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Aviation History
1986
1986 - 3540.PDF
The new long-rangers The Douglas derivative Family and flexibility are watchwords at Long Beach. McDonnell Douglas hopes that the first will provide the second, and that its range of MD-11 options will give airlines the range of choices they require. "The aircraft you fly today won't be the one you fly tomorrow," says Joe Ornelas, senior staff engineer on the MD-11 programme. "The market is so dynamic." By offering basic, combi, freight, and extended-range versions of the MD-11, Douglas hopes to provide the flexibility the market demands. The starting point for the MD-11 is the DC-10-30. Stretching the fuselage by 18-6ft increases two-class seating capac ity from 277 to 321. The maximum, exit- limited, ten-abreast capacity is 405 seats. The MD-11 combi can carry either 321 passengers, 26 cargo pallets, or 120 to 214 passengers and six, eight, or ten pallets. The MD-11 freighter can carry 90 tonnes of upper-deck cargo. The extended-range MD-11 ER retains the unextended, 277-seat DC-10-30 fuselage. Wing refinements on the MD-11 include a new aluminium alloy for the upper skins, to save weight. Winglets, flight-tested for 250hr on the DC-10, reduce drag. At the same time, aft of the rear spar, from the tip to the trailing-edge kink, the wing is revised to produce an aft-loaded aerofoil section. Together these refinements improve fuel efficiency by about 3 per cent. The MD-11 tailplane is 30 per cent smaller than that of the DC-10, with a consequent reduction in weight and drag. A cambered aerofoil and reduced sweep further decrease drag. The lost area is replaced by a stability augmentation system (SAS). While basic aircraft handling without SAS is acceptable, it does not meet DC-10 standards, says Ornelas. The new tailplane is also a 2,000 US gal fuel tank, providing increased fuel capac ity and e.g. control. By moving the e.g. aft, trim, drag, and fuel consumption are reduced. C.g. control improves fuel efficiency by about 3 per cent. Heading The MD-11 has an all-new, two-crew cockpit. Top The restyled interior includes larger overhead bins. Above Extensive wind- tunnel tests have confirmed the efficiency improvements Together, the wing refinements, c.g. control, smaller tailplane, and other changes such as tailplane anti-icing and a reduced-drag tailcone, improve MD-11 fuel efficiency by some 7 per cent over that of the DC-10-30. A further 10 per cent improvement comes from the new- generation engines. Engine choices currently available are the 58,0001b-thrust Pratt & Whitney PW4000 and the 60,2001b-thrust General Electric CF6-80C2. Despite the apparent difference in take-off thrust, the installed thrust at lift off of the two engines is simi lar, says MDC. Rolls-Royce is expected to offer the RB.211-524D4D, currently rated at 58,0001b-thrust for the 747-400. These new-generation engines are at the heart of the MD-ll's improved efficiency, says Ornelas. Further engine improvements are in the pipeline. The PW4000 and CF6-80C2 will share a common pylon, and will offer more 20 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 27 December 1986
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