Adipasquale wrote:

Sorry if I'm bumping up an old thread, but I thought it would be better than starting a new one. I was wondering if anyone has any more info on FX's MD-10 fleet plan. Per planespotters.net, the last retirement took place about a year and a half ago. Are they still planning to retire them as they come up on their heavy checks, or has FX seen fit to keep the old girls flying on a bit longer?

Adipasquale wrote:

Sorry if I'm bumping up an old thread, but I thought it would be better than starting a new one. I was wondering if anyone has any more info on FX's MD-10 fleet plan. Per planespotters.net, the last retirement took place about a year and a half ago. Are they still planning to retire them as they come up on their heavy checks, or has FX seen fit to keep the old girls flying on a bit longer?

nikeherc wrote:

Quoting ltbewr (Reply 29):
It says a lot about the original design, over-engineering and quality of MX by FedEx that these DC/MD-10's are still in daily use for decades.
I would say that, structurally and functionally, the DC-10 was over engineered. The engineering for some systems was probably deficient. Namely all three hydraulic systems were routed throug a small area near the center engine and there was no interlock to prevent asymmetric operations of the leading edge slats. Also, the floor vent system was inadequate as was the cargo door locking system. These four design issues led to three of the most notorious airline accidents in history, ruined the reputation of the DC-10 for a long time and killed its sales.

I hate to say this because I always preferred Douglas aircraft and the DC-10 was one of my favorite planes on which to travel. I am also one of the few people on this forum who thought that the DC-10 was better looking than the L-1011.

Tan Flyr wrote:

nikeherc wrote:

Quoting ltbewr (Reply 29):
It says a lot about the original design, over-engineering and quality of MX by FedEx that these DC/MD-10's are still in daily use for decades.
I would say that, structurally and functionally, the DC-10 was over engineered. The engineering for some systems was probably deficient. Namely all three hydraulic systems were routed throug a small area near the center engine and there was no interlock to prevent asymmetric operations of the leading edge slats. Also, the floor vent system was inadequate as was the cargo door locking system. These four design issues led to three of the most notorious airline accidents in history, ruined the reputation of the DC-10 for a long time and killed its sales.

I hate to say this because I always preferred Douglas aircraft and the DC-10 was one of my favorite planes on which to travel. I am also one of the few people on this forum who thought that the DC-10 was better looking than the L-1011.

The DC 10 , in many ways, NOT ALL< was over engineered..as were all Douglas products. Perhaps the term "over built" might be more descriptive.The guys in Long Beach built more "utility" into their designs. Hence, the reason so many DC8 stretches (of all types) lived longer lives as cargo haulers for UPS, ATI and dozens of others, while the 707's were parted out for the USAF. The same I believe can be said for the DC 10, more possible "utility Life" designed overall.

And I agree, the DC10 was a better looking aircraft than the L-1011. And the stretch 8 in flight was a true beauty!

Spacepope wrote:

Adipasquale wrote:

Sorry if I'm bumping up an old thread, but I thought it would be better than starting a new one. I was wondering if anyone has any more info on FX's MD-10 fleet plan. Per planespotters.net, the last retirement took place about a year and a half ago. Are they still planning to retire them as they come up on their heavy checks, or has FX seen fit to keep the old girls flying on a bit longer?

I saw a MD-10 headed to VCV a few weeks ago on Flightaware under a ferry number, but I'm not sure if it was for retirement or paint.

Interestingly enough checking the SDRs on a few active frames, it seems that several have undergone a heavy check recently so they may run some till Fedex runs out of engines (specifically as they are the last operator of the oddball CF-6-6 for the MD-10-10 fleet).

Goodyear wrote:

N365FE still flying. In the air right now actually.

Spacepope wrote:

As for the DC-10, FedEx retired a lot of the fleet at around 80,000 hours and very few of the current fleet have much more than 100,000 hours on them. NW had some with over 125,000 at retirement. Decent, but the 767 is certified for 160,000 hours and I don't think people will consider that overbuilt.

Adipasquale wrote:

Goodyear wrote:

N365FE still flying. In the air right now actually.

I have a FR24 alert on this bird, it's just so damn awesome she's still flying after all these years! To think where commercial aviation was when she entered service with UA to where it is now, while she's dutifully hauling packages for FX is just amazing!

Blimpie wrote:

Caught N358FE coming in to BWI this past Sunday. I'll be honest, I swear FlightRadar24 listed this as a DC-10.

After seeing some of the comments on here, I Googled the N358FE and got a mixed of hits. Some saying DC-10-10F and others saying it is an MD-10-10F.

Quite honestly, it seems like semantics to me, and just glad I caught it.

iahcsr wrote:

Wonder if any of FE first DC/MD-10s, which they bought from CO, are still flying? They didn’t change the reg#s N68049-056... IIRC 055 was a W/O a few years ago.

iahcsr wrote:

Wonder if any of FE first DC/MD-10s, which they bought from CO, are still flying? They didn’t change the reg#s N68049-056... IIRC 055 was a W/O a few years ago.

thewizbizman wrote:

Besides all the talk but personally I think N306FE should be preserved or put in a museum. It was the aircraft involved in the FDX705 incident. The history of that aircraft is so rich and the importance of it is so high. It shows the dedication of flight crews around the world to their profession and the industry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_E ... Flight_705

lifecomm wrote:

thewizbizman wrote:

Besides all the talk but personally I think N306FE should be preserved or put in a museum. It was the aircraft involved in the FDX705 incident. The history of that aircraft is so rich and the importance of it is so high. It shows the dedication of flight crews around the world to their profession and the industry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_E ... Flight_705

Wow! FDX705, what a story!

P3D - Fight For Your Life (Federal Express Flight 705)

I searched the forums, but your reference is all I found. Truly amazing. I wonder what the $800K damage was - internal?