McDonnell Douglas MD-11

McDonnell Douglas · United States · first flew 1990 · airliner

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a long-range trijet widebody, the largest trijet ever built and a stretched, modernised development of the DC-10.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	3 × turbofan, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Long widebody fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Trijet with two underwing engines plus one at the fin base
Winglets on swept wings
Long widebody fuselage

Look for the trijet layout with two underwing engines and a third built into the base of the tall fin, a long widebody fuselage and small winglets distinguishing it from the DC-10.

Specifications

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 has a length of 61.62 m (202 ft).
It has a wingspan of 51.66 m (169 ft).
Its maximum speed is 945 km/h (587 mph).
Typical crew: 2 flight crew.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown on 10 January 1990, the MD-11 entered service with Finnair later that year. Although it improved on the DC-10 with winglets, a glass cockpit and more efficient engines, it fell short of its range promises and sold modestly before passenger production ended; many were converted to freighters.

Variants

Beyond the baseline passenger model, the MD-11 was offered as the MD-11ER extended-range version, the MD-11 Combi and the MD-11F freighter, the latter enjoying a long second career with cargo operators.

Where you'll see it

No UK passenger carrier flew the MD-11, but cargo MD-11Fs operated by express and freight airlines were regular visitors to UK airports such as Stansted and East Midlands for many years.

Related aircraft

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