones produced (passenger)? And also one of the lowest in hours after it got retired.
The good old days. Zambia Airways was the first plane I ever flew on. Nkwazi is an eagle.
I always love the look of a Tri jet
Agreed, for sure! I'm especially fond of the tri-star, I must confess, but the DC-10 is a real beauty regardless.
Same here. It looks ready for business with that 3rd GE/PW engine on it's back like it's got a full pack...
That and it looks like it's carrying a rocket launcher...Lol.
Very nice run down on the bitter-sweet finale of these impressive aircraft. In 1997 when I worked for the USAF in Japan I had the good fortune to catch a ride on a KC-10 from Tokyo to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. Very comfortable indeed since I was the only passenger and the flight included an extensive visit to the flight deck as well as a guided tour of the boom operator's station. Frankly, I consider the rush to de-commission KC-10s foolhardy, given the slow, problematic deliveries of the much smaller and less capable KC-46s and the current world situation. But I was always nothing more than a very minor cog on a small wheel, so the USAF never asked me for my opinion. I will surely miss that aircraft.
Hello, I am Panamanian and I am here to tell you that you are missing an MD10 with registration HP-1755CTW, which is from the Cargo Three airline. This aircraft is currently in storage, but it will be put into operation in November.
I flew the DC-10 for many years. I flew all there seats Captain, First Officer and Flight Engineer over the years I flew it. it is hands down the best aircraft I ever flew. I was also proud to have been an APD on the aircraft and wrote many of Type Ratings for pilots on the plane.
I've flown on the DC10 many of times in the late 80s to mid 90s. Loved the aircraft and can say for certainty that we will never have such beautiful and elegant aircraft in this modern day of age ever.
Very good. I didn't know about the eye hospital either.
How about a video on the DC-10's successor, the MD-11. As the last one was built in 2000, many more of these are probably still flying.
The original eye hospital plane used to be an ex Air Canada L1011 for along time but it was had to find parts to keep it going so they switched to the DC 10
Pretty straightforward…..fedex and upscombined operate over 60. Western global operates up to 17.
Their lives will be comparatively short. Much like the MD-90 vs the MD-80 and DC-9.. there aren’t as many of them and they have the same disadvantages as the older versions.
@@ronparrish6666Ron, the first flying eye hospital was a DC-8-21. Actually, this particular aircraft was probably the last operational turbojet DC-8 in the world!
I think it must have been a Varig MD-11 (if I recall right) which I've used a few times between FRA and GRU. I quite liked the passenger experience. Anyway, that's as close as I ever got to flying a DC-10.
One of the most beautiful planes, will be way more remembered than the new tankers. Now we need a video on the l1011s
I was lucky enough to fly on United DC-10’s round trip between O’Hare to Sky Harbor around 1996. Great experience.
My wife and I (we live in Australia) flew down the back of a United Airlines DC10 from Chicago to Paris in October 1997. We flew on another one operated by Finnair from Helsinki to Bangkok about 5 years later. With a free upgrade, it was much nicer at the pointy end.
The last DC-10 flight I took was from Dulles to Amsterdam and back again probably back in 2001 aboard Northwest. Still remember it had the co-op label on the side together with KLM. Time flies
Gone are the days of multiple major aircraft manufactures. The duopoly consisting of AIrbus and Boeing is in stark contrast to earlier decades where there were dozens of major aircraft makers competing globally. The abundance of very different design philosophies produced some very interesting aircraft. One of my favs is the VC10.
Yes with ugly and uninteresting planes, and the airlines that make those sardine cans so miserable. I no longer look forward to flying. They rushed too many planes to the graveyard to saying they were inefficient
I was a Command Level Evaluator Flight Engineer on the KC-10 or "Big Sexy" with 8,000 total flight hours spread across the KC-10A, C-141B/C, and E-3B/C! Man do I miss flying the line!
One of the fire fighter DC-10s is currently parked at my local airport on the west coast of the U.S. Its the largest plane operating out of the airport and its impressive to watch it come and go as it goes about its mission.
I almost got to fly on a DC 10-40 around 1981-2. The flight was to Belem, Brazil with a stop in Caracas, Venezuela. But because of delays, the flight was split - the Caracas passengers went on the DC-10 and the rest of us were booked on a brand new 767 that was being delivered to VARIG. We were about 40 passengers on a plane designed for 300. I took over a middle section and slept like a baby, had all the seats for myself. Like Rose says on Titanic, "you could still smell the fresh paint."
