UNCOMMON
DC10

McDonnell Douglas DC-10

The Ten

Three engines, two tragedies, one complicated legacy.

McDonnell Douglas · commercial

McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Length
182 ft 3 in
Wingspan
155 ft 4 in
Max speed
473 kts
Range
5,750 nmi
Ceiling
42,000 ft
Engines
3x CF6-50 / JT9D
Crew
3
Max passengers
380
Typical config
270 (3-class)
Built
446

The DC-10 had a rocky start — cargo door failures and crashes. But it matured into a reliable workhorse. Many still fly as freighters and tankers.

Fun fact

The DC-10 was the first widebody to feature three engines — one on each wing and one in the tail.

How to spot one

Three engines: two under wings, one integrated into the vertical tail. Different from MD-11's tail engine mount.

Crews call it
The Ten
Sounds like
Three high-bypass turbofans create a wall of 1970s jet noise

Related

One might be overhead right now.

Bogey turns the The Ten from a dot in the sky into a card in your logbook. Coming to iOS and Android.

Get Bogey