Yes…..really…..all day long. As long as ATC clears them, there is no restriction if a required piece of equipment for RVSM fails in flight. The difference between Dispatch (MEL) requirements and enroute.

Please show me one time where I ever indicated I knew what caused 111. I challenge you.

If you look back through the thread you’ll see I indicated from the first mention that no one knows what really caused it, any other assertion is merely wishful thinking on your part. It IS true that 111 is YET ANOTHER tragic and regrettable crash resulting in loss of life from the flawed DC10/MD11 series. I’m can’t figure out why you’re so combative and protective about “the airplane that killed off the Douglas Commercial airplane division” when it seems pretty apparent from the record that they’re pretty dangerous airplanes (see my graphic with the hull loss statistics from Boeing.

I’m not combative about the MD-11, I know it has it’s issues but I’ve been flying on it for 15 years at max take-off and landing weights and I’m still here. What i am “combative” about is some of the inane drivel you speak. This thread was about the retirement of KLMs airframes until it was hijacked by yourself and one other person. You obviously don’t have a pilot or engineering background reading some of your posts.

By the way, there’s also a big difference between a piece of RVSM-required equipment failing en-route and hand-flying!

Thats a real shame. I guess the Martinair airframes will be around for a while?

Scrapping or long-term storage? Have flown in her many times over the years. Ship741 probably has a copy of this one on his toilet wall with a crucifix hanging over it:dev2: Someone told him to do it.

I had one 32 year Capain tell me the darn thing couldn’t be hand flown above FL300 because the tail was too small

Ha-ha. You’ve just made my week. Classic! Thanks:D

Your F/O friend probably quit because he was either not flying it as he had been trained or he was just an average pilot (no offence) Most crews that fly or have flown the MD-11 love it. Its also a great machine to turn wrenches on. It has its bad points but most airplanes do.

By the way, the stabiliser is not “too small”. It is smaller than the DC-10 and uses LSAS through the FCCs. It is also a fuel tank. If it was “too small” it would never have been certified.

Dont think FedEx will be phasing out the MD-11 anytime soon. Only within the last year they have put 5 newly-acquired ex Transmile airframes into service. Maybe those KLM machines will end up hauling freight too. I’ve flown on them several times between AMS-MEM in the years gone by. Fine machine!

Does anyone remember any planned orders that never happened.

Off the top of my head i can think of.

1) Monarch 787’s.

2) Inter European MD11’s.

3) Jet2 767-300’s.

4) Air 2000 A330’s.

5) Caledonian A330’s.

6) Britannia 757-300’s.

7) Monarch 767-300’s (In 1990).

8) Airtours 737-300’s (Instead of MD83’s in 1991)

Didn’t Air Europe also order the MD-11? They were going to be the launch (and only) customer for the RR engine. When they went under McDD withdrew the RR engine as an option so you could only have the GE or PW.