I heard that they are kept certified because they actually come in and do checks on them and its a really big deal, enough to stress all the sim guys out. side note, the kc-10 sims at mcguire are old DC-10-30 sims from American Airlines

No ATP's in the KC-10
 

The KC-10 sims are not certified by the FAA to level D standards so there are no ATP rides in the sim. The regs do allow an FAA examiner on aircraft for the purpose of a type ride but in the -10 there are no abnormal situations practiced in the airplane which equates to no ATP rides in the jet.:(

What do you mean "no abnormal situations practiced in the airplane"? you don't practice emergencies (engine failures, manual gear/flaps, etc.) in the airplane? For us in the -135 that's all we do in the pattern.

AMC is very inconsistant about what it will allow to be done in it's airplanes. As a former C-21 guy, we used to practice engine out (Idle) approaches and abnormal flap settings all the time. We had to. We only went to the sim in Dallas once a year, so the only way for us to train was to actually do the simulated emergencies in the aircraft. Fast forward to the C-17...Like the KC-10 community we don't do anything that resembles an emergency/abnormal in the actual airplane, but we have quaterly 2 day sim training. I'm not sure why the difference in the KC-135.