Farewell to MD-11 passenger flights

[SEATAC 400]

The last MD-11 passenger flight was on Sunday aboard the Audrey Hepburn. But she lives on in simulators.

http://www.ibtimes.com/last-md-11-passenger-flight-another-aviation-icon-goes-away-1713278

[mutley 4,498]

Shame, it was fun seeing them at Schiphol on the way back from Lelystad. I bet it was freezing in that viewing area! <brr>

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

Such a shame, I always loved the look of those aircraft. Very comfortable to fly in as a passenger as well.

[hifly 925]

Whenever I flew on its predecessor the DC10 I always wanted to check the cargo doors were closed correctly and that the engine pylons weren't loose.

 

The 1011 was a better looker though.

[flybytes 34]

Whenever I flew on its predecessor the DC10 I always wanted to check the cargo doors were closed correctly and that the engine pylons weren't loose.

 

The 1011 was a better looker though.

 

Have to agree about the Tristar 1011 being better looking than the DC10 - part of the cosmetic improvement being its tail engine enclosed rather than fully visible on the DC10, although I can imagine which aircraft's rear engine was easier to maintain.

 

There was always some speculation about which rear engine was aerodynamically most efficient. Seem to remember that the more aerodynamic enclosed 1011 engine lost a bit of thrust due to its bent air intake enclosure, making the comparison pretty much a draw.

 

The DC10 did have its teething troubles, unfortunately costing lives, but it did go on to become a safe aircraft & evolved into the very nice MD11.

 

I crossed the Atlantic a couple of times in the 1011 (as a passenger) & it was a very comfortable aircraft - believe it was Delta Airlines which ran them from Atlanta to London (think it was Gatwick, but may have been Heathrow).

 

The MD11 did away with the DC10's flight engineer, using a 'glass cockpit'. Was this the first airliner to employ a 'glass cockpit'?

 

Ray.

 

[Kasper 14]

The MD11 is not the first 'glass cockpit' airliner. The Douglas MD80 was certainly earlier (around 1976).

I had a couple of flights in the MD11 as pax to the US and Kenia. It is a beautiful plane - luckily I get to play captain of the lady in FSX!

[hifly 925]

I read that the maintenance of the tail mounted engine on the DC10 was problematic due to its height and when they were changed a lot of the rear section had to be removed. On the 1011 access was via panels.

 

As pax I had a cockpit visit on a Philippines DC10 between Sydney and Manila (this was 30 years ago). Fantastic views from the front, wish I'd asked a few more questions.

 

Always a shame to see a 'classic' disappear from the skies.   

[Andrew Godden 945]

The MD11 is not the first 'glass cockpit' airliner. The Douglas MD80 was certainly earlier (around 1976).

I had a couple of flights in the MD11 as pax to the US and Kenia. It is a beautiful plane - luckily I get to play captain of the lady in FSX!

 

Kasper,

 

Good to see you again.  To be exact, I think you will find the MD-80 was produced with a 'steam' cockpit.  The MD-90 (and treated as a separate model as far as I recall) was the first in that line to incorporate an all glass cockpit and that first flew in 1993.  So, I think the MD-11 might still have it.

 

Cheers

Andrew

[hurricanemk1c 195]

What about the 757/767 from 1982?

[Kasper 14]

@Andrew, glad to be back.

 

With regards to the glass cockpit an excerpt from a NASA report from 1981 (to be found here ) " In 1981 the Presidential Task Force on Aircraft Crew Complement recommended that transport aircraft could be safely flown by a
two-pilot crew; their findings were based largely on the assumption that the flight engineer's duties could be absorbed by increasing the level of cockpit automation (McLucus, Drinkwater, and Leaf, 1981).
The report also stated that the FAA had properly certified the Douglas DC-9-80 (now MD-80) as a two-pilot aircraft. Furthermore, their findings removed the cloud over the soon-toappear Boeing 767, which the manufacturer had designed as a twopilot plane, but was prepared to offer with three seats if necessary. In fact, a few 767s and at least one 767 simulator were built with flight engineer stations.
The findings of the Presidential Task Force assured the future of the new aircraft. The MD-80 series, the B767/757, and the A-310 and A-320 models have been an operational and commercial success. "
 

So I guess if not the MD80 the B767, but to my knowledge the MD80 had a glass primary display in 1980 at the latest. Of course the F111 was really the first ...

[Andrew Godden 945]

Initial design and production of the MD-80 series was definitely an analogue cockpit.  Though, the MD-88 (the last in the series), in 1987, did finally incorporate an EFIS.  This was carried over and enhanced in the design and production of the MD-90 .

 

To Kieran's point, the B767 (1981) was the first Boeing aircraft to incorporate an EFIS, the B757 in 1982.

 

However, an EFIS is not a true 'glass cockpit' in the full sense, as it typically only provides attitude and navigational information and still uses traditional mechanical gauges for airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, and engine performance.

 

A true 'glass cockpit' uses the PFDs and MFDs to replace all mechanical flight instrumentation and only uses traditional mechanical gauges as secondary instruments.

 

It is true, the F111 was arguably the first aircraft to use such technology, however, I would contend whether it, too, was just an EFIS.

 

Now, I proffer that, in fact, the first commercial airliner to incorporate a true 'glass cockpit' was possibly the Airbus A320 in 1987.

 

Cheers

Andrew

[flybytes 34]

My question of which airliner was the first full glass cockpit seems to be a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string question'. I realise that even now, modern 'glass cockpit' aircraft still have some analogue instruments to provide the basics of the aircrafts attitude.

 

The Boeing 757/767 was my first experience of a glass cockpit - apart from the instrumentation, just loved the fleece covered pilot seats.

 

Do have to acknowledge Andrew's immense knowledge of aircraft history.

 

Ray.