DC-10 Projects and Variants

[boxkite]

According to Vaclav Němeček in his book “Civilní letadla 2” the drawing gives an impression of a DC-10 variant, but he didn’t mention a D-… number. Is anyone able to supplement the designation?

 

[TinWing]

According to Vaclav Němeček in his book “Civilní letadla 2” the drawing gives an impression of a DC-10 variant, but he didn’t mention a D-… number. Is anyone able to supplement the designation?

Douglas did plan on a twin jet with a short 747 style upper deck before the later tri-jet DC-10.

The original concept looked very much like this one, although the rear engine placement looks a bit "imaginative."

 

[Orionblamblam]

The original concept looked very much like this one, although the rear engine placement looks a bit "imaginative."

No, that's an actual McD design. A number of the early DC-10 trijet concepts had the aft engine "bisected" by the vertical fin.

 

[Jemiba]

Nevertheless the position of the third engine looks really weird ! I could
understand, if the fin would be on the center line in front of the engine,
but here it looks exacltly, as the engine is offset to the left, because it
covers the upper part of the tail, too. Judging from this profile, I would have
thought it to be a 4 engined aircraft, not a 3 engined . ???

 

[lark]

Dear Boxkite,

It is the DC-10-3 variant in the D-967 family.
A four engined variant DC-10-4 was to become the D-968.

Sources : Airlife's Airliners :4 Mc Donnell- Douglas DC-10 - Günter Endress 1998
: Great Airliners Vol.6 Mc Donnell -Douglas DC-10 - Terry Waddington 2000

 

[boxkite]

Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for your help .

 

[Orionblamblam]

Nevertheless the position of the third engine looks really weird ! I could
understand, if the fin would be on the center line in front of the engine,
but here it looks exacltly, as the engine is offset to the left...

Nope. Three-engined. I suspect they discovered with wind tunnel testing that any sideslip angle, as happens often enough on landing in a crosswind, would have played hell with inlet performance. The purpose in having the fin right smack in the middle of the engine was so that the vertical stabilizer would be strong and light, with the main spar not having to route around the engine. But performance would have been dodgy at times.

 

[Jemiba]

Yeah, it's a 3-engined aircraft, I believe that. But I can't understand, why
the engine was partially buried in the tail, reducing the intake area quite
considerably and not just put atop of the tail, as in the later DC-10.

 

[Orionblamblam]

But I can't understand, why
the engine was partially buried in the tail, reducing the intake area quite
considerably and not just put atop of the tail, as in the later DC-10.

The engine on the DC-10 isn't "atop" the tail, but at the very base of the tail. This means that the structural supports for the vertical stabilizer have to bend *around* the engine and the inlet. This makes them substantially heavier than if they were straight. So McD traded off extra weight for better overall engine performance.

Also keep in mind, in the early days the performance differences were an unknown. As it currently is, the tail engineon the DC-10 has a very long inlet; long inlets lead to a lot of losses through drag. A short inlet, but with a vertical fin in the way, would perform much better under several situations than a long inlet. In short, the early design would ahve weighed less and had better engineperformance in *some* flight conditions, worse engine performance under others.

 

[boxkite]

To stay at the topic here is another DC-10 derivative.

"A more extreme proposal for a DC-10 derivative with an area ruled fuselage, long-chord engine nacelles and a new wing. This was one of many ideas formulated to answer the threat posed by the Boeing 747SP which was eating away at the top end of the DC-10 market."

SOURCE: "McDonnell Douglas MD-11" (Modern Civil Aircraft: 12) by Marriott (pg 17)

As usual, I'm looking for a design number ...

 

[Trident]

An interesting image recently surfaced on airliners.net, a Continental Airlines DC-10-10 with winglets! No, not a MD-11

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Continental-Airlines/McDonnell-Douglas-DC-10-10/1742430/L/

It was however connected to the MD-11 in that it was a test vehicle for that programme:

http://md-eleven.net/MD11-History-Developement

 

[Triton]

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 by Gunter Endres, MBI Publishing Company, 1998 identifies the aircraft as the DC-10-3 from 1967. The book doesn't provide the D- number.

See: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4441.msg75042.html#msg75042

 

[hesham]

Hi,

Model D-967C-209 (DC-10)

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19900019244_1990019244.pdf

 

[circle-5]

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Advanced Airborne Instrumentation System (AAIS).

 

[Hobbes]

A copy of that photo is on eBay with this description:

Douglas US Air Force DC-10 Advanced Airborne Instrumentation System. This configuration was created and marketed to the Japanese as a down range tracking aircraft in the late 1970's.

...
Official Original Douglas Aircraft Company Photo

 

[circle-5]

Factory proposal model of the McDonnell Douglas EC-10, the most popular of several ELINT platform proposals based on the DC-10 Series 10 airframe. There is a factory artist's rendering of this particular design in Terry Waddington's excellent book about the DC-10.

The MDC EC-10 was never built, although the concept of a large electronic warfare and intel platform was later revived as the even larger MDC EC-17, also never built.

 

[hesham]

Amazing Models Circle-5.

 

[Kiltonge]

New to me that MDC proposed tanker conversions to the RAF in 1982:

McDonnell Douglas is offering to convert three DC-10-30CFs from World Airways and one DC-10-30F from Korean Air Lines.

