American Airlines DC-10
Aug 8, 2022, 7:03 pm
#1
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American Airlines DC-10
Last Friday was August 5th. 51 years ago, on August 5, 1971, American Airlines first scheduled flight of a DC-10 was flown.
Does anyone remember when the DC-10 was used from LaGuardia to O'Hare? I have a probable data point that it was used in December 1972. Likely, it was used months earlier, maybe even fall 1971?
Does anyone remember when the DC-10 was used from LaGuardia to O'Hare? I have a probable data point that it was used in December 1972. Likely, it was used months earlier, maybe even fall 1971?
Aug 8, 2022, 8:36 pm
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Don't know the earliest date, but it was flying LGA-ORD/BOS/BUF/YYZ in 1974:
AA120174p24
(I flew it on a SYR-ORD-LAX through-flight (and return) in January, 1976.)
AA120174p24
(I flew it on a SYR-ORD-LAX through-flight (and return) in January, 1976.)
Last edited by guv1976; Aug 8, 2022 at 9:09 pm
Aug 9, 2022, 5:37 am
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Don't know the earliest date, but it was flying LGA-ORD/BOS/BUF/YYZ in 1974:
AA120174p24
(I flew it on a SYR-ORD-LAX through-flight (and return) in January, 1976.)
AA120174p24
(I flew it on a SYR-ORD-LAX through-flight (and return) in January, 1976.)
Aug 9, 2022, 7:12 am
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According to airfleets.net, the Air Force still has quite a few (flying as KC10).
They had their time, but let's be honest - today's modern jets are light years ahead in terms of technology, efficiency, safety and comfort. It's nice to remember these tri-engined workhorses like the DC10 and L1011 though. I just loved the stethescope style earphones you'd plug into an air port to get audio being transmitted pneumatically in order to listen the movie on the big screen projected 15 rows ahead of me with washed out colors. I enjoyed such a trip as recent as 1996 to London, and another from Hawaii to Tahiti in 2001. Good times...
They had their time, but let's be honest - today's modern jets are light years ahead in terms of technology, efficiency, safety and comfort. It's nice to remember these tri-engined workhorses like the DC10 and L1011 though. I just loved the stethescope style earphones you'd plug into an air port to get audio being transmitted pneumatically in order to listen the movie on the big screen projected 15 rows ahead of me with washed out colors. I enjoyed such a trip as recent as 1996 to London, and another from Hawaii to Tahiti in 2001. Good times...
Last edited by PHL; Aug 9, 2022 at 7:18 am
Aug 9, 2022, 7:49 am
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Aug 9, 2022, 7:55 am
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Aug 9, 2022, 10:24 am
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Aug 9, 2022, 10:34 am
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N304FE, 44 years old, is still daily into Memphis for FedEx. Now in 1971, if a cargo aircraft 44 years old, built in 1929, had been still doing transcontinental runs, it would have been thought extraordinary.
Aug 9, 2022, 11:37 am
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I was too young, but have read many stories about the early years of the DC10 and bad press it received, particularly after that 1978 crash of AA191. The attention and press coverage about the model reminds me of the recent coverage of the 737 MAX.
Unfortunately, 191's accident was due to mechanics not following documented maintenance when attaching an engine to the plane. Considering the model was still being flown in US airlines until the early 2000's, I'd say it lived a good life flying 30+ years for some.
Unfortunately, 191's accident was due to mechanics not following documented maintenance when attaching an engine to the plane. Considering the model was still being flown in US airlines until the early 2000's, I'd say it lived a good life flying 30+ years for some.