Editing McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (section)

==Design==
[[File:S2-ACR final flight DC10 BHX FLIGHT BG8 (12706742413).jpg|thumb|The DC-10 has a three-crew cockpit including a [[flight engineer]].]]

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a low-wing [[wide-body aircraft]]. It is sized to conduct medium to long-range flights, offering similar endurance to the larger [[Boeing 747]] yet being able to use shorter runways and thus access airports that it could not.<ref name="kocivar 501"/> Dependent upon configuration, the main cabin can accommodate between 250 and 380 passengers across its main deck. The fuselage is split into two levels, the upper deck is the only one where passenger seating would be present as the smaller lower level is typically used for storage for [[baggage]] and food preparation; elevators are usually present to carry people and carts between the two levels.{{sfn|Endres|1998|pp=36, 46–47}}<ref name="kocivar 501"/> As originally designed, the floor of the main cabin was not strong enough to withstand full pressure differential,<ref name="fielder 8991">{{harvnb|Fielder|Birsch|1992|pp=89–91}}</ref> yet key control lines are routed through this floor, an approach that proved to be a key vulnerability.<ref name="fielder 2390"/>

The DC-10 is a [[trijet]], being powered by three [[turbofan]] engines. Two of these engines are mounted on pylons that attach to the bottom of the wings, while the third engine is encased in a protective banjo-shaped structure that is mounted on the top of the rear fuselage.<ref name="kocivar 501">{{harvnb|Kocivar|1970|pp=50–51}}</ref> In comparison to the first generation of jetliners, these engines generated less noise and were usually smoke-free.<ref name="kocivar 51">{{harvnb|Kocivar|1970|p=51}}</ref> The engines are equipped with [[thrust reversal|thrust reversers]] which reduce the distance required when landing.<ref name="kocivar 50">{{harvnb|Kocivar|1970|p=50}}</ref> Despite being considerably larger, the landing speed of the DC-10 was comparable to that of the contemporary [[Boeing 727]].<ref name="kocivar 52116">{{harvnb|Kocivar|1970|pp=52–116}}</ref>

The primary flight controls of the DC-10 consist of inboard and outboard [[aileron]]s, two-section [[Elevator (aeronautics)|elevator]]s, and a two-section [[rudder]]; the secondary flight controls comprise [[leading edge slat]]s, [[Spoiler (aeronautics)|spoilers]], and a dual-rate movable [[tailplane|horizontal stabilizer]].<ref name="fielder 255">{{harvnb|Fielder|Birsch|1992|p=255}}</ref> The [[vertical stabilizer]] with the rudder is mounted on top of the tail engine banjo while the horizontal stabilizer with its four-segment elevator is attached to the sides of the rear fuselage conventionally. The DC-10 is equipped with retractable [[tricycle landing gear]]. To enable higher gross weights, the later –30 and –40 series have an additional two-wheel main landing gear, which retracts into the center of the fuselage.{{sfn|Endres|1998|pp=36–37, 45}}

The DC-10 is capable of performing all-weather operations, a function that many preceding jetliners had been incapable of.<ref name="kocivar 50"/> From the onset, it could perform takeoffs and landings completely under [[autopilot]]. [[Cassette tape]]s were used to load preprogrammed flight plans into the flight computer.<ref name="kocivar 512">{{harvnb|Kocivar|1970|pp=51–52}}</ref> As originally built, the cockpit was operated by a flight crew of three;<ref name="kocivar 50"/> numerous DC-10s have received a retrofitted [[glass cockpit]] and the Advanced Common Flightdeck, which has "significant commonality" with that of the MD-11, thus eliminating the [[flight engineer]] and permitting the aircraft, re-designated ''MD-10'', to be flown by a flight crew of two.<ref name=MD-10_launch/><ref name="norriswagner 45">{{harvnb|Norris|Wagner|1999|p=45}}</ref> Three independent [[hydraulic]] systems are present.{{sfn|Endres|1998|p=44}} The flight controls actuate many of the flight control surfaces across the airliner via these hydraulic circuits.<ref name="kocivar 51"/> The critical nature of these circuits and their vulnerability to damage in the tail area led to the addition of [[hydraulic fuse]]s to prevent the total loss of fluid.<ref name="fielder 910"/> Power for the hydraulics was derived from primary and reserve engine-driven pumps equipped on each of the three engines. Hydraulic power was required for flight control, there was no provision for reverting to manual flight control inputs.<ref name="fielder 2556">{{harvnb|Fielder|Birsch|1992|pp=255–256}}</ref>