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The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, by American Airlines.

The trijet has two turbofans on underwing pylons and a third one at the base of the vertical stabilizer. The twin-aisle layout has a typical seating for 270 in two classes. The initial DC-10-10 had a 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) range for transcontinental flights. The DC-10-15 had more powerful engines for hot and high airports. The DC-10-30 and −40 models (with a third main landing gear leg to support higher weights) each had intercontinental ranges of up to 5,200 nmi (9,600 km). The KC-10 Extender (based on the DC-10-30) is a tanker aircraft operated primarily by the United States Air Force.

Layout

The 3-4-3 (left) and 2-5-2 (right) seating configuration

Following an unsuccessful proposal for the United States Air Force 's CX-HLS (Heavy Logistics System) in 1965, Douglas Aircraft began design studies based on its CX-HLS submission. The aviation author John H. Fielder notes that the company was under competitive pressure to produce a widebody aircraft, having been somewhat slow in the previous decade to introduce its first jetliners . In 1966, American Airlines offered a specification to manufacturers for a widebody aircraft that was smaller than the Boeing 747 yet capable of flying similar long-range routes from airports with shorter runways; this specification would be highly influential in the design of what would become the DC-10. It would become McDonnell Douglas's first commercial airliner after the merger between McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967

Douglas Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Trijet

General Info

Crew3Passengers255 - 270, max. 380)

Wing Span	50,41 m	165 ft 5 in
Wing Area	367,7 m²	3958 ft²
Length	55,50 m	182 ft 1 in
Height	17,70 m	58 ft 1 in

Empty Weight	121.200 kg	267.200 lbs
max. Takeoff Weight	263.084 kg	580.000 lbs

Powerplant

Propulsion	3 Turbofan Engines
Engine Model	General Electric CF6-50C
Engine Power (each)	226,0 kN	50800 lbf

alternative Engine Variant
Engine Model	Pratt & Whitney JT9D-20
Engine Power (each)	219,7 kN	49400 lbf

Performance

Maximum speed: 322 mph (518 km/h, 280 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Cruise speed: 198 mph (319 km/h,
Range: 1,316 mi (2,118 km, 1,144 nmi)
Service ceiling: 28,500 ft (8,700 m)
Rate of climb: 2,850 ft/min (14.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 46.6 lb/sq ft (228 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.149 hp/lb (0.245 kW/kg)

Aircraft of comparable role

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The KC-10 Extender is a military version of the DC-10-30CF for aerial refueling. The aircraft was ordered by the U.S. Air Force and delivered from 1981 to 1988. A total of 60 were built.[69] These aircraft are powered exclusively by General Electric CF6 turbofan engines.

McDonnell Douglas
DC-10 Trijet

A long-range model and the most common model produced. It was built with General Electric CF6-50 turbofan engines, with larger fuel tanks and a larger wingspan.

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The DC-10 is capable of performing all-weather operations, a function that many preceding jetliners had been incapable of.

NcDonnell Douglas
DC-10-30 Wide-body

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Trijet

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History
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Trijet