4 hours ago, bendead said:

The CVR on the overhead looks like it's from Fallout

Having a PipBoy in the cockpit would be a selling point for me! All in one navigational device especially if fast travel is possible 🤔😉

Pure speculation on my behalf, but TDFI's selection of the MD-11, an updated but less commercially viable variant of the DC-10, was probably because the aircraft remains in service today. Predominately with UPS and Fedex which between them operate almost half of the 200 MD-11's built.  It should be noted however, that both of these operators have signaled their intention to begin retirement of their aged MD-11 fleets. 

Another more plausible reason is that the MD-11 was an all glass cockpit unlike the steam gauge DC-10 and was therefore more easily developed under the MSFS SDK while offering younger users a direct path to flying this old aircraft type using familiar modern avionics and FMS.  Although note that a number of DC-10's were later upgraded to glass cockpits and redesignated as MD-10's which eliminated the Flight Engineer and allowed a common Pilot type rating on both the MD-10 and MD-11. 

So while the MD-11 is an old aircraft , to the sim user it doesn't feel like it is.  And that's where I get a bit disappointed. The MD-11 began flying at the end of last century in 1990 but despite its age exudes none of the nostalgia of the more commercially successful DC-10 which first flew in 1970.  

I had occasion circa 1977 to go airside at Auckland International Airport NZAA and get up close to Air New Zealand DC-10-30 ZK-NZS. As a fledgling hobbyist photographer I took the images in the links below. They are not well composed photo's by any means although the oblique fuselage and engine image did win a local photography competition in  some category I can no longer recall. Perhaps the judges were persuaded by the engineering person standing beside the open landing gear door that created the impression of size.  I developed them myself but of course time is showing their age on these old photos but they do bring back some of the nostalgia of flying these big jets in their heyday.

These were the days of relatively easy access to airside and to the flight deck. Having arrived from overseas, the fresh crew were preparing NZS for her next departure. Note the paperwork on the throttle quadrant. I think one of the documents relates to TO data, speeds, flap settings etc.  The three throttles controlling each of the 54,000lb thrust engines are just awesome. The MCP has FL 350 selected so I'm guessing that's where they're headed for! 

The DC-10 had a flight computer into which data was loaded from a cassette prepared by Flight Operations. Incorrect data loaded into this cassette would play a part in the tragic accident on 28th November 1979 in which DC-10 sister ship ZK-NZP on a sightseeing flight to Antarctica crashed into Mt Erebus killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board.

The DC-10 engines were managed through an hydro-mechanical fuel control unit. There was no EEC or FADEC. As seen on the MCP, the DC-10 did have an auto throttle though. The engine gauges are ribbon strip gauges which by all accounts were difficult to read. 

Note the three lit landing gear lights while the fourth is unlit indicating the centre gear is raised. 

My wife and I flew Auckland -Singapore return on an Air NZ DC-10 and the service in economy was superb with proper crockery, metal knives and forks and glass for drinks. The seats were wide and deep and legroom was never an issue. But this was in the days before in-flight entertainment systems so the movie choice was of course limited to whatever went up on the bulkhead in front of you.      

 So here are the pics I took of  ZK-NZS but regardless, the MD-11 of course looks just the same. She is impressive and such a shame that like all aircraft, they eventually succumb to more fuel efficient options and improved technologies.     

https://photos.app.goo.gl/c4o21PAUStL9htnt7

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9ZRuywLsfiFUoKyw5

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dupoQck65oBYq59z9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JGMXioPnxrUAbUTP6

 

Cheers

Terry

 

 

Edited May 16, 20242 yr by Lord Farringdon

15 minutes ago, Lord Farringdon said:

So here are the pics I took...
 

 

 

Beautiful picture, the last one!

I'll wait for the reviews.. And compare the fit and finish against the other recent/imminent releases that it may compete with. I know some will consider that a little unfair since the aircraft is somewhat starting to enter "niche" category but i've already purchased an oldie but goodie which i use with satisfaction quite often (A300) and will definitely purchase the 777-F for cargo ops so the dev will have to be there or whereabouts in terms of quality.

We will see.

I'm impressed that a developer has a release for P3D.  Hope it is successful.

3 hours ago, Lord Farringdon said:

I had occasion circa 1977 to go airside at Auckland International Airport NZAA and get up close to Air New Zealand DC-10-30 ZK-NZS. As a fledgling hobbyist photographer I took the images in the links below

Love the photos! 🙏 

Any idea when it is likely to be released?

T45

It looks fairly decent, really. It doesn't look that bad.

1 hour ago, Sonosusto said:

It looks fairly decent, really. It doesn't look that bad.

Decent looks is not gong to cut it today in MSFS. Its going to be the most expensive addon to date for MSFS even the Leonardo Maddog X. The systems better rival PMDG, Fenix or Leonardo, or there could be many unhappy people on (Youtube, twitch, Reddit etc. will be flaming them) I suspect. I'm waiting to see before purchasing. I really hope they nail it systems wise even if the Model is not up to par as it is a well anticipated product.

Edited May 17, 20242 yr by JBDB-MD80

6 hours ago, Treetops45 said:

Any idea when it is likely to be released?

T45

I do not know realy but i assume it will take another two months to fix all the bugs, testing and so on..

cheers 😉

12 hours ago, JBDB-MD80 said:

Decent looks is not gong to cut it today in MSFS. Its going to be the most expensive addon to date for MSFS even the Leonardo Maddog X. The systems better rival PMDG, Fenix or Leonardo, or there could be many unhappy people on (Youtube, twitch, Reddit etc. will be flaming them) I suspect. I'm waiting to see before purchasing. I really hope they nail it systems wise even if the Model is not up to par as it is a well anticipated product.

I don't disagree that, at that price, they need to be on their game as they will be compared to the likes of PMDG/fenix/etc, and rightfully so. I think it's fair though to say, though, that it's not the most expensive addon when you take the price breakdown into account. That still goes to the MaddogX, at least for now. The base and extended systems package, it's $75 usd vs 75 euro (roughly 81.55 USD) for the MaddogX. 

Having watched the video, I hope I haven't spotted my pet peeve - too much wear and tear in the cockpit.

From watching the latest video, it seems the pitch is still very sensitive. I'm hoping that's not the case. 

I don't know, that price... the Maddog at least was almost bug free and very solid (as always) on release. But still, that's just too much in these times. I understand the reasoning however, most people aren't interested in it anyway so let's just raise the price to at least get paid by those who *are* interested and will buy it at every price. Legacy aircraft (and the MD11 is about to become one in real life) don't sell well in MSFS, especially now with all the good, current/modern stuff out (and more to come). I think the Fokker 28 from Just Flight sold rather badly, too.

On 5/16/2024 at 2:32 AM, Lord Farringdon said:

I guess you will be buying it. If so, my first question, and others too, will be "What you think of the authenticity of the flight model of the TDFI MD-11?".  I recognise you may have never flown the MD-11 version, but I assume both the DC-10 and the MD-11 must be similar to fly? 

For sure! Some of my peeps went on to FEDEX as I moved on to corporate. You are right, they fly similarly, but I've been told that the augmentation on the MD-11's flight controls can be a little quirky during landing. They explained that at lower speeds, it can be a little sluggish to input. This was explained to me over a beer,detailing the Tokyo crash. They have stated due to the smaller empennage, it can't handle crosswinds as high as the DC10, so you are more subject to diverting due to crosswinds.