The penultimate aircraft from the storied Douglas Aircraft Company to appear was the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. Taking to the skies on 10 January 1990, it entered service on 20 December 1990 with Finnair.
Essentially a modernised version of the Douglas DC-10, it had a troubled beginning. High drag meant that initial targets for range and fuel burn were not achieved and it wasn’t until 1995 that this was corrected.
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Video
Following on from last weeks video about the Ilyushin IL-86, this week we return stateside to look at the MD-11. The video runs for about 14 minutes and gives a decent enough overview of the story of this trijet.
Typically seating 298 passengers in three classes or 323 in two classes, the aircraft has a range of 12,455 kilometres. Airlines typically used it for long-haul services.
Large fleets were operated by airlines such as Swissair, Brazil’s VARIG and VASP, KLM, Finnair, Garuda and Japan Airlines. In the United States, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines operated the MD-11, however these were disposed of relatively quickly in favour of newer designs.
Competition from the new Airbus A330 and Airbus A340 as well as what would become the Boeing 777 resulted in just 200 being built and the final two deliveries took place in 2001.
Flight Testing The MD-11
Running for around 12 minutes, this promotional video from McDonnell Douglas shows flight testing of the MD-11. For anyone who has ever wanted to see some of the tests commercial aircraft go through, this one is for you.
Some exciting footage is presented such as stall testing, as well as the minimum unstick and rejected take-off tests. Seeing sparks flying from underneath and the smoke billowing from the main undercarriage is very interesting.
For The Technical Geeks and Pilots
A second video from McDonnell Douglas goes into detail about the MD-11’s systems. Particular attention is paid to the flight deck and how everything works in there. At 19 minutes, it may also be worth a look.
One thing that stood out was a comparison between the DC-10 and MD-11. Apparently it took 28 switch actions to jettison fuel on the older aircraft, whereas there is just one button that handles this on the new one. Talk about an advance!
Overall Thoughts
KLM operated the last McDonnell Douglas MD-11 in scheduled passenger service, with the last flight taking place on 26 October 2014. Cargo operators Federal Express, UPS and others continue to operate these jets today.
McDonnell Douglas was purchased by Boeing in August 1997, which saw the end of a company that had produced aircraft since 1921. KLM was the most prolific operator of Douglas aircraft, flying the DC-2, DC-3, DC-4, DC-5, DC-6, DC-7, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10 and MD-11.
Did you ever fly on board an MD-11? Perhaps you fly it today as a pilot? What is it like? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please let me know.
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Featured image by Feike Westenbroek via KLM.
how can I forget the MD. I flew it for 15 years, almost all versions (except the CF).
By far the best aircraft I ve ever flown. Not an easy toy to fly, very fast, challenging on landing but may be also for this, very rewarding. More like a fighter jet than a passenger plane. And the cockpit… well I d like to have that autoflight system on the 777/787 (that I fly now) it was 10 years ahead.
most people think to the md11 like an old bird….well for something it remains the most advanced aircraft produced. If only I could mix the 777 airframe and aerodynamic with md11 cockpit and Systems…..
Great to hear some first hand experience on flying the aircraft. I had heard it was not easy to fly and is challenging on landing, but great to hear your other comments. I wonder why some of the systems haven’t been used in the Boeing aircraft of today, especially since the MDD takeover. What makes the autoflight system so good and why would it be good to use on the 777/787? Just curious. Thanks very much for your comment, enjoyed the read!
The word “penultimate” means “next to last,” not the “best.” Do you mean the MD-11 was the best, or “ultimate” Douglas?
That’s how it was meant – it was the next to last commercial airliner built by McDonnell Douglas. The last was the MD-95, which became the Boeing 717. Thanks for the comment!
Very good, thanks!
One flight I can recall was on TG in J from BKK to AKL. I shared the cabin with a very few souls so all told a very enjoyable flight. Ironically I was working at YYZ and drove out onto the taxiway to observe first hand the the last arrival from AMS of this type.
That sounds like a pretty good flight. Anytime you can fly with not many people on board is a excellent to me! Thanks for that!
Since it looked identical to a DC-10 to me, I always rather avoided the MD-11, unfair though that may be.
I flew on it with FInnair on a SIN-BKK-HEL flight. It was pretty good, I thought. Larger windows than the Boeing aircraft too, which was nice. Thanks for the comment!
Wonderful subject. I flew the MD-11 only once. Without any hint (the decision was taken later), it turned out that the YUL-AMS leg was going to happen on April 30th, 2013, the day Queen Beatrix abdicated. The flight started normally but soon it was clear that something special was on. The unique Business menu had the picture of the Queen and her son, Willem-Alexander on the cover, and there was orange cake. Upon landing, oranje cake and gin was served in the lounge and parts of Schiphol were festooned orange. I kept the menu, of course.
Business seats were, in my opinion, much more generous in width than even current reverse-herringbone ones. What an experience!
What an excellent memory to have. No wonder the flight stood out so much for you. How lucky are you that you got to experience that! Pretty cool indeed. Thanks for sharing!