2 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

I guess it's just like the 717 - horribly bugged in the beginning with loads of potential though. I'll wait and see if the MD11 ends up being as good as the 717. I just have no time for buggy aircraft when I can fly a smooth 777 or Fenix.

Agreed. Really want to get this bird but i was disciplined enough to wait through the pay now get alpha period so i will be disciplined enough to wait for them to sort these bugs out before picking this up.

5 minutes ago, Fiorentoni said:

I guess it's just like the 717 - horribly bugged in the beginning with loads of potential though. I'll wait and see if the MD11 ends up being as good as the 717. I just have no time for buggy aircraft when I can fly a smooth 777 or Fenix.

I've been sitting on the fence with this. Installed and finely tuned FSX recently just to fly the PMDG version and their 747 series. The planes just work so well with deep systems that you can work thru the fcom with. Only issue I have is with ancient runways confusing modern navdata. Bizarre as it sounds, I still feel that going from a MD11 made 15 years ago running in a 32 bit sim to the TDfi in MSFS I am going to feel disappointed in some way. The sounds are amazing too. I'm really hoping this turns out well for TDFi I credit their efforts for bringing a classic plane to MSFS that PMDG said wouldn't turn a profit (for them).

MSFS is 4 years old now and I still see plenty of EA planes released. 

1 hour ago, Fiorentoni said:

I guess it's just like the 717 - horribly bugged in the beginning with loads of potential though. I'll wait and see if the MD11 ends up being as good as the 717. I just have no time for buggy aircraft when I can fly a smooth 777 or Fenix.

It gives me no pleasure to report the issues I’ve had. Friends and I have been looking forward to this for a long time… I’m hoping the issues get sorted in a patch or two. 
I did hear from a friend in the CE program that it’s been a slow slog getting through the issues tracker so far. 

In my flight last night I couldn’t engage the parking brake, the lever just wouldn’t move.  All of my hydraulics appeared to be working and the flight was otherwise uneventful.  Bug or did i screw something up I wonder?

8 minutes ago, regis9 said:

In my flight last night I couldn’t engage the parking brake, the lever just wouldn’t move.  All of my hydraulics appeared to be working and the flight was otherwise uneventful.  Bug or did i screw something up I wonder?

PB needs Rudder Pedal Brakes to work PB. Pretty much like the PMDGs do 

-B

I’ve had it since release and apart from the weird way you have to taxi it (a feature apparently) and the fact that it seems a bit hit or miss with tracking waypoints, it’s actually pretty solid. 

I have to say that I do find it quite fiddly to fly - the rotary click spots that you press and disengage to engage various modes along with the digits on the MCP (or whatever that is in MD parlance) are quite small, meaning a quite high workload at times. I found myself gravitating back to the Fenix already with my mini FCU for an easier time  

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 20241 yr by bennyboy75

10 hours ago, mspencer said:

Also drag coefficients seem to be off by quite a bit - setting Flaps 25.0 in Dial-a-Flap for T/O with high gross weights (freighter) results in the airplane's near inability to accelerate or climb to acceleration altitude. I know at higher gross weights it can be a pig but it seems a little excessive.

I have been flying this plane around the world now. Those flights were LSZH-VTBS-WSSS-RKSI-RJTT-KLAX-SBGL-EDDF-LEMD-MMMX. As you can see, several flights were close to max range and fully loaded, my last take-off from LEMD had an OAT of 34°C, a flaps setting of 25°, TOW 252 Tons, and if the climb was indeed slow initially (as expected for a normal plane that heavy at high TEMP), it did reach a safe climb speed as planned. I fly the passenger version only, I don't have the freight version.

Taxying the plane requires a max speed of 10 knots before any turn, so anticipation is key, ample proof that this is the actual aircraft behaviour was demonstrated in this thread and others on this topic even with video.

