FedEx large association with the DC-10s began in the early 1980s, when the fast growing overnight express carrier 
came to the conclusion that the Boeing 727 was too small for some of its routes. In a time, where the aviation industry was in a large crisis and especially Continental Airlines was highly affected, the airline took the chance to purchase four DC-10-10CF convertible freighters from CO to serve the main routes. The first one was put on the route from its main hub in Memphis to Newark on March 29th 1980. An order for DC-10-30Fs followed, making Federal Express the only costumer for this variant and one of the last costumers for the DC-10 - the third youngest aircraft is, like many other young DC-10s, member of FedEx' fleet. During the 1980s, further DC-10 were acquired, especially DC-10-30CFs from different sources, for example Transamerica Airlines or Spantax. With the incredible growth of the airline, more widebody equipment was needed, so FedEx not only acquired used A310s and ordered the DC-10-successor MD-11 (and also the A300-600F), but bought more used DC-10 
aircraft from Sabena, Turkish Airlines, World Airways and many others. In the early 1990s, FedEx signed contracts with American Airlines and United Airlines to purchase their flyable DC-10-10s, some of which are now being converted to MD-10s with a two-man-cockpit and a complete new avionic system. This program 
is a cooperation between Mc Donnell - Douglas/Boeing and FedEx which will give new life to the DC-10 which seems to be FedEx' workhorse for at least 20 years more. Due to the worlwide financial crisis in civil aviation, beginning in 2001, some of the aircraft will be used as spare source only. Now, FedEx operates almost 100 DC-10s, more than any other carrier did and will operated the type for many years to come. Two aircraft were lost in more than 20 years of DC-10 operations: #191 (N68055) in 1996 and #4 (N364FE) in 2003.
Photos:
Upper right: Federal Express DC-10 (old cs), Los Angeles, September 1995 - BY DAVID CARRIZO
Left: Federal Express DC-10, landing on runway 8L in Phoenix, March 1999 - BY RAY HARVEY
Lower right: Federal Express DC-10, landing on runway 8L in Phoenix, March 1999 - BY RAY HARVEY
