Day: December 5, 2010

I am a fan of older airplanes. I think they are more fun to fly. That’s also why I find it a pity that few developers have decided to develop older, or “classic” jetliners. I am now thinking of planes like the Boeing 707, 727, 737-100/200, but also the DC-8 and DC-10. Sure, Some of the planes I have mentioned have been developed, and some even in stunning detail (the Dreamfleet 727 comes to mind). Most of the classic jetliners have never even seen the light in FS, however. Some have seen the light but with a systems simulation that is not what some people (me) would like to see. One of those is the DC-10.

The DC-10 is an interesting plane. It is one of the last tri-jets, for their operating costs became more than what airlines would have liked to spend, plus, there was a viable solution: the twin jet! Yes, the A300 set an example for how the new generation of airplanes would be like, and there was no room anymore for tri-jets. Well, there is one exception: The MD-11.

The MD-11 is a plane that has a long history. It started with the DC-10, which then get a complete overhaul to make it a more modern and capable aircraft in these modern time, and thus it was transformed into the MD-11. Finally, some DC-10 aircraft received a MD-11 cockpit and where aptly named “MD-10”. Sadly, there are few models available of the MD-11 (with full VC, that is). Sky Simulations has done one and, of course: PMDG. It is the PMDG MD-11 I will be looking at in this review. Will they have managed to make another winner? We’ll soon see!