I do experience difficulties with ILS capture when mode is on NAV, I now get on the LOC with HDG (having armed the APP mode first) and LOC would turn green, GS will follow. In my latest approach in MMMX on the 34R ILS, everything was properly set in the FMC but the plane was off the LOC because I left the NAV mode ON, until I took over manually. This bug is being addressed. 

The fuel consumption calculations in the FMC are optimistic upon take-off and climb, when reaching cruise level, the fuel predictions are accurate.

I don't understand what you are referring to regarding the WASM problem, I never had the plane "falling from the sky" at any time. Are you planning your flights with Simbrief and importing them into the FMC via the tablet? 

At this stage, I would not label the TDFI MD11 as a "future" buy, because as it is presently, it can already indeed bring a lot of satisfaction and pleasure for those who like this airplane.

Edited August 12, 20241 yr by Bernard Ducret

I'm using following procedures: generate flt.pln in Simbrief, initializing MD11, importing pln into EFB, then sending W&B data to the FMC and doing the performance calculation, then continuing until TO. Have set all frequently required controls including AP to external hardware, have no mods in community folder and the MSFS settings to moderate to get a smooth output to the 55" and two 21" with Panel Popout Manager for the four screens. Set time compression during long hauls max 2x with FsSimRate and the plane is flying well, ILS frequency input into FMC manually, LOC capture with HDG SEL and landing manually from about 1500 - 1000 ft. Until now no CTD, blackouts or bluescreens, it is working. As next I'm trying to operate the ELEC/HYD/FUEL/AIR Panels one at a time in MAN mode to see what happens then. Is a lot of fun to operate the AC. What I'm missing are the WX/TERR displays. Best regards

4 hours ago, Bernard Ducret said:

I have been flying this plane around the world now. Those flights were LSZH-VTBS-WSSS-RKSI-RJTT-KLAX-SBGL-EDDF-LEMD-MMMX. As you can see, several flights were close to max range and fully loaded, my last take-off from LEMD had an OAT of 34°C, a flaps setting of 25°, TOW 252 Tons, and if the climb was indeed slow initially (as expected for a normal plane that heavy at high TEMP), it did reach a safe climb speed as planned. I fly the passenger version only, I don't have the freight version.

Taxying the plane requires a max speed of 10 knots before any turn, so anticipation is key, ample proof that this is the actual aircraft behaviour was demonstrated in this thread and others on this topic even with video.

I do experience difficulties with ILS capture when mode is on NAV, I now get on the LOC with HDG (having armed the APP mode first) and LOC would turn green, GS will follow. In my latest approach in MMMX on the 34R ILS, everything was properly set in the FMC but the plane was off the LOC because I left the NAV mode ON, until I took over manually. This bug is being addressed. 

The fuel consumption calculations in the FMC are optimistic upon take-off and climb, when reaching cruise level, the fuel predictions are accurate.

I don't understand what you are referring to regarding the WASM problem, I never had the plane "falling from the sky" at any time. Are you planning your flights with Simbrief and importing them into the FMC via the tablet? 

At this stage, I would not label the TDFI MD11 as a "future" buy, because as it is presently, it can already indeed bring a lot of satisfaction and pleasure for those who like this airplane.

Sorry, but this doesn't bear out with my experiences with the plane.

The freighter is going to have a higher ZFW than the pax version. I did a very long flight with the pax version (the only one that went off without a hitch) and the 2nd stage climb performance was fine at flaps 20, but with the higher gross of the freighter, it is literally impossible to get beyond FR speed with flaps between 20 and 25. 

NAV should transition relatively seamlessly to the LOC if it's within 0.2nm! And it definitely shouldn't send you on a far right bank turn away from the localizer if you set the frequency in the MCDU!

The fuel consumption calculations are remarkably inaccurate - even at cruise! If you're flying a 3 hour sector it'll be way different than 11, obviously, so maybe you haven't seen it, but the MCDU confidently told me we'd have 68klbs of gas (!!!) on the ground in PHNL somewhere over Texas.

