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Airline / Aircraft Location and Date Photographer
American Airlines
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
 Cleveland - Hopkins International (CLE/KCLE)
USA - Ohio, May 14, 1972		 Kenneth Koehn
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Registration/Serial No. | Remarks & Notes
N103AA (cn 46503) With quite a bit of fanfare, the stairway is being positioned next to the first AA DC-10 to arrive in CLE, 5/14/72. From my personal collection.


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NwFedEx 757 July 9, 2013 at 05:39PM Rating: 10
Very cool photo......how times have changed...I don't recall this one but remember a lot of American DC-10s back in the day. I did watch the first Northwest DC-10 that came into CLE...remember the American 747S here?

Chuck Slusarczyk Jr. July 9, 2013 at 02:56AM Rating: 10
Okay, well that makes me feel better! My Dad worked at NASA at the time and was/is an aviation geek himself. We went to the airport all the time to watch planes but we usually just parked against the fence on Brookpark Rd. which was allowed at the time. I remember this day as being something special and we actually went inside to the observation deck to see this, and I do seem to recall that it was United. Gosh...if March 1972 is the accurate date, then I would have been all of ten years old! I DO recall that it was a runway 23 arrival and that I was disappointed that it was dark! LOL

Kenneth Koehn July 9, 2013 at 02:21AM Rating: 10
Chuck- you may indeed have seen the first DC-10 at CLE in the dark prior to this one- I think UA beat AA with DC-10 service to CLE. In fact, I have a UA DC-10 photo to post from March of 1972 at CLE, 2months before this one. If you were observing on concourse C, that would have been United. I think NW brought their DC-10-40's in later that year. My understanding of the photo was this was AA's first DC-10 operation at CLE. One thing for sure, those heavies got our attention! (And still do!)

Chuck Slusarczyk Jr. July 9, 2013 at 02:00AM Rating: 10
This is great! Perhaps my memory is faded or my information wrong, but I remember my Dad taking us to the airport when I was very young to see the "arrival of the first DC-10." We went upstairs to the old observation deck at the end of the C Concourse and it was definitely DARK outside! I distinctly remember him telling us that the "engine on the tail was as big as a DC-3!" Funny how time distorts reality, but also sweetens the memories...thanks for this, Ken!