Cool Facts about the MD-11

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is one of the most iconic airliners ever built. Let’s take a look at some cool facts…

Back in the 1970s, the DC-10 proved to be successful for McDonnell Douglas, so they considered developing an improved version, which included a stretched fuselage, increased range, and other features that would make the aircraft more economical to operate.

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American Airlines DC-10


So, in the mid-1980s, the MD-11 program was announced. Compared to the DC-10, the MD-11 had 24% better range, a glass cockpit, and could also seat more passengers. A few ways McDonnell Douglas was able to improve the efficiency of the aircraft, was by adding winglets, which reduced drag caused by wingtip vortices. Greater efficiency was also achieved by reducing the size of the horizontal stabilizer, which lowered air resistance.

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Maiden Flight of the MD-11


Additionally, the MD-11 also had a much higher climb rate than its competitors, which made it very maneuverable, in and out of airports in mountainous regions.

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FedEx MD-11 Climbing


One ironic fact about the MD-11 was that at the time it was introduced, it was not a very popular plane. One reason was that passenger airlines were moving to more efficient twinjets which were being developed at the time, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus 330. However, fast-forwarding to today, the MD-11 (as well as other trijets) seems to be an exceptionally popular plane in the cargo world, as explained by my other post, linked here.

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Western Global MD-11


All in all, the MD-11 was a great aircraft, with great performance and specifications. I truly hope we continue to see these amazing birds in our skies.