Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Aug 29, 2023 22:13:50 GMT
From world civil aviation.
Another remembrance day today ....
It was on this day .... "AUGUST 29TH 1970" .... the DC-10 first flew from Long Beach, California, USA.
The DC-10 was MDC's first wide-body jetliner (succeeding its narrow-body DC-8 which remained in production until 1972) and its response to BOEING's B747, LOCKHEED's L-1011 TRISTAR, and the A300B of the then burgeoning AIRBUS INDUSTRIE.
During it's debut flight the DC-10 (in SERIES 10 form) was flown to FL300 and accelerated to some 300 KTS. The type received its FAA approval (as the DC-10-10) on July 29th 1971 following its flight testing program during which some 1,551 hours were logged over 929 flights.
AMERICAN AIRLINES was launch customer for the DC-10 and took delivery of it's first aircraft (a SERIES 10) during a dual AMERICAN AIRLINES/UNITED AIRLINES handover ceremony on May 25th 1972. Following this ceremony both aircraft taxied out together on delivery flights to their respective operators. AMERICAN's aircraft departed first .... followed by UNITED's but which was forced to abort its TO, prior to rotation, when the side FD windshield panel opened (it hadn't been properly locked prior to departure) during the aircrafts TO roll.
AMERICAN AIRLINES was first to commence scheduled DC-10 services on August 5th 1971.
An impression of the cost, to MDC, of developing the DC-10 may be appreciated when James S.McDONNELL openly admitted, during the AA/UA handover ceremony press conference, that the DC-10 production break-even number was (then) projected to be around the 438th airframe .... with MDC having invested some 1.5 billion (late 1960's/early 1970's dollars) into development of the aircraft .... and during which time the rival L-1011 TRISTAR was perceived to be the type's primary rival (despite the RR scandal of the period that resulted in delayed development of later versions of the L-1011 which would have contended DC-10 marketing) given the B747 was too large for a lot of operators at the time and AIRBUS INDUSTRIE had yet to be developed into "a force to be reckoned with".
A total of 388 civil DC-10 airframes were produced by MDC between 1970 and 1988 (in respect of both PAX and convertible/freighter aircraft and over 5 "basic" variants covering the DC-10-10, -15, -30, -40, and -40D/I) .... along with 58 KC-10 Tankers for the USAF (among which includes 2 KDC-10 conversions for the RNLAF) and which began entering military service during 1981.
The last commercial DC-10 PAX flights were flown during February 2014 .... operated by BANGLADESH BIMAN AIRLINES ....
Farewell DC-10 Biman Bangladesh (Directors Cut) .... full presentation is hour 20 minutes duration
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMQ_3_zi8Hw
A dwindling number of "very few" now freight configured DC-10's remain in service today with cargo operators around the world. Given the cost of maintenance and jet fuel today the type is no longer economic to operate considering modern civil aviation technology is some 25% to 30% more fuel efficient (a huge difference) .... and airline fiscal balance sheets aren't enhanced by operating nostalgia.
However the type continues to live on within the USAF inventory as the military KC-10 tanker .... some 53 years after the DC-10 first flew.
Sadly, and through irresponsible media coverage throughout the 1970's (although this might, to some extent, have been propagated by media suspicion following events causing the 1972 AA and 1974 TK incident/accident respectively and which publicly exposed developmental failures "on the part of MDC"), the DC-10 did develop an unfavourable reputation "in the public mind" following a close succession of high profile accidents (particularly during 1979). Air accident history records a combination of some 29 DC-10 accidents and incidents since the types 1972 service entry, but, to put these into "proper perspective" aircraft failures account for just 4 of these recorded "major hull losses" but also involved substantial loss of life. The DC-10 .... despite never achieving the production that was anticipated (probably due more to the fiscal limitations of MDC and commercial events associated with civil aircraft development than anything else) .... evolved, over time, to redeem its ill-founded 1970's reputation to become a superb and highly regarded jetliner (more advanced than the B747 during the 70's and into the early 80's) .... "in the minds of most whom both flew and operated these aircraft over a very lengthy duration.
MY BEST MEMORIES OF THE DC-10-30 .... though not my videos ....
Wherever one was seated on a DC-10 the "power whine" of the types GE CF6-50 (DC-10-15/-50) was "particularly more noticeable" than on other period types ....
Crosswind Approach To Landing
youtu.be/aMQ_3_zi8Hw?t=3023
youtu.be/o4C29MF39cA?t=1065
A typical TO
Upon TO one both heard, and felt, the (then) enormous power of the types GE CF6-50 engines .... DC-10-30 again ....
youtu.be/Z8njZIIAmf0?t=146
MY OWN PERSONAL RECORDINGS OF DC-10's IN ACTION AT AKL/NZAA DURING THE 80's AND 90's ....
ALL PHOTOS BY MARK R.CRANSTON
Mark C
AKL/NZ
