747400sp From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3301 posts, RR: 2 Posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 4303 times:
Back in the 80's, I was shock to see a DC10 in Delta livery. After flying to Dallas and Chicago on an AA DC10 then flying home on a DL L1011, it was a intreating treat to see a DL DC10, I believe it was landing. It got me to thinking about an AA L1011, LOL. Around the same time I saw seeing Eastern DC10s. Now I wonder, how was it like, to fly on these odd ball DC10s?
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21488 posts, RR: 24 Reply 2, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 4144 times:
Quoting 747400sp (Thread starter): Now I wonder, how was it like, to fly on these odd ball DC10s?
The only DC-10s DL operated in the 1980s would have been the 9 DC-10-10s inherited from the 1987 Western merger. They were all disposed of by 1989. Most only operated for a year or so.
DL also leased 5 DC-10-10s from UA between 1972/73 and 1975. They were delivered directly to DL from the production line. They were acquired as insurance since the L-1011 program was in serious trouble then and there was a major risk that DL's L-1011s wouldn't be delivered on time when both Lockheed and Rolls-Royce had to be bailed out by their governments.
Tan Flyr From United States of America, joined Aug 2000, 1847 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 4057 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 2): The only DC-10s DL operated in the 1980s would have been the 9 DC-10-10s inherited from the 1987 Western merger. They were all disposed of by 1989. Most only operated for a year or so.
IIRC, some if not all were sold to or leased to AA. maybe an ex-WA ( or an AA) employee remembers for sure.
Been there too, DTW to AMS back in 1999. 14 years old, just old enough not to bother with flying UM, and ending up in the middle seat, between to Italian couples, all of whom were pretty hammered and kept drinking for the entire flight. Worst 7 hrs on a plane ever.
Cheers
Mats
Sure, we're concerned for our lives. Just not as concerned as saving 9 bucks on a roundtrip to Ft. Myers.
junction From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 766 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 4015 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 2): The only DC-10s DL operated in the 1980s would have been the 9 DC-10-10s inherited from the 1987 Western merger.
Never flew on any of those DC-10s when they were in DL livery, but flew many times when they were still Western. They had the old wall projection movie screens.
I think DL mostly only based them out of LAX and SLC to Hawaii and Alaska just as Western did. Interesting you saw one at DFW.
skymiler From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 469 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 20 hours ago) and read 3894 times:
Only caught the DC-10 once and I was in a window, so the 2-5-2 did not matter.
The MD-11's were great, espcially up front. They used to do ATL -> DFW early evening on a continuation from somewhere in Europe, and also PDX -> ATL as a continuation of a flight from NRT, IIRC.
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21488 posts, RR: 24 Reply 7, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3770 times:
Quoting Tan Flyr (Reply 3): Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 2):
The only DC-10s DL operated in the 1980s would have been the 9 DC-10-10s inherited from the 1987 Western merger. They were all disposed of by 1989. Most only operated for a year or so.
IIRC, some if not all were sold to or leased to AA. maybe an ex-WA ( or an AA) employee remembers for sure.
A few went to AA but at least one each went to United, World Airways and Mexicana, and a couple fo Scanair, the charter carrier affiliated with SAS. Western had also disposed of a few DC-10s before the DL merger.
Probably like any other aircraft of that time... very smoky, with a movie projected in truly horrifying quality onto the screen at each bulkhead, and with nasty stained white headrest covers.
I don't miss "the good old days" one bit ...
Most gorgeous aircraft: Tu-204-300, 757-200, A330-200, 777-200LR, 787-8
seabosdca From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 4277 posts, RR: 4 Reply 10, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3646 times:
B777LRF From Luxembourg, joined Nov 2008, 1007 posts, RR: 3 Reply 11, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3607 times:
Think you're missing the point there Viscount - it's not smoke from the engines that seem to have bothered seabosdca, but rather the smoke exhaled by passengers as they were marrily puffing away on their Marlboro's.
As luck would have it, smoking is still very much practiced on cargo carrying airliners; one more reason why I count my blessings, having made the move from the horrible world of SLF carrying to the much more dignified position of hauling boxes for a living.
As for flying on the DC-10, well, it was a first generation wide-body and that made it a novel experience the first time or two. At the end of the day, however, it's just another aluminium tube stuffed with people you wouldn't usually associate with.
From receips and radials over straight pipes to big fans - been there, done that, got the hearing defects to prove
UAL747 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 12, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3565 times:
Quoting skymiler (Reply 6): The MD-11's were great, espcially up front. They used to do ATL -> DFW early evening on a continuation from somewhere in Europe, and also PDX -> ATL as a continuation of a flight from NRT, IIRC.
Yes, I've flown this flight. It was my first and only time to fly on the MD-11. I'm quickly losing ANY chance of flying one again.
Quoting 2H4 (Reply 1): I remember flying transatlantic in a NW DC-10. The seats were set up in a 2-5-2 arrangement. I was stuck in the very middle seat, and it was hell.
