Introduction

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a well-known three-engined passenger aircraft that made its debut with Finnair in December 1990. Despite its resemblance to the DC-10, the MD-11 boasted several significant differences. Notably, it featured updated engines, a larger wingspan, a higher maximum takeoff weight, an elongated fuselage, a glass cockpit, and an extended range. The implementation of a glass cockpit eliminated the need for a flight engineer. In total, 200 aircraft were manufactured, including passenger, combi, and freighter variants.

Rotate released the MD-11 Freighter in 2022, and now the team has brought the MD-11 Passenger variant to the X-Plane community. Today we are checking out the newly released MD-11 Passenger.

First Impressions

I have never flown an MD-11 before in any simulator, so it was going to be fun to check out a new aircraft in the virtual hangar. For that matter, I have never flown a plane with three engines in the simulator. Upon initial spawn in the plane, my first impressions were that the cockpit looked solid. The cabin and the exterior also looked great.

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After fully switching over to Microsoft Flight Simulator, I have not used X-Plane in a while. Well, for now, the bug has bitten me thanks to this aircraft, and I am back in X-Plane just for the MD-11.

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Although I had never flown this aircraft before, it was surprisingly easy to start up and get running. Of course, not everything went correctly, but at least I did get the engines started without needing to pull out the manual. However, when I did check out the extensive included documentation and manuals, things were done much more easily and correctly. After trying out the aircraft for a bit, I can say that it is different to fly than other planes; you can feel how heavy the aircraft is.

Aircraft Systems

The systems of the aircraft are really complex. With 19 manuals about all kinds of different systems included, this indicates that there is plenty to learn and master. The systems of the aircraft are both detailed and extensive, ensuring maximum realism. And if you do eventually master everything, there are over 200 custom failures to try out, to further enhance and test your skills. A tablet in the cockpit makes it easy to adjust the different settings of the plane, control weight and balance, control ground operations, and enable and disable failures.

Flight Model

The MD-11 is a unique plane. Instead of the conventional two engines, it features three, giving the aircraft different flight characteristics compared to most other planes. As a relatively large aircraft, it feels quite heavy to fly, which is to be expected. Personally, I haven't gotten used to the feeling of the MD-11 yet, but I believe with time, I will. Being used to flying the A320 family and the 737 family, and sometimes the 777, this experience is something different. In my opinion, this is a positive thing. It's always fun to learn a new plane and be able to master it.

‍Sounds

As I don't have any experience with this plane from any sim, I cannot say whether every sound is correct or not. However, the sounds included with the plane, in my opinion, are solid. I haven't noticed sounds being reused for multiple items, at least not to a noticeable extent. The engine sounds are also powerful, as expected for a plane like this. One famous sound I do know from the plane is the “stabilizer motion”. This sound is famous and sounds as good in the simulator as it does in the real thing, in my opinion.

Exterior model

The Rotate MD-11 Passenger's exterior model is visually pleasing and full of intricate details, from the bolts on the landing gear to the reflective engine exhaust nozzle. The texturing and modelling on the plane are superb, making it a standout feature.

Interior model and cockpit

Similar to the exterior model, the cockpit is highly detailed, with meticulous placement and attention to realism. The expected wear and tear for an older aircraft has been accurately represented. Additionally, as the passenger version of the MD-11, a detailed cabin is included, providing a realistic experience despite the lack of moving parts or working TV screens.

Performance

My setup includes an Nvidia RTX 3070 8 GB, Intel i5-12600K processor, 32 GB RAM, and a 1 TB SSD. The aircraft's performance is quite decent, although it may experience drops in FPS-heavy airports like FlyTampa Amsterdam. Overall, the plane delivered stable frames at around 40 FPS on my system, remaining flyable even when performance slightly decreased.

Conclusion and final thoughts

I was really impressed by this plane. I usually prefer modern planes and tend to avoid older ones. However, this particular aircraft caught my attention. With three engines, it is noticeably different from anything else I have flown before, which made it even more enjoyable. Priced at $83.95, this aircraft isn't the cheapest option for the simulator, but it offers great value for the price. The visually appealing model of the aircraft, combined with realistic and advanced systems, makes it a high-quality add-on. I definitely recommend trying it out if you're looking for something new (or old, depending on how you see it) for the simulator, which is complex and highly immersive. With that said, I'm off to the simulator to fly more and learn more about the plane.

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A big thank you to Rotate for providing us with a copy to review!