McDonnell Douglas DC-10

The three-engine wide-body DC-10 jetliner created by McDonnell Douglas entered service in 1971 and was supposed to be a smash hit, but a series of accidents caused by design shortcomings made it a controversial aircraft in the eyes of passengers and the industry. Despite these setbacks, 446 were built and it became a pilots’ favourite.

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The DC-10 was a three-engine wide-body jetliner created by McDonnell Douglas, born from a lineage that included the most popular and important propliners of all time, including the DC-3 Dakota and the DC-8 jet (Douglas’ answer to the Boeing 707).

It entered service in 1971 and was supposed to be a smash hit, but a series of accidents that were a result of design shortcomings made it a controversial aircraft in the eyes of passengers and the industry. Despite these setbacks, 446 were built and it became a pilots’ favourite.

The Haynes McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Manual includes the story of the DC-10; a full description of the jet's anatomy and its engines; the pilot's viewpoint of what it was like flying the DC-10; a look at the DC-10's safety record; and the DC-10 'in uniform'. A series of text and photo box-outs also cover the ‘hot rod’ DC-10-15s for Mexicana and Aeromexico; a comparison with its rival the Lockheed L.1011 TriStar; unbuilt variants – the -61, -62, -63; unbuilt orders – Air Force One; last flights with Biman Bangladesh; and finally the DC-10 in popular culture – novels, films, TV commercials. An appendix concludes the DC-10 story with a review of DC-10 specifications.