In my recent posts, I'd explored and illustrated a couple of heavy freighters, the 767F and the 777F. However, the story of freighters would not be complete without an honorable mention of the MD-11F. Compared to its predecessor, the DC-10, the MD-11 was an advanced and impressive a/c indeed, with modern avionics, new engines, redesigned fuselage, and for the first time a 2-person cockpit (both DC-8 and DC-10 had required 3 cockpit crew). And from an (aviation) enthusiast's perspective, the (Trijet) MD-11 is/was visually quite striking too. However, MD-11 never became popular nor successful as a passenger aircraft. Any remnant chance it had for continued success as a (long-haul) pax transporter, was wiped out by the (fast) emerging (more efficient and "twin-engined") likes of A330/B777...

Nonetheless, due to its low cost of acquisition and high cargo capacity, MD-11 excelled in its freighter role, and was quite popular among the major operators. Although most MD-11 freighters of today are conversions from passenger versions, the factory-built freighters were also popular (~50 of the total 200 MD-11s were factory-built freighters). KLM was one of the last MD-11 Pax operators, and was also, the airline that had provided me with my only chance to travel in an MD-11. Lufthansa, though a major operator of the DC-10 for pax transport, did not deploy any MD-11 for pax use. During my travels on LH DC-10s, decades ago, (with little or no knowledge of aviation and a/c yet) I'd mistakenly later thought those planes were MD-11...Oh well...now I know...Nonetheless, LH was a loyal MD-11F operator (see images, below), operating 19 of those a/c over 23 years, in fact, bidding farewell to their the last MD-11F, nostalgically, just a year ago in Oct. 2021. I invite you to watch the (1m:44s) video clip of this (LH) MD-11F arriving, from Frankfurt, in my hometown airport...🙂...in the night...prominently displaying the "Heart Symbol" plus "Thank you MD-11 Farewell" marking on its livery.... (To view this short video, please search for "The World's LAST Active Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F "Farewell MD-11" Livery Arriving at ORD").

The other MD-11F, I've featured below, is for Martinair Cargo, a Dutch airline and subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Since its founding in 1958, though it had operated as a Charter airline providing both pax and cargo service, later on, since 2011, Martinair has ceased all passenger service, and has become entirely a cargo operator.

So, please find, below, two sets of pictures, one set for a Martinair Cargo MD-11F lifting off into the sky, and the other set, for a Lufthansa MD-11F capturing the ILS signals and touching down on the runway. (BTW, by sheer coincidence (or this virtual pilot's due diligence...🙂...), the first RW video of a Martinair Cargo touching down, that I found on-line, is of the same exact registration (PH-MCP) as the one I'd coincidentally chosen here and have shown in my pictures below. For this video, please search for "PURE MD-11 POWER!✈ What an Amazing Trijet Sound! MD-11F, Martinair, Lufthansa Cargo, UPS, FedEx". The very first 1 min of the video is for the Martinair Cargo (PH-MCP). There is also LH MD-11F and others, later in this nice (ensemble) video.

Hope you enjoy these images, below, of this classic (heavy) freighter...the last (long-hauler) commercial jet from the legendary Douglas/McDonnell Douglas heritage. MD-11 Pax may already be gone from the real skies, but these MD-11F (diehard) freighters are still toiling away, proving their worth, for several all-cargo operators of the world...!

Thanks for your interest...!! 

Good Labor Day to the folks in U.S., and a good Monday to others...!

Edited September 5, 20223 yr by P_7878

Great set, hope we get an MD11 soon for MSFS..( i know there is one at development i just forgot the name of the Team) 

This year would be great..

cheers 😉

3 hours ago, pmplayer said:

Great set, hope we get an MD11 soon for MSFS..( i know there is one at development i just forgot the name of the Team) 

This year would be great..

cheers 😉

It's TFDi Design 😉 

Superb shots! 😉 

15 minutes ago, Alaska738 said:

It's TFDi Design 😉 

Yea, thats what i not found in my Head  🤪 - thanks bro !

cheers 😉

pmplayer, Will, and Ed:

Thanks for the comments etc... Appreciated...!!