I flew the DC 10 a couple of times in the 80-ties, even had the luck to sit in the cockpit of one of these giants during inflight to Copenhagen airport...✈
Thanks for this video. I had the fortune of flying in DC-10s several times, series 10 with PanAm and American and series 30 with Viasa and Northwest. Lovely experiences all.
Flew on a Continental DC-10 with Macho Man Randy Savage was on board. Got to jumpseat on a FedEx MD-10 a few years ago. It was a last minute equipment change from a MD-11. I was happy to see it. I figured it would be my last one and it was.
I used to fly the DC10.
I was a DC10-30 Captain with Laker up to the time the company collapsed in 1982.
I then flew the aircraft with Skyjet on contract to VASP flying from BRU to SAO.
The dc10 orbit came a few months ago to Zambia and I was happy to see it first time in my life
Flew DC10 once from Salt Lake to LAX, Western Airlines. When I got to the gate was told the next 5 are going to LA in the next 15 minutes. As McDonell Douglas employee never flying on a wide body, I was excited to pick the gate with the big DC10. Not many on board, went to back where only 2 seats by window, put on headphones, Sinatra singing, not used to the time for big jets to get up to speed. So cool!
"not used to the time for big jets to get up to speed" OTOH in a nearly empty DC-10 cabin, on a hop from San Diego to LAX with presumably little fuel on board as well, I was really pushed back into my seat.
I flew on a DC10 from LGW - Orlando and back with British Caledonian in 1986.
Flew on a 10 in October 1979. Jfk to Cologne Germany enroute to Budapest. This was just after the 10 came back into service after the may 79 Chicago crash
I used to work on several CONDOR DC-10 aircrafts to Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Puerto Plata etc, between 1995 and 1999. I loved to work on that superb Aircraft. Somehow I miss DC-10.....
I was fortunate enough to have flown on the 10 when I was twelve years old. June 1986, American Airlines from DFW to LAX. To this day, i remember how magical that flight was on that huge bird. The will be missed.
Interesting video, never knew about the flying eye hospital. Nice break off from just the usual seat count comparisons. Not that there's something wrong with that.
P.S. the narrator has a great voice for this.
Only ever flew once in a DC10 and that was with Monarch Airlines from Gatwick to Varadero in Cuba back in the early 2000’s. I was very happy with the aircraft and pleased to finally be flying in one.
I love the DC-10, such a cool-looking trijet. I flew back and forth from Paris to Detroit twice a year as a kid on Northwest DC-10 40's, even got to see the cockpit pre-911.
My immigration flight with my wife and 2 children was on a DC-10 in 1987, from Amsterdam to Auckland New Zealand.
I flow on DC 10 from Belgrade Serbia to New York and Los Angeles in 1987 and from Belgrade Serbia to Sydney Australia in 1989 operated by Yugoslav Airlines - JAT.
Very comfortable and noiseless wide body fuselage.
I flew on a UTC DC10 in 1993 from Gaborone to Paris via Luanda. The take off from Luanda was very steep and over the sea to avoid potential hostile fire as Angola was still in a civil war.
On a more peaceful note I remember watching KLM DC10s at Schipol in the early 70s when they were brand new.
Last time I rode on a DC10 was 1982 (not the last time I flew). Chartered as a MAC to fly soldiers and family members from Frankfurt to CONUS, one stop at England without deplaning and then a stop at Newfoundland and deplaned for a few hours due to a technical issue.
I rode on many DC-10s, with United and Finnair. Best planes that ever flew!
As a business traveler in the late '70's, I always preferred flights on the quiet and well-appointed DC10. I was awaiting a connecting flight at O'Hare when it was announced that an incoming flight had an accident (the engine mount failure and all were temporarily grounded by FAA). My flight got me home just fine, but the airplane's reputation as a passenger carrier immediately took its toll. And an American Airlines DC10 pilot (a relative), told me that the other Tri-jet, the awesome L1011 had some tail engine flame-out issues when excessive climb attitude in certain conditions... ultimately the death of Tri-jets as passenger planes.
I was lucky enough to work for Ansett Airlines in CNS as a load controller.
We handled Continental Airlines and Thai Airways.
I have a license for both the DC 10-10 and 10-30 aircraft.
Was lucky enough to fly CNS to HNL return twice.