WASM isn't a system or something optional - it's the codebase in which MSFS compiles an airplane, so you can't "turn WASM off" or "prevent WASM," if you have a WASM crash the sim usually crashes or the airplane bricks. The airplane bricked, even the analog standby indicator stops working, because basically the airplane stops talking to the sim. This has nothing to do with import, it's the equivalent of a CTD or fatal error in any program, it just stops working. It's a critical bug - the product completely ceases to function when this happens.

This should be a future buy for most, it needs probably 3-6 months of patches, depending on how quickly they are working through the bug tracker. From everything I've heard it has been a slog. 

12 hours ago, bennyboy75 said:

I have to say that I do find it quite fiddly to fly - the rotary click spots that you press and disengage to engage various modes along with the digits on the MCP (or whatever that is in MD parlance) are quite small, meaning a quite high workload at times. I found myself gravitating back to the Fenix already with my mini FCU for an easier time  

With MobiFlight you can use your miniFCU with other aircraft including the MD11 https://github.com/Koseng/MobiFlight-miniFCU-Profiles

5 hours ago, mspencer said:

WASM isn't a system or something optional - it's the codebase in which MSFS compiles an airplane, so you can't "turn WASM off" or "prevent WASM," if you have a WASM crash the sim usually crashes or the airplane bricks. The airplane bricked, even the analog standby indicator stops working, because basically the airplane stops talking to the sim. This has nothing to do with import, it's the equivalent of a CTD or fatal error in any program, it just stops working. It's a critical bug - the product completely ceases to function when this happens.

I can then confirm that in all my flights (all long hauls - 7 to 12 hours - except one VTBS-WSSS) indicated in my first post, I never experienced what you describe above. Neither did I have such wrong indications regarding fuel consumptions in any of my flights. So that is mystifying to say the least, The only problem we have in common is the capture of the ILS in NAV mode which, evidently does not work as it should and is under review at this time by TDFI.

I would therefore, respectfully, differ on your severe "no buy yet" for "most" recommandation, at least for the passenger version. Since I do not own the freighter version I cannot comment on it.

7 minutes ago, Bernard Ducret said:

I can then confirm that in all my flights (all long hauls - 7 to 12 hours - except one VTBS-WSSS) indicated in my first post, I never experienced what you describe above. Neither did I have such wrong indications regarding fuel consumptions in any of my flights. So that is mystifying to say the least, The only problem we have in common is the capture of the ILS in NAV mode which, evidently does not work as it should and is under review at this time by TDFI.

I would therefore, respectfully, differ on your severe "no buy yet" for "most" recommandation, at least for the passenger version. Since I do not own the freighter version I cannot comment on it.

Well that's a difference of opinion. I have mine and you have yours.

In my case, I regret spending $80 on an airplane that 50% of the time starts with a dead panel and has all of the issues I've shared above. I'm not making them up or trying to break the airplane, it just doesn't work as intended, which was a similar story when the 717 came out so many years ago.

Edit: never mind, now the panel is totally dead on 5 loads, none of the tricks from last time worked. Plane is totally bricked for me now lol.

Edited August 12, 20241 yr by mspencer

I guess the good thing about all of this is that everyone can understand the facts such as cost.. evaluate it against other products in the market if they so choose read the forums and understand the issues or non issues and come to their own conclusion if the product fits their needs.

I just want to see where/what the bugs are and if/when they are fixed. Im sure for the people who want it badly enough will purchase and those who can wait will do so until they are satisfied their concerns are remediated.

I’ve used the freighter version quite a bit, and (maybe I’ve been lucky) so far I haven’t encountered any severe issues. I had some issues on the release version, which was either fixed or improved on subsequent versions. Once again it seems that addons behave differently on different systems. The A300 is a good example IMO; it was virtually unflyable for some whereas others didn’t have any issues. Go figure 🤷🏻‍♂️

52 minutes ago, mspencer said:

Plane is totally bricked for me now lol.

At this stage, contacting support by email will lead you to a solution, they are quite fast to respond (at least that was my experience).