Will:

Glad you right away satisfied the curiosity and query of pmplayer...by answering so promptly...🙂...btw, this post was (actually) triggered in my mind by seeing your pictures of Amsterdam Airport and the KLM 737. As I'd indicated there, my only (RW) flight in an MD-11, a plane I've always cherished in the SIM, was in a KLM MD-11 transiting via EHAM. That flight had also turned out to be the most unforgettable experience of all my pax flights ever...Above the mid-Atlantic, we'd run into severe and persistent turbulence...in the middle of the night...that did not let up for a very (very) long time, it'd seemed...I will always remember that KLM MD-11 and its pilot's recurrent announcements through that un-nerving ordeal as we finally pulled through it... (I'd posted about that bit of experience in a post a long while ago) ...Instead of KLM, here, I wished to feature two other MD-11(F) colors... (Anyway, the MD-11 is a special plane to me, pax or freight...)

pmplayer:

Yes, please continue to follow up progress in the TFDi forum about their MD-11. Last year, I'd got their B717, and was extremely impressed with it...as you might know the Boeing 717 cockpit and avionics (layman speaking here...🙂...) shares commonality with that of the MD-11. Of course, for those of you, who still have P3D installed..., I highly recommend that TFDi B717, a wonderful SIM (MD-80 lovers meet MD-11 lovers...🙂..., so-to-speak), as a fore-runner experience to the (upcoming/MSFS) TFDi MD-11. My post here is using the Sky Simulations MD-11, not the PMDG (legacy) MD-11, which, I do fly from time to time, and, which, of course, remains in a class by itself, as a remarkable contribution to heavy jet simulation...when it had first come out...

Cheers...!!

Edited September 5, 20223 yr by P_7878

Hello. I'm also an enthousiast owner (virtual of course) of the PMDG MD-11. I still fly this beast once a week on international routes.

I appreciated this topic and I wish all MD-11 lovers nice flights.

Claude Doyen

20 NM from EBLG

Terrific shots mate !! .

Sure do miss flying this unique beauty.   Cant wait for TFDI's version in MSFS.  Great set of shots. 

On 9/6/2022 at 3:24 AM, HighTowers said:

Sure do miss flying this unique beauty.   Cant wait for TFDI's version in MSFS.  Great set of shots. 

I don't think Canadian ever flew them....but when the TFDI MD releases, I may be able to bring a close facsimile of your avatar to life. 🙂 (In the sim of course, and of course if the dozens of other excellent painters out there don't paint her 1st)

1 hour ago, Steve Dra said:

I don't think Canadian ever flew them....but when the TFDI MD releases, I may be able to bring a close facsimile of your avatar to life. 🙂 (In the sim of course, and of course if the dozens of other excellent painters out there don't paint her 1st)

That would be super sweet. Canadian never had MD-11 but only the DC10-30s.  But I am sure the MD-11 in Canadian Airlines goose logo or the classic would be awesome. Thanks very much

***Stunning Series*** I still see that Lufthansa Beauty Lumbering into KORD occasionally.

Folks:

Many thanks for the additional comments and thoughts...!!

 

On 9/5/2022 at 12:46 PM, claude29 said:

Hello. I'm also an enthusiast owner (virtual of course) of the PMDG MD-11. I still fly this beast once a week on international routes.

I appreciated this topic and I wish all MD-11 lovers nice flights.

Claude Doyen

20 NM from EBLG

I admire your enthusiasm, Claude, for that MD-11 SIM...Worth your time, for sure...I recall I used to fly that "SWR801: London Heathrow - Zürich" Tutorial once every few weeks to stay sharp on it...Now-a-days, it's less frequent, but I've posted w/ PMDG MD-11 a couple of times here...Have fun and it's good to hear from newcomers...🙂...!!

 

On 9/7/2022 at 7:12 AM, Phantom88 said:

***Stunning Series*** I still see that Lufthansa Beauty Lumbering into KORD occasionally.

Thank you, Patrick, yes, Lufthansa has very strong ties to KORD....Lots of great memories of lifting off KORD w/ all kinds of LH long-haulers.... 🙂....

 

On 9/7/2022 at 5:39 AM, HighTowers said:

.... Canadian never had MD-11 but only the DC10-30s....

Thanks for the comment,  HighTowers...sorry, can't give you your Avatar MD-11...🙂..., did look for it though, but here, at least, is a DC-10-30 Canadian; you've mentioned... 

Edited September 10, 20223 yr by P_7878