My first transatlantic flight was on a NW DC-10-40. Something odd about the -40. It has an almost identical #2 engine inlet to the MD-11, to allow more airflow into the inlet. You'll notice on the -40 the front is bubbled up more whereas the DC-10-10/30's are straight. Anyway, I listened to the Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto over and over on my portable CD player the entire night from DTW-CDG. Whenever I hear that piece of music, I'm always reminded of that flight and on the return, I listened to Alanis Morrisette's "Jagged Little Pill" CD the entire way back. "You live, You learn."
Another oddball was the BA DC-10's, at least in today's terms. I flew on a BA DC-10-30 from DFW-LGW in 1998, and was on the first 777 BA flight back to DFW the next week. In fact, I think it was the first revenue 777 flight DFW had ever seen. Rego was G-VIIK.
All that said, I really miss tri-jets. I believe that the MD-11 is probably one of the finest looking aircraft out there, and it looked SO sexy in AA's livery.
DeltaCTO From United States of America, joined Mar 2009, 279 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3480 times:
Quoting skymiler (Reply 6): The MD-11's were great, espcially up front. They used to do ATL -> DFW early evening on a continuation from somewhere in Europe, and also PDX -> ATL as a continuation of a flight from NRT, IIRC.
747400sp From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3301 posts, RR: 2 Reply 15, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 3421 times:
Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 9): The early widebodies weren't smoky. That problem had largely been solved before the 747, DC-10 and L-1011 went into service.
747-100s with JT9-3As, was smoky. I seen photos and video that would prove me right.
seabosdca From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 4277 posts, RR: 4 Reply 16, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 3389 times:
Same experience here. NW DC10 EWR-AMS middle seat, sitting next to a 350lbs Russian. After getting permission from the FA's I spent the 7 hours of so standing up by the lav's listening to my ipod until landing, no meals or nothing! Thanks ipod!
L1011 From United States of America, joined May 1999, 1583 posts, RR: 10 Reply 19, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 3194 times:
I flew on a Delta DC-10-10 on 8/15/88. It was aircraft N915WA. It had blue leather seats in first class, which was where I sat, and it had Western Airlines seats in coach in a 2-5-2 arrangement. I flew from ATL to LAX on it and I flew back on a Delta L-1011. The DC-10 was a very comfortable and clean aircraft. It didn't appear smoky to me. I remember that for the meal service, the flight attendant asked me how I wanted my steak cooked. It was a very memorable flight.
tommy767 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 6173 posts, RR: 9 Reply 20, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 3095 times:
Quoting TK787 (Reply 17): Same experience here. NW DC10 EWR-AMS middle seat, sitting next to a 350lbs Russian. After getting permission from the FA's I spent the 7 hours of so standing up by the lav's listening to my ipod until landing, no meals or nothing! Thanks ipod!
Geez! How was that even legal? LOL!
"Folks that's the news and I'm outta here!" -- Dennis Miller
milesrich From United States of America, joined Jul 2003, 1855 posts, RR: 7 Reply 21, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 3042 times:
I flew on the original five aircraft a few times, all in coach. The seating was 2-4-2 with plenty of legroom. As I remember, the seats were done in the pastels that the L-1011's had originally. The (UA) Delta Tens were comfortable airplanes. I also flew on those aircraft after they were returned to United. I flew on Western DC-10 "Spaceships" numerous times, including a HNL-LAX-MSP WA 500 two or three times, and twice on those airplanes after the Delta merger. As was posted above, seating was 2-5-2 and they were comfortable. Considering Delta's long term relationship with Douglas, and their lack of one with Lockheed other than the L-100 Hercules Freighters, it really is sort of surprising that they followed EA and TW and purchased the L-1011. But they did, were more committed to that aircraft than any other carrier, operated more of them than any other carrier, and I think, operated them longer than any other carrier. Even though they traded some aircraft into Boeing on the 737-232 lease deal, (that is where some of TZ's came from, they then later purchased quite a few used L-10's in the market, more often than not a bargain prices. When they sold off WA's fleet, they probably got good money for them, and didn't want an oddball aircraft with only nine examples in the fleet.
747400sp From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3301 posts, RR: 2 Reply 22, posted (3 years 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2870 times:
Quoting milesrich (Reply 21): Considering Delta's long term relationship with Douglas, and their lack of one with Lockheed other than the L-100 Hercules Freighters, it really is sort of surprising that they followed EA and WA Transworld Airlines (USA)">TW and purchased the L-1011. But they did, were more committed to that aircraft than any other carrier, operated more of them than any other carrier, and I think, operated them longer than any other carrier. Even though they traded some aircraft into Boeing on the 737-232 lease deal, (that is where some of TZ's came from, they then later purchased quite a few used L-10's in the market, more often than not a bargain prices. When they sold off WA's fleet, they probably got good money for them, and didn't want an oddball aircraft with only nine examples in the fleet.
The reason Delta went with the L1011 Tristar, was because Delta had to deal with Douglas delays in the 60's with their DC-8 and DC-9. They did not want to deal with delays again, but they shot them self in the foot, because the L1011 Tristar was very delayed.
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