KLM MD-11 Takeoff at St. Maarten
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A nice close-up of a KLM MD-11 takeoff at St. Maarten…
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The MD-11 is an awesome airplane, very well-built and a lot of power! I saw a video taken by a passenger aboard a KLM MD11 taking off from here, and you could almost FEEL the acceleration!
KLM is starting to retire the MD-11 and they will out of the fleet totally by sometime in 2014. :(
Really, Lee?? That’s really unfortunate, because there aren’t many airlines still flying the MD-11. KLM only has 9 of them still flying as it is, with one being built in 1993, five built in 1994, two built in 1995, and one built in 1997.
KLM’s MD-11′s may seem relatively young to be retired so quickly, but with an airframe certification of only 20,000 cycles (or 60,000 hours) i’m sure these aircraft are getting there. For comparison, the FAA has certified the 767 and 747 to only 20,000 cycles also. What’s really strange is the fact that they certified the DC-10 to 42,000 cycles. When designing the MD-11, McDonnell Douglas cut every corner they could to save weight since the DC-10 was so heavy. Less weight, less strength, shorter life. It’s common for manufacturers to trade aircraft life for weight savings.
And then we have the DC9, which has been given a certification of 100,000 cycles. Absolutely stunning how well-built Douglas built these things.
Still good planes to be sure, but the airlines are trying to go more fuel efficient since it’s killing them.
It’s so sad, Lee… I wish jet fuel prices would go down- but even if they did, it wouldn’t change anything!
The MD-11 or DC-11 as I prefer to name it is perhaps the most beautiful aircraft to carry airline passengers still flying today. Sadly the day of airliners with ‘character’ is ending when you cannot tell the varied 777′s from each other and the ugly 787, the numerous versions of the B737 or Airbus 320 families from each other.
The day when only the parcel carriers have these fine aircraft will be a sad one for passengers that want to fly simply for the plane and not the destination.
I agree, Jennifer! The word “character” is probably the best choice to describe aircraft of the early jet era- it seems as though they were built for the passenger a bit more than they are nowadays. Today’s aircraft use cheap light materials, and lifeless engines. No thrill!
The MD-11 is one of my all-time faves. It truly is the end of an era.
Indeed it is! I wonder if the DC-10/MD-11 design would still be around today if there weren’t so many “incidents” in the 70′s with the DC-10 (the AA engine falling off, the AA rear cargo door blasting open, the UA DC-10 losing all hydraulics…). These incidents pretty much sealed the fate for McDonnell Douglas…
Chris makes a good point, if the DC-10 was so deadly why then did the USAF buy 60 of them and the RNAF ( netherlands air force ) at least 2 of them albeit strengthened for military service?
Many of those ‘incidents’ could have been nailed down to shoddy maintenance or human incompetance in-flight. The parcel outfits still use them today as solid workhorses and long may that continue!!
You’re exactly right Jennifer, the only “engineering” fault with the DC-10 was the rear cargo door, but it wasn’t the only plane with a similar problem. The front right cargo door on a United 747 exploded many years ago due to weak locking mechanisms and faulty wiring. I’m not sure why the issue hurt McDonnell Douglas more than it did Boeing. I’m assuming it’s because the door failed twice in a short amount of time.
And as for the AA DC-10 engine falling off, that was 100% the fault of AA maintenance workers using improper procedures to replace the engine. But the media really warped the public’s mind and for some reason MD took some of the blame.
And similar to the AA case, the United DC-10 that had it’s #2 engine blow up, sending shrapnel into the tail and draining all the hydraulics, this was also the fault of maintenance, just at United for not properly inspecting the fan disk. There was a defect in the metal and a fatigue crack developed to the point where the entire disk blew apart. This could have happened to any plane with that engine, a popular engine that’s also found on the A300, 747, 767 and MD-11.
The only other weakness present in the DC-10/MD-11 is it’s instability. It does not handle well in heavy winds, and several accidents have demonstrated the plane’s inherent dislike to poor landing conditions (in most cases pilots landing beyond the plane’s limits). Nevertheless it’s built like a tank and it was an excellent pedigree. I’m just thankful that they’ve found good homes at UPS and FedEx. With the low flying times in the freight industry, they should be around for a while!
Thank You Chris, I forgot to mention that other Tri-Jet the L1011 Tristar that could not match the DC-10 in sales…however the Royal Air Force (UK) chose to obtain 9 ships and they have given the nation stirling service.
Stability with three engines? I did not know that there was a question of stability outside of those Russian TU 154′s ?
It has been great ‘talking’ with you…………Jennifer.
Ahh good point, the DC-10 did sell much better than the L1011 despite the technological advances of the Lockheed.
And when i mean stability i’m mostly talking about, well, this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SzH3D_lD5U
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuoeYaR4MP4
By now all pilots of the DC-10/MD-11 are aware of their vulnerability when there’s even the slightest crosswind. Just as long as pilots are aware of it, everything should be OK!
And it’s been nice “talking” with you too! It’s wonderful that we have this site to talk about our aviation interests!
For anyone who’s a Douglas enthusiast, or anyone who has a pulse, you need to see this short film. It follows a DC-10 pilot who takes a sentimental journey while sitting in a DC-3 on the tarmac, reliving his days in the DC-3 many years ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWGGyX0yeTU&feature=my_liked_videos&list=LLk8mh380NA0qyVbcbjF16DA
It’s 22 minutes long and a real “feel good” short film :) Enjoy!!