Last USAF KC-10A Heads For The Boneyard

• Sunday at 9:06 PM

• #1

M

MIflyer

1st Lieutenant

6,851

13,857

May 30, 2011

Cape Canaveral

Last flight on 26 Sep 2024 at Travis AFB. A way to feel old! I recall when I was at Tinker AFB we sent some people out to participate in the KC-10 prototype's test program.

 

• Yesterday at 7:38 AM

• #2

The Stannum Crusader

Airman

82

82

May 20, 2023

Indiana, United States of America

Wow, I think it's funny how long lasting these aircraft can be. We have KC-135's fly over our house almost daily.

 

• Yesterday at 7:56 AM

• Thread starter
• #3

M

MIflyer

1st Lieutenant

6,851

13,857

May 30, 2011

Cape Canaveral

The Stannum Crusader said:

We have KC-135's fly over our house almost daily.

Click to expand...

Yes, and A-7 was a replacement for the A-4 but the A-4 outlived it.

 

• Yesterday at 8:27 AM

• #4

cammerjeff

Staff Sergeant

1,045

2,398

Dec 26, 2006

Belleville MI

Hard to Believe that the design is 43 years old.

It looks like Omega Aerial Refueling Services are still operating Converted DC-10's and the 2 KDC-10's formally of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

 

Last edited: Yesterday at 8:35 AM

• Yesterday at 9:04 AM

• #5

Sabrejet

Senior Airman

349

428

Apr 5, 2023

cammerjeff said:

Hard to Believe that the design is 43 years old.

It looks like Omega Aerial Refueling Services are still operating Converted DC-10's and the 2 KDC-10's formally of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Click to expand...

I make it more like 54 years since first flight.

 

• Yesterday at 9:22 AM

• #6

cammerjeff

Staff Sergeant

1,045

2,398

Dec 26, 2006

Belleville MI

For the DC-10 yes I agree 53 years, but the 1st flight of the KC-10 was 1980, so 43-44 years. The original DC-10 design (DC-10-10) did not have the engine power, or structure to support the weight increases needed for the tanker design, until the DC-10-30 model 1st flew in late 1972, so depending on how you look at it 43-54 year old design. Still hard to believe.

 

• Yesterday at 9:36 AM

• #7

D

Denniss

Tech Sergeant

1,830

1,903

Oct 15, 2006

And the KC-135 AKA Boeing 707 is still flying. Just like the B-52. One of them probably reaches 100 years in service.

 

• Yesterday at 9:46 AM

• #8

S

special ed

2nd Lieutenant

5,361

13,343

May 13, 2018

The DC-3 still flies while replacements not so much, Convair's 240-340 C-131, Martin's 404, and others world wide. I have seen the antiques working after hurricanes, some with WW2 insignia, since Katrina still bringing supplies.

 

• Yesterday at 2:45 PM

• #9

GTX

Colonel

14,039

47,571

Dec 18, 2015

Final KC-10 Extender Tanker Flies Into Retirement

The flight from Travis Air Force Base in California will bring down the curtain on a 43-year career for the trijet KC-10 Extender tanker-transport. The flight from Travis Air Force Base in California will bring down the curtain on a 43-year career for the trijet KC-10 Extender tanker-transport.

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