The company points out that the KC-10 has proved the concept of the DC-10 as a tanker, and that the RAF would then enjoy some degree of equipment commonality with the US Air Force.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1982/1982%20-%202699.html

 

[hesham]

Great find Kiltonge.

 

[toura]

Hi all
From an old "aviation magazine"
no more detail !
what is this one ?

 

[hesham]

My dear Toura,


it was called MD CLP as I know,but if it was related to DC-10 or not,I can't tell.

 

[toura]

Thank you Hasan, I know its name
Wait and see.......................

 

[circle-5]

It's the McDonnell Douglas Nation Builder.

 

[toura]

Thanks Circle 5 !
Now I know

 

[Spook]

Factory proposal model of the McDonnell Douglas EC-10, the most popular of several ELINT platform proposals based on the DC-10 Series 10 airframe.

Would you be kind enough to give more information regarding the time-frame of this proposal? and was it for any specific requirements or just a simple proposal from Boeing?! Thanks!

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Hi All -

Interesting item on EPay - a manual for a proposed DC-10 Rivet Joint Program:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-DOUGLAS-MANUAL-DC-10-RIVET-JOINT-PROGRAM-FLIGHT-CREW-TRAINING-MANUAL-/161689917824?hash=item25a5785980

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Good Day All -

A recent donation to our Museum included a number of manufacturer's proposal brochures to United Air Lines, thankfully saved from the dumpster by the donor when he was at the UAL Library doing some research.

This Douglas DC-10B Airport Compatibility brochure, dated October 18, 1967, had the following drawings that are worth sharing in this thread.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Good Day All -

A DC-10 Presentation to United Air Lines Brochure dated February 19, 1969 had the following drawings and data in the presentation. Interesting to see the C-2, C-4 and C-6 included in the presentation which implies some relation to the DC-10.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Mark Nankivil]

And the C-2, C-4 and C-6 design proposals....

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Here you go.... Mark

 

[RavenOne]

Air Force One by Robert F Dorr, just came in the mail to me and he talks about how the DC-10 airframe was considered as replacement airframe for the VC-137 back in the late 70s,

cheers

 

[SAustin16]

The beautiful 1/32 scale DC-10 Air Force One cut-away display model was on display just down the aisle from my office at McD/Boeing Long Beach in 1999. It was still in excellent shape at that time. I always enjoyed studying it when I got the chance. The DC-10's limited internal dimensions and capacity made it easy to see why the 747 was chosen for Air Force One. I hope it's still in one piece somewhere at Boeing.

 

[Boxman]

Posted to YouTube by Periscope Films, "The Ten Takes Flight" (circa ~1970), a McDonnell Douglas film about the first flight of the DC-10 and its development and design.
Periscope Films - THE DC-10 TAKES FLIGHT MCDONNELL DOUGLAS CORPORATION PROMOTIONAL FILM 85114

 

[Triton]

Model of McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Series 30 modified for presidential transport found on Facebook.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

Aviation Week | Aviation Week Search results for: DOUGLAS D- Project

Search the complete Aviation Week archive. Explore every issue we have ever published: find every article, photo, story, interview, pictorial, advertisement, and more.

archive.aviationweek.com

 

[pegasus]

one of my favorite 1970s aircraft, me and my brother used to go to the airport in Mexico City to see it



To be honest I like it as it turned to be, the L-1011 also was and is one of my favorites but it is nice to see all its potential configurations

 

[FXXII]

With respect to the 3 engined version, with the nr 2 engine bisected by the vertical tail, I wonder if Douglas took into account the effect of a lateral gust. The vertical tailplane would in that case act as screen for the leeside of the intake, allowing much less air into the engine on the lee-side. That would result in a loss of power, or even an engine stall. The existing configuration with somwhat more drag would then be prefeable, I would think.

 

[galgot]

one of my favorite 1970s aircraft, me and my brother used to go to the airport in Mexico City to see it

View attachment 615846

To be honest I like it as it turned to be, the L-1011 also was and is one of my favorites but it is nice to see all its potential configurations

I flew lots times on the UTA ones when was a kid.
Even managed to get one big agency model back then . Alas lost now...
Beautiful plane.

 

[GeorgeA]

My very first commercial airplane flight was on an AA DC-10, JFK to LAX. This was in the brief, wondrous period when coach was eight across.

 

[pegasus]

one of my favorite 1970s aircraft, me and my brother used to go to the airport in Mexico City to see it

View attachment 615846

To be honest I like it as it turned to be, the L-1011 also was and is one of my favorites but it is nice to see all its potential configurations

I flew lots times on the UTA ones when was a kid.
Even managed to get one big agency model back then . Alas lost now...
Beautiful plane.

I only flew once on it from Mexico city to Tijuana, when I went to visit my family that lives in the USA, it was a nice experience too, it was around 1986, in the 1980s the DC-10 was the most advanced and the biggest jet we had in Mexico, both Mexicana and Aeromexico operated it





I flew if I am not wrong the DC-10 operated by Mexicana, it was pretty impressive since we flew over Mexico's northwestern part, but I have to confess i liked the Tristar and like more the L-1011 Tristar, but in Mexico they tended to prefer aircraft made by Mcdonnell Douglas in that time