Sky Simulations MD-11

The Sky Simulations MD-11 is a beautifully designed aircraft with a lot special animations. The package contains the passenger and cargo model with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney engines, soundset, many high quality liveries and a 106 pages operation manual. All control surfaces are moving realistically. Unfortunately, the main landing gear is at the wrong angle and not flexible like the one of the Overland model.

The 2d panel looks realistic, although not all systems work exactly like on the real MD-11. For example, the navigation display (EHSI) looks more like the default garmin gps system than the EHSI of a real MD-11. This is of course a minor detail, but I guess it's worth mentioning. The FMS isn't realistic either, though it works fine and is very easy to use because your IFR flight plan will be automatically loaded. The overhead panel looks nice, with most systems functional. Many cockpit systems are modeled like air, electrical, fuel and hydraulic systems, GPWS with typical McDonnell Douglas callouts, realistic multifunction displays, etc.

If you like to control the aircraft in the virtual cockpit, you'll be pleased. The VC looks very realistic and most of the buttons and handles are clickable. Many animations are visible, like a moving nose wheel steering, opening windows, moving windshield wipers and even the manual braking is visible on the rudder pedals! With a click on a button, you can switch on the HUD (Head Up Display) function (see screenshot #3), which can be useful during approach.

With a sub-panel, you can control various special animations: Opening passenger and cargo doors, moving ground vehicles like a fuel truck and cargo loaders, animated ground crew, opening cockpit windows, maintenance mode with opening engines, nose and tail, animated air stairs vehicle, animated pushback truck main cargo loader in the freighter version.







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