McDonnell Douglas DC-10. ................................................Specifications
This DC-10, 9Q-CLI a Series 30 of Air Zaire was only seldom to be seen in Europe in this livery. It was bought new from the manufacturer on 08.06.1973 but leased out to other airlines, Sabena of Belgium being a frequent customer, until 1986 when it was acquired by a bank. Being leased back to Air Zaire and finally being bought back again in 1988. The aircraft has been in storage since 1992.
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a first generation wide body “Jumbo” airliner and was born out of the concept for a twin engined “Airbus” with high-bypass-ratio turbofan engines, suitable for high density domestic routes for the American market, long before Airbus Industrie had coined the term "Airbus" for its A300B aircraft.
Intially the design was a response to a request from American Airlines, actually the same specifications which gave birth to the Lockheed Tristar. The aircraft gained an engine at the root of the tail fin as American Airlines wanted to be able to operate it off existing runways. The DC-10 was launched after orders were taken from American Airlines and United Airlines in February 1968, first flying in August 1970 and entering service as the Series 10 with American Airlines in 1971. Initially operating with General Electric CF6-6 engines with a thrust of 40,000 lb, the aircraft has a range of 4,000 miles (6,436 km)
The Series 30, intercontinental version flew for the first time in 1971, with more powerful General Electric CF6-50 engines, larger wing span, extra fuel tanks and higher weights with a subsequent third main under carriage unit with two wheels on the fuselage centre line between the wings. The aircraft has a maxium range of 6,505 miles (12,055 km). An early international user for this series was Air Zaire, the airline of Zaire (now the Republic of Congo); who took delivery of an aircraft in August 1973. In Europe KLM, who also flew the prototype series 30, PH-DTA c/n 46550, and Swissair both took delivery of there first aircraft in 1972.
Further development saw the emergence in the same year of the series 40. Basically this was the same aircraft as the series 30 but, initially with Pratt & Whitney JT9D engines rated at 49,400 lb of thrust and slightly less range, at 6,305 miles (11,685 km). This was the model favoured by airlines such as Northwest Orient and Japan Airlines plying flights between the USA and Japan.
The cargo convertible Freighter range (for short CF) for the series 10,30 and 40 emerged in 1973. This type allows the conversion of the basic passenger configuration into a Cargo aircraft by the removal of seats mounted on “Boeing” type palletes in the main passenger cabin. (a technic first incorporated by Lufthansa in the Boeing 727 in the late 60s). Of this type not many were built being favoured by such airlines as Trans International of the USA and Martinair Holland, both of whom received there orders in 1973.
Like aircraft manufacturers before them MDD, interested in forfilling all customer needs were drawn into the production of a so called “Hot and High” version. The series 15 was launched in 1979 and combined the airframe of the series 10, with special emphasis to the smaller wing span, with the more powerful engines of the 30 to produce an aircraft with greater lift ratio, capable of operation in very hot, humid climates as found in for example South America. Needless to say this very specialized version was utilised by Aeromexico and Mexicana, both of whom received aircraft in 1981. Due to the specialized nature of the type, sales were restricted to these two airlines only.
More lucrative turned out to be the development of the Series 30F from 1984 onwards, for the Parcels delivery giant Federal Express, who started taking delivery in 1986. Although only 12 were delivered to the carrier many other series 10 and 30 passenger models were converted to F standard for the airline and the later conversion of the entire FEDEX fleet to a two flight crew model with head up LCD screens to compley with modern aviation standards, which has become known as the MD-10, was also sound business for MDD (and later for Boeing). Altogether 89 conversions for FEDEX had been delivered by May 2000. Further more FEDEX was also as a result, geared up to fly the MD-11 (later development of the DC-10) and became a major customer for that type as well.
A military version of the DC-10 was also built, the KC-10 "Extender". This aircraft adapted from the series 30CF can fulfil a tanker/cargo role in a unique configuration allowing both rôles to be played by a single aircraft through an on-the-spot quick change similar to that carried out on civil 30CF versions, thus creating a very versatile military aircraft indeed. Altogether 60 were built and delivered. The Royal Netherlands Air force also converted ex DC-10 airliners to a similar standard from Martinair Series 30CF aircraft.
The DC-10s moderate success was over shadowed by a series incidents and fatal accidents in the 1970s which seemed to indicate possible structural problems within the basic air frame. Notably on the 3.3.1974 a THY series 10 crashed near Paris with all loss of life after a Cargo door malfunctioned and immobilized the hydralic system. On the 25.5.1979 a series 10 lossed an engine after take off from Chicago, again with all loss of life. But other catastrophic accidents occurred which can not be deemed to have any structural link what so ever. An Air New Zealand Series 30 crashed on 28.11.1979 after a sight seeing flight over Antartica due to pilot error. Less then up to standard maintenance procedures, which failed to detect metal fatigue on a United Airlines Series 10 caused a crash at Sioux City on 19.071989 in which the aircraft attempted to land with no hydraulic control. The DC-10 was nearly permanently grounded after weeks in which DC-10 fleets were made idle until the cause of such crashes was assitained But the tarnish to its reputation I think, cannot be justified. Many airliners had similar starts to there flying carreers, notably the Lockheed Tristar, the Boeing 747, and more recently the Airbus A320. But the loss of life suffered as a result of the crashes was relatively high and public opinion was against the aircraft.
Despite all of this 446 aircraft were built and delivered by the time of the the production line closure in 1989. Today, the aircraft continues to fly on; over thirty years after its first flight and is considered reliable by those who fly them and those who fly with them.
