McDonnell Douglas DC10

McDonnell Douglas DC-10; Historic Commercial Aircraft Series

McDonnell Douglas was formed in 1967 when the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, the company that produced the F-4 Phantom supersonic fighter and the Mercury and Gemini space capsules, bought the 47-year-old Douglas Aircraft Company. Douglas’s DC-10 design competed directly with Lockheed to produce an aircraft capable of operating from standard-length runways.

Powered by General Electric CF6-D turbofan engines and produced in a multi-company manufacturing agreement with Convair and Aeritalia, the DC-10 first flew in 1972. It is operated by a crew of three and has a basic range of 3,800 miles (6,116km) with a service ceiling of 42,000ft (12,802m). In total, 386 examples were built between 1970 and 1988. Of the commercial variants, the Series 10 is a short- to medium-haul version for domestic routes, whereas the long-range -30 and -40 versions are for extended-range and intercontinental travel. Depending on the cabin arrangement, 202–390 passengers can be carried. There have also been freighter versions and subsequent conversions, with 60 air-refuelling tankers built for the United States Air Force as the KC-10A Extender.

Containing more than 180 unique, rare and previously unseen photos from across the globe, this book is testimony to the DC-10’s versatility as a sophisticated wide-bodied jet that can fly global routes.

Author: Ron Mak

96 pages, paperback