Business class was amazing. 🙏
Now KC-10 Is Retired
😩🤧
Could you please 🙏🏻 do a video on how many MD80s there are still active here in 2024 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
One of my favorite planes, still remember the first one I saw one
My favourite airplane of all time. ❤ Those who call it a bad airplane or a death trap are very misinformed, 🔟 forever.
Flown aboard the DC-10 at least fourteen times on five different airlines between 1973 and 1984. My first DC-10 flight was when I was eleven aboard a Series 10 operated by American Airlines between BOS and LAX in February 1973. The very last time was aboard a Series 30 when I was 23 between LGW and BWI operated by World Airways in July 1984.
I have also flown aboard the Series 40 operated by Northwest Airlines between BOS and MSP with a stop at EWR as well as between SFO and MSP. I never flew aboard the Series 15, unfortunately, which was basically a Series 10 but designed for hot and high airports, mainly operated by the now-defunct Western Airlines. Quite an impressive airliner.
While the Series 30, regarded as the most popular version of the airliner, especially among European air carriers, and Series 40 were similar intercontinental versions of the DC-10, equipped with the additional twin-wheel centerline main landing gear, the Series 30 was powered with General Electric CF-6 engines similar to what was applied to the Series 10 and Series 15. The Series 40 was powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines. One visible feature of the Series 40 was the enlarged nacelle (air intake) of the no. 2 center tail engine.
The Series 40 was initially the Series 20, but Northwest Airlines instructed McDonnell-Douglas to re-designate the aircraft as the Series 40, making it a newer version of the Series 30. Japan Air Lines also operated the type.
The Series 50, which was to be powered by Rolls Royce RB-211 engines, was a planned version to attract British Airways, was never built.
The Series 60 was a stretched version of the DC-10, which became the MD-11 powered by CF-6 engines. That plane I never flew aboard.
I flew on the DC-10 a few times, all during my US Navy days. The first time I flew on it was when I left boot camp. It was mid October of 1980 aboard United Flight 225, ORD-SAN. When we were at O'Hare taxiing to the runway, the captain told us it was 32 degrees outside, and we could see snowflakes wafting around the windows. When the captain said that San Diego was checking in sunny at a balmy 74 degrees, I was elated! San Diego was my next duty station.
The flight was smooth and uneventful. One of the guys from our sister company voiced reservations about the engines falling off; this was perhaps a year after that American Airlines DC-10 had crashed after taking off from O'Hare, killing all on board. I wasn't worried about it. One, the crash had been the result of improper maintenance procedures; the crash had nothing to do with the aircraft. Two, by that point, the DC-10 had been so scrutinized that it was no doubt the safest aircraft in the air back in the early 1980s!
The flight was smooth and uneventful. From my window seat, I could see and hear the big, port side GE CF6 singing its song hour after hour during the flight. The aircraft was comfortable; they were more roomy back then vs. now. I remember being thrilled to have those headphones, so I could listen to music at my seat! I remember hearing the cult favorite, "Turning Japanese", by The Vapors. That was considered high tech, in-flight entertainment back then...
I am so glad I got to fly both the DC-10 and the Tristar multiple times as a kid. I had an opportunity to fly the Tupolev Tu-154 in the mid 90s but couldn't take up the opportunity.
That's why you're still here ; )
@@derekcaan7686 The Tu-154 was an opportunity surely missed.No chance now though,unless you're in the Russian Air Force that is!A favourite aircraft of mine, definitely.
I looked on flight radar 24 for this yesterday, thank you for this video
Back in the Northwest Airlines / KLM Alliance days we used to fly these regularly - they were ahead of their time in terms of comfort. In hindsight, however we are lucky to fly them without incident!
My first and last ride was with biman Bangladesh on the last day of passenger ops, Feb 2014.
Fantastic aircraft.
I flew 5 times with a DC10-30. With KLM (AMS-Curacau), VIASA (AMS-Aruba), and Martinair Holland (AMS-Mahon v.v), and AMS-Las Palmas. With Martinair were all charters.
Even though the United DC -10’s were pretty rough I’m glad I got to fly on these and the TWA L-1011 they were both great planes that were rushed to retirement
I always liked the DC10, having flown with UTA French Airlines Sydney to Paris a few times before the company folded, and then on one occasion with Continental to the USA, this one has a cocktail bar at the back of the aircraft, being a relatively wide body plane appealed to us!
Worked on these as a mechanic in the early 90,s at FLS Hanger Manchester U. K.
