Brief Details of the Orbis MD-10 Flying Hospital
Published on March 2022
The McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 is an iconic, three-engine wide-body transport designed to compete against the Boeing 747. The DC-10 first flew on August 29, 1970. American Airlines made the first commercial flight in August 1971 and the last passenger commercial flight was in February 2014. Production ended in 1989, with 386 delivered, plus 60 KC-10 “Extender” air refueling aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. Many cargo airlines, including FedEx, continue to operate the McDonnell-Douglas jets today. When Boeing bought McDonnell-Douglas, many DC-10s were upgraded to the MD-10 standard. The most important aspect of that upgrade was a glass cockpit which eliminated the need for a flight engineer. Here’s a brief glimpse at this hardworking machine.
