Hi there all,I was wondering if it is normal for the FMS to show cruise speed at .8.2/.8.3mac at 350,000ft Alt as it's top speed.butWhen i look at the speed ribbon on the flight panel in the primary flight display it shows it is no way near it's max speed. to get to 320 at 350,000ft i need to put in a woppin .9.0mac in the FMS. is this right?what i am trying to say is that if i wanted to travel at 320 indicated in the PFD at 350,000ft i need to enter .9.00mac in the FMS. i am not sure if this is standard procedure or not.thank you for your time.fletch.

fletch, I believe that the mach number listed in the FMC is tied into the cost index. If you are set up for an economy cruse the listed mach number will be relatively low. In this economical climate I don

Hi there all,I was wondering if it is normal for the FMS to show cruise speed at .8.2/.8.3mac at 350,000ft Alt as it's top speed.butWhen i look at the speed ribbon on the flight panel in the primary flight display it shows it is no way near it's max speed. to get to 320 at 350,000ft i need to put in a woppin .9.0mac in the FMS. is this right?what i am trying to say is that if i wanted to travel at 320 indicated in the PFD at 350,000ft i need to enter .9.00mac in the FMS. i am not sure if this is standard procedure or not.

Fletch, what you see is just fine. You do not cruise at 320kts IAS at FL350. Normal Mach numbers for the MD-11 are between .82 and .83 . Some airlines use .84 for high speed cruise. That's it, you do not go higher on an MD-11, unless of course things like a medical emergency or a temporary ATC restriction ask for it.So when you see plenty of room between your mach number and Mmo (red line) this is perfectly normal for most airliners. You don't want to design an aircraft in a way that the economical cruise mach is at the red line. So this all is precisely as on the real aircraft. If you do have the fuel and want to go fast, use .84 as a manual edit in the PERF CRZ page. But not more...Markus

hauling cargo around I am sure there are instances when you would use a faster cruise speed

Remember that the maximum speed is also a function of the location and quantity of your fuel.Paul

hauling cargo around I am sure there are instances when you would use a faster cruise speed

No not really, the MD-11 gets VERY thirsty above .84 . Doesn't make sense anyway to fly faster just because you fly a freighter.Regards,Markus

Well I mean there are certain occasions when it would be necessary. Such as flying freight full of wine, cheese, fish, flowers, etc. for a customer to meet a deadline. I'm just saying it would be possible compared to a passenger airliner whos goal is to save as much money on the flight as possible.

thanks guys,As you guys would of guessed i am no pilot and i am just new at the simmers world too, so i am learning new things everyday.thank you.kind regardsFletch.

Well I mean there are certain occasions when it would be necessary. Such as flying freight full of wine, cheese, fish, flowers, etc. for a customer to meet a deadline. I'm just saying it would be possible compared to a passenger airliner whos goal is to save as much money on the flight as possible.

That doesn't really make any sense. The difference between .80 and .85 at say FL350 assuming ISA conditions is only 25kts - over a short transcontinental (US East Coast to US West Coast) flight that's maybe 15 minutes gained by flying M.85 vice M.80. Over a longer flight (say 15hours vice 6 for the transcon) you might save maybe up to 40-45 minutes of flight time by flying M.85, but you sacrifice range and/or payload (due to more fuel consumed/required) to fly at the faster speed.You gain more time by utilizing tailwinds / avoiding headwinds than by flying at a faster Mach number.If you're just looking to get maximum speed - fuel is not a concern, your fastest True Air Speed would be to fly 370kts/M.87 at FL256 (with wingtip fuel greater than 90%). You'll get a True Air Speed of 500kts in ISA conditions.or 320kts/M.85 at FL307 (with wingtip fuel less than 60%) You'll get a True Air Speed of 484kts in ISA conditions. At a lower altitude with the same indicated airspeed you'll have a slower TAS and the same is true at a higher altitude with the same indicated Mach, you'll have a slower TAS. This information is found in the PMDG MD-11 FCOM limitations section.Steve W.

Thanks Steve,all useful info and helpful to my original question.I now not need to worry about my FMS being out/wronge. I am also learning that the PMDG 747-400 is oh so close to the real deal.thank you all for your time and helpful feed back.Kind regardsFletch.

Well I mean there are certain occasions when it would be necessary. Such as flying freight full of wine, cheese, fish, flowers, etc. for a customer to meet a deadline. I'm just saying it would be possible compared to a passenger airliner whos goal is to save as much money on the flight as possible.

Cargo companies have to make money just like passenger ones... No cargo company is going to blow a ton of fuel, reduce their range etc just to get one customer's stuff there a few minutes quicker. There's refrigerated containers for food and other perishables like that.