I’ve occasionally been asked how to tell the DC-10 and MD-11 apart. This photo guide using World Airways DC-10’s and MD-11’s might prove helpful. World operated DC-10-30’s and MD-11’s in both passenger and freight configuration. World had 2 liveries in its fleet that appeared on both DC-10s and MD-11s, one all white (the old one), and one with the blue tail and red curved stripe (the new one). There were never any DC-10F’s in the new livery. Below are side-by-side comparisons in similar poses of DC-10F’s and MD-11F’s in the old livery, as well as DC-10 and MD-11 passenger airplanes in both the old and new livery. Note that World had other liveries prior to the MD-11 era, which aren’t pictured below.
See if you can spot some of the visible differences between the two aircraft:
- The DC-10 is shorter than the MD-11 by roughly 20 feet (depends on the variant).
- The MD-11 has winglets (the ‘tipped up’ parts at the ends of the wings). The DC-10 does not.
- The DC-10’s horizontal stabilizer (tail) is larger than the MD-11’s.
- The DC-10’s tailcone is rounded, the MD-11’s is squared off (like a flathead screwdriver).
- The DC-10’s lower aft cargo door on the right side is in the wing root fairing. The MD-11’s is aft of the faired area.
- The #2 engine inlet on the MD-11 is larger than on the DC-10.
- DC-10-10 series aircraft (not shown here) do not have center gear. DC-10-30 series and MD-11 aircraft do have center gear.
This column contains DC-10’s. |
This column contains MD-11’s |
 DC-10F on final |
 MD-11F on final |
| Removed prior to public publication per Wim Callaert DC-10F taking off |
 MD-11F taking off |
 DC-10 Passenger on final |
 MD-11 Passenger on final |
 DC-10 Passenger taxiing |
 MD-11 Passenger taxiing |
 DC-10 Passenger new livery on final |
 MD-11 Passenger new livery on final |
 DC-10 Passenger new livery on the ground |
 MD-11 Passenger new livery on the ground |
…
and just for fun, here’s a set of pictures of various World aircraft
crossing the same bridge in Leipzig, Germany. Included below is
N801DE, a former Delta MD-11 in partial Delta colors. It has
since been sold to UPS.
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All of these photos are copyright jetphotos.net and are available in higher resolution versions at jetphotos.net.