Wearing show code "65". Redesignated as F-15B in 1977. Converted to F-15E prototype in 1980. To Royal Saudi Air Force in 2002. Preserved in the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum as '1315'.

After operating for 14 years with Balair (HB-IHK) and almost 2 years with Martinair (PH-MCO) this DC-10 was returned to McDonnell Douglas and was parked at Dyn Air Tech of Arizona.

Having been an Eagle Admirer since living within cycling distance of an active F-15 base as a teenager, I was pleased to finally see the very first one, and in its original F-15 Joint Test Force livery too. Also dubbed YF-15A, its test flying days ran from July 1972 to November 1975. It was later used as an exhibit by the Air Force Orientation Group and also on display here as the Desert Storm MiG killer 85-0114/EG, but rightfully restored.

Photographer Umberto Birindelli

Photographer Frank Smith

First of two TF-15A two seater prototypes. First flew as 71-0290 in 1973. Redesignated as an F-15B in 1977. To McDonnell-Douglas as a test aircraft in 1984. Redesignated as an NF-15B in 1988 following modifications. To NASA in 1993. Registered as NASA 837 by 1996 and N837NA in 2001. Last flew in 2009. Preserved at Edwards AFB, CA.

To PP-NDX April 2012

Photographer Gerrit Bouma

Redesignated as F-15B in 1977. Converted to F-15E prototype in 1980. To Royal Saudi Air Force in 2002. Preserved in the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum as '1315'.

This Breguet 941 was tested as the McDonnell Douglas 188 STOL airliner by Eastern Air Lines in 1968 and by American in the spring of 1969. Oddly it never carried a US registration and operated under its type-based French military serial number 2. It is interesting to note that this was a McDonnell and not a Douglas project, even though McDonnell felt more at home building fighters. Taken at the McDonnell factory at Lambert Field, this is assumed to be a McDonnell Douglas photo.

Rare picture of the aircraft with early dayglow coatings.

Modified from Hughes 369FF N5182U. Later modified to MD630N as N630N.

First flew as TF-15A 71-0291 in 1973. Used by McDonnell Douglas as a demonstrator and test aircraft. Redesignated as an F-15B in 1977. Converted to the F-15E prototype and first flew in 1980. To Saudi Arabia in 2002 and may have been used as a ground trainer. Preserved at the Saudi Air Force Museum, Riyadh as 1315 by 2005.

Line number 8 was used as a demonstrator before delivery to United Airlines, and visited the Convair factory in San Diego where major components of the DC-10 were manufactured. Photo from: San Diego Air & Space Museum

Unpainted C-17 returning from a test flight

This aircraft was flown as a "McDonnell Douglas 188" STOL demonstrator in the northeast corridor in the US during 1968. It was not registered in the USA, but was operated by the French Air Force on behalf of McDonnell Douglas in full Eastern Air Lines livery, under its military serial 2 (callsign F-ZJRL, formerly coded "L"). The following year it was painted in American Airlines livery and flown on other routes. The aircraft returned to France in June 1969 and was then operated by the French AF coded 62-NB until withdrawn from use in 1974. McDonnell Douglas had obtained a license to build this aircraft in the US as the MD-188, but since the airlines showed little interest the project was dropped and no MD-188s were built.

Delivered to United Airlines on 3 June 1972 and withdrawn from use in September 1994. After a period in storage it was re-registered N366FE and converted to a freighter in 1999. It was retired in 2015 and placed in storage in California.