The MD-11 was the swansong for the Douglas Aircraft Company, its last great airliner. A derivative of the highly successful DC-10-30, the MD-11 featured an 18.5ft stretch, drag reducing supercritical wings and winglets, more powerful and efficient turbofan engines, and a revolutionary and spacious glass instrumented cockpit. A high degree of automation endows the MD-11 with precision guided flight from takeoff to landing. Although a commercial failure as a passenger plane, the MD-11 has become a highly valued transport for cargo airlines. Safety concerns have marred the MD-11's image in the past, but with the latest improvements in flight control software and using new electrical engineering methods, the MD-11 has become a true swan of the skies. About 185 MD-11's remain in service, and it is expected that they will endure for many years in the niche they have risen to dominate.
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 ChartAir Bahamas 
The MD-11 was the swansong for the Douglas Aircraft Company, its last great airliner. A derivative of the highly successful DC-10-30, the MD-11 featured an 18.5ft stretch, drag reducing supercritical wings and winglets, more powerful and efficient turbofan engines, and a revolutionary and spacious glass instrumented cockpit. A high degree of automation endows the MD-11 with precision guided flight from takeoff to landing. Although a commercial failure as a passenger plane, the MD-11 has become a highly valued transport for cargo airlines. Safety concerns have marred the MD-11's image in the past, but with the latest improvements in flight control software and using new electrical engineering methods, the MD-11 has become a true swan of the skies. About 185 MD-11's remain in service, and it is expected that they will endure for many years in the niche they have risen to dominate.