JAT’s first DC-10 prior to first test flight, Long Beach, September 1978. JAT’s first DC-10, registered YU-AMA and named Nikola Tesla, undertook its maiden five-hour test flight in Long Beach, California, on September 15, 1978. The aircraft took off at 12:45 local time and was flown by McDonnell Douglas test pilots. As the 259th DC-10 produced, it was the first to incorporate a series of modifications, including a system enabling the flight crew to monitor landing gear tyre pressure directly from the cockpit. Prior to delivery, a last-minute decision was made to revise JAT’s livery for the first time since the 1950s, with the entire tail painted blue rather than only its upper section. On December 11, 1978, the aircraft departed on its delivery flight carrying JAT personnel and thirty McDonnell Douglas officials, including the company's CEO. After an 11-hour and 22-minute journey, it landed at Belgrade Airport, setting what was then a record for the longest non-stop DC-10 flight. Three days later, the aircraft entered scheduled service, operating a special Belgrade-Zagreb-Ljubljana flight before inaugurating its first commercial transatlantic service between Belgrade and New York