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McDonnell Douglas Memorial: DC-10 Airliner Tattoo

Posted on May 26, 2009

I thought it was a good time to change things up a bit after a string of military aircraft. Therefore, I’d like to present a tattoo of one of my favorite heavy airliners, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

First flown in August of 1970, the DC-10 met a specification for a long-haul airliner similar in capacity to the Boeing 747, but capable of operating from shorter runways. In direct competition with the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar which arrived in the market a year later, the DC-10 eventually was able to distinguish itself by finding a second engine supplier (which helped cut costs) and creating a longer range aircraft earlier than the L-1011 series did.

Northwest Airlines was the final operator of the DC-10 in passenger service - with the last DC-10 being retired from service on January 8, 2007. The remaining flyable DC-10 aircraft now fly on as modified cargo aircraft, many with FedEx alongside the MD-11 — the replacement for the DC-10. In fact, most FedEx DC-10’s have been modified to carry the designation MD-10 which allows pilots with MD-11 type ratings to also fly the -10. The upgrade included the upgrade of the cockpit to Advanced Common Flightdeck (ACF) standards which eliminated the flight engineer position as required on most DC-10’s.

This tattoo was passed on to us by the wearer who had a special attachment to the DC-10, Northwest Airlines, and a Captain for the airline:

My Father, a 39-year Northwest Airlines Captain passed away after a four and half year battle with cancer. He has been my greatest inspiration to follow my dreams and take to the sky to leave my own contrails. The DC-10 was his favorite aircraft and I could think of no better way to represent that than on my chest!

With Northwest Airlines being merged with Delta Air Lines in April 2008 and the retirement of the Northwest Airlines brand, it seems this tattoo will also live on as a tribute to the airline his father committed his flying talents to over nearly four decades.

The tattoo was created by artist Eddie at Skin Factory Tattoo in Las Vegas, NV.

Please click on the image above or the link below for a larger image.

Click the above image for the full-size photo.

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