Originally Posted by Bucking Bar

Hearing MD10 and MD-11

30 years after the original design is a sweet spot for working out the post-certification post production probelems via line test flying and re-engineering via emergency airworthiness directives and service difficulty reports on Douglas aircraft.

Besides, there are plenty of spare parts and the hydraulics that work so poorly on the MD88 are DC-10/MD-11 parts to begin with, so we have instant fleet commonality.

In related news, the Trainer PA facility is being re rigged to produce hydraulic fluid.