IF I recall it was leased out to Royal Mail.
Hell ofva plane 👍
my most impressive and admirable plane I flew with
I still remember my first journey by plane on Biman Bangladesh Airlines DC-10.
I think Biman was the last passenger operation for the 10. I remember seeing one of her last flights when I was in Dubai several years ago.
I loved flying on the dc-10s was such a great Airline along with the L 1011
If I remember correctly, I flew on an SAS (or Scanair?) DC-10 from Oslo to Miami (or Orlando) as a 7 year old in 1989. I am not sure about the details, but I remember distinctly the aircraft had an engine in the tail, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. 😁
I see CP-2791 all the time here at MIA. Cool sight. Have to get onboard one of these days
Between the ‘80s, the ‘90s and part of the 2000s, my dad flew on business 🧑🏼💼 on DC-10s quite a lot. I only flew on one once back in 1992. A North-west Airlines DC-10 from Glasgow GLA to Boston Logan Airport BOS on a month-long business trip for my dad that year which doubled up as a prolonged summer holiday for my sister Alexandra and I.
Yes I flew a number of times on a DC 10 with Laker Airways to Tunisia & also to the Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport many years ago on a charter trip.
I flew on a northwest orient DC-10 from LAX to Minneapolis in 1981. I was 11 years old and I loved airplanes so I was very excited! During the flight, The captain announced to the passengers that Ronald Reagan had just been wounded in an assassination attempt. What a memorable flight.
Just going off memory, I flew on DC10s with Nigeria Airways, Ghana Airways, British Caledonian, KLM, Lufthansa and Alitalia. There may be one or two others but I don't remember.
BLANK | ALT | HDG SEL | T/O 😂😅
My experience with the KC/DC/MD-10 is unique, but not unheard of. I have never flown in a KC/DC/MD-10, but tanked off of the KC-10's many times during Desert Shield / Desert Storm. I have however been inside of a KC-10 on the runway, preflight.
Cute list. There are 6 KC-10's still in service at Travis AFB in Solono County, California. I see them every day. I spoke to a KC-10 driver this year at CCAS and they anticipate having them thru 2026 or until Boeing can catch up on deliveries.
From a passengers POV the DC-10 was a big comfortable airplane
From a native of NYC's POV the fact that the DC-10 designed to fly out of LGA was a huge plus in the aircraft's favor
Flew on a rare Canadian DC10 30ER from Honolulu- Vancouver in 1995-- I believe Swissair were the only other airline to have this variation of DC10 30. Flight hours achieved by these last DC10s would have been interesting information
The DC's •DC10 & DC11• are dead-on wonderful. i haven't seen those in probably for yrs they're new & up to date now.
What is the technological difference between a MD-10 from a MD-11?
The MD-10 is basically a DC-10 with a glass cockpit. Also, it can be operated with a two-person crew (no flight engineer needed). The MD-11 is a new aircraft (albeit based on the DC-10). It’s stretched, has a new wing and updated engines.
@@alexanderg2433also a new vertical stabilizer if I’m not mistaken
The MD-10 is basically a DC-10 with the technology of an MD-11. Physical differences include new wings (split and canted winglets on the ends) and new engines on the MD-11, as well as a stretched fuselage with a different tail area.
higher mtogw, assymetric airfoil horizontal stabilizer, tail fuel, tail fuel management system to reduce trim drag, special wing trailing edge treatments, brake temp sensors, electrical distribution differences. the MD-10 glass cockpit utilized flat panels instead of CRTs (MD-11) and therefore different architecture for the avionics. there were differences in how the automation of some of the systems too.
@@Craigkenyon-yc3tk I would have expected the MD-11s to come from factory back then with CRTs indeed, and the conversion to LCDs on the MD-10s makes sense. This begs the question, if MD-11s are getting converted to LCDs as well whenever a display replacement is necessary?
As a kid in the early 2000’s, I got to fly in a Northwest Airlines DC-10 on their MSP to LAX route
I once flew a DC-10 DTW-HNL. Good, long journey. Also MSP-AMS.
I flew as a child on a Northwest Airlines DC-10, in early 2001 or 2002, from London to Detroit.
I once flew on a Northwest Airlines DC10 from Minneapolis St Paul to Seattle, it was a night flight I was in the middle row, a bit scary!
You can still fly on a trijet today, it’s just a lot harder than it was a couple decades back! Air Koryo still operates the TU-154 on occasional charters for tourists to the hermit kingdom :)
Shame to see the DC-10s go.Lovely aircraft!
I flew on a MD10 with my travel. Loved it.
I think my last flights aboard DC-10s were in 2006. I remember one particular ride from MEM to AMS aboard a Northwest DC-10 on its final or next-to-final revenue flight for the airline. Some of the interior panels and non-critical equipment had already been removed. As a passenger, the DC-10 was fine, but I preferred the A330s that replaced them.
WOW!! I’m old enough that I flew on them in 80’s as a passenger, then flew them and worked them for Fed Ex in the 90’ & 00’s.
Had a short ride in one years ago. I remember it as BIG!
I actually know someone who has taken a flight from St. Louis Lambert to London. At the time (I said goodbye at the airport) I thought it was a flight that couldn’t possibly make the airline consistent profit, yet it existed.
I did this 5 times. 747 and 767.
At least there’s still some DC-10s still flying even in 2024 🥹🤧
If I was a plane I’d be on the older side, being almost 32 lol 😂🥹
I flew on a Northwest DC10 from ORD to BOS and we went to FL410 to fly over thunderstorms.
Sadly the first time I learned about the DC10 was regarding the crash at Chicago international. American Airlines Flight 191, and learned it was ultimately the crash that ended the carrier of the plane as a Commercial Jetliner
I’ve flown on DC-10s from Premiair, Scanair, and United as far as I know. The Unitedreturn flight was the most rememberable since we had an engine failure in the tail mounted engine and had to turn back to LAX. Some 3 or 4 weeks later a DC-10 from United crashed after a catastrophic failure to the tail mounted engine and despite remarkable airmanship with a severely crippled plane about half of the passengers and crew perished in flames at landing. I see this as the accident I nearly escaped. I’m 100% sure it was the same aircraft. There is a Mayday episode on this fatal crash. This was in 1989.
7:43
FedEx 705 cameo!
This is sad !
This is my sons favorit plane and the first one he was ever a passenger on, flying from Copenhagen to Larnaca and showing a lot of knoledge acording to the flight engineers and the captain onboard and at the same time pretty impressive as he was only 5 years old.
But the sad part for me is the this type of aircraft is the most comfortable plane I have ever been in.
Not alot of noice inside and pretty good leg- and headroom and the smooth landings and take-offs I will always remember with a smile and a warm feeling.
I just saw Tab air cargo md-10 in Manaus-Brazil(SBEG) airport last week. It became a frequeently apearance. Such a beatyfull machine
Thanks.
The one that’s parked in panamá, has been there for a few months it suppose to enter in service soon but i don’t have further news
I left Hawaii in February 1997 flying on a Hawaiian Airlines DC10 from HNL to PHX to start my "adult life". Failed and came back Home to Hawaii on a Continental Airlines DC10 from Newark, NJ to HNL in December 1998. I believe it was Continental Flight 10. 11 hour Non-stop flight!
Notice that there is no model 20. When the DC 10-10 was new, Northwest Airlines contracted to get MD's proposed international version. Initially it was to be a DC10-20. Northwest specific PW JT-9 engines though instead of the normal GE CF6 because their 747's used the same basic engine. Also, the contract stipulated that Northwest would have the "latest version''. Then MD designed an international version with the CF6 engines and called it the DC10-30. Because of Northwest's contract their version was relabeled as the D10-40.
Yes a few times once with Garuda Indonesia in 1994 HKG-DPS &
Again in January of 1997 with United Airlines from DEN-LAX the latter being an equipment upgrade because of the Christmas holiday season.
Although I might have very well flown on the DC-10 more times than that as I did travel by air alot in the USA as a infant/toddler with my parents while on holiday back in the 1980's.
The Omega tankers are ex KLu KDC 10 air tankers. They were ex Martinair DC 10’s converted to tanker’s for the Dutch Airforce.
Technically, FedEx's upgrades from DC-10 to MD-10 was more tha just glass cockpit, it was to bring cockpit commonality with the MD-11 which fedEx also had in its fleet.
Mostly flew United DC-10’s LAX-BOS. The TWA L-1011’s were very noisy back in steerage
I must say if you’re considering to go to Miami for the TAB DC10 I must say it arrives and departs very late at night
How about the MD-11 plane? I saw one three engine plane alike MD-11 in the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport last week operated by fed-ex. Does anyone know?