![]() It boasts an increased range over the DC-10 from 4,000 to 6,000 miles and requires only two flight crew instead of three. The acquisition of the MD-10 allowed for a more flexible platform over its DC-10 predecessor. The actual airframe did not have many hours to its name, but the avionics were outdated and lacked the sophistication of today’s airliners. The DC-10 was not retired due to high hours or cycles but due to the on-board equipment becoming too old and costly to repair. To further expand their global operations, in 2011 Orbis announced the acquisition of an MD-10-30F as the organisation’s third generation Flying Eye Hospital. ![]() With the DC-10’s longer range, the Flying Eye Hospital could fly further to more countries, to aid with combating and preventing blindness. The DC-10, being a wide-bodied aircraft, offered many advantages over its predecessor, giving surgeons and trainees double the working space of the DC-8 and the flexibility to perform complex operations in a larger environment. The DC-10 was re-registered N220AU from its British registration of G-GCAL and spent two years undergoing conversion, flying its first ever mission to Beijing in 1994. With the introduction of the new Flying Eye Hospital, N220RB (DC-8) was retired to the Datangshan Air Museum in Beijing in 1994, in recognition of where the aircraft flew its inaugural mission. This was achieved in November 1991 after generous donor support cleared the way for Orbis to purchase a DC-10-10 from Novair International. Through the introduction of more modern airliners in the late 80s, replacement parts and maintenance support became harder and more expensive to come by for the 30 year old DC-8 and it was clear that the aircraft would need to be replaced. In its first two years of operation, the Orbis DC-8 visited 24 countries and hosted programs to support the hands-on transfer of surgical skills. After conversion into a hospital, the aircraft flew its inaugural mission with Orbis to Panama in 1982. This allowed for a MTOW (maximum takeoff weight) increase, making the aircraft a perfect fit for a flying hospital. ![]() Entering service with United Airlines on 16 June 1960, the aircraft was converted to a DC-8-21 in May 1965 featuring more powerful Pratt & Whitney JT4A-3 engines making the originally fitted water injected JT3C-6 engines redundant. N220RB was the 4th DC-8 off the production line at Long Beach as N8038D, taking its first flight on. ![]() The aircraft in question was a DC-8-21 registered N220RB donated by United Airlines and the oldest DC-8 in their fleet at the time. Agency for International Development (USAID) and funds from a number of private donors which enabled the conversion of a Douglas DC-8 from passenger carrier to fully fledged teaching eye hospital. The first Flying Eye Hospital took flight in 1982 following a grant from the U.S. This partnership is still going strong today. When Orbis was formed, Mr Smith helped Orbis with shipping supplies around the globe and subsequently provided maintenance when the organisation received their DC-10 in the early 1990s. In the 1970s, Albert Lee Ueltschi, one of the founders of Orbis along with business associate Fred Smith (founder of Federal Express) created a partnership. ![]()
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