DC-10s Included In MD-11 Grounding

The FAA has now included the DC-10s and MD-10s in the grounding of the MD-11 fleet following the crash of N259UP. Though the only current operators of the DC-10/MD-10 are 10 Tanker, Omega Air Tanker, and the Orbis Eye Hospital.

Further information in this Flight Global article.

Project Orbis' N330AU

N330AU (c/n 46800, l/n 96), the Project Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, is making a stop at HNL from HKG (via GUM) as ORBIS1. This MD-10-30F was at XSP from 30 November 2023 to 01 February 2024, then to CRK until 19 February, when it flew to HKG.

46800's History:

Apr 1973: Delivered to Trans International Airlines as N101TV (f/n 101).

Oct 1979: Airline rebrands as Transamerica Airlines, and leased to Nigeria Airways for one month.

Mar 1981: Leased to Air Florida for two years.

Apr 1984: Sold to Federal Express as N301FE "Tara Lynn" (f/n 301), and converted to a freighter.

Jun 1994: Airline rebrands as FedEx Express.

___ 2006: Renamed "Brann", and re-designated as an MD-10-30F.

Apr 2011: Sold to Project Orbis as N330AU.

May 2012: Ferried to VCV for storage, then interior converted for a flying eye hospital.