The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is my second favorite aircraft of all time. This should be of no surprise considering that the DC-10 is numero uno.

Fun fact: I illustrated a DC-10 with missiles and machine guns attached to the bottom of the wings when I was 10 years old (1984). I seriously considered writing McDonnell Douglas a letter (with that illustration attached) to propose my brilliant idea of a top-secret Fighter version.

In the end, McDonnell Douglas had a different (more rational) idea for the evolution of the DC-10. They didn’t have the balls to add machine guns and missiles, but they did make some fairly significant tweaks for greater efficiency and safety. They called it the MD-11, and it’s maiden flight was on January 10, 1990.

Side view templates of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and MD-11F

The following are my highly detailed side view templates of both the MD-11 (passenger version) and the MD-11F (freighter / cargo version). Neither feature the kinds of lethal weaponry I proposed back in the day unfortunately.

Passenger version

The passenger version of the MD-11 looks a lot like the passenger version of the DC-10 (specific visual differences are listed below). These illustrations are based on my templates of the DC-10-30.

Side profile illustration of an all white McDonnell Douglas MD-11 with and without the landing gear deployed over a blank background
As nice as an all white MD-11 looks, it looks a little naked without a splash of color IMHO. I recommend the Delta livery (the 1982 widget version – of course).
Technical side profile line drawing of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 over a blank background with and without the landing gear deployed
No livery is needed for the blueprint / line drawing version though. Look at them sexy gutz!
Buy the source Files (PSD and Vector)

Cargo (freighter) version

The freighter version of the MD-11 is basically a passenger version with no windows and a 140 by 102 inch (3.6 m × 2.6 m) cargo door carved out of the forward section of the fuselage. It’s nearly identical to my templates of the DC 10-30F (MD-10) – minus the MD-11 specific bits.

Side profile illustration of an all white McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (freighter) with and without the landing gear deployed over a blank background
Can you imagine how excited the designers of the UPS livery felt when seeing an all white (virgin) MD-11F for the first time?
Technical side profile line drawing of a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (freighter) over a blank background with and without the landing gear deployed
I promise that I didn’t screw up the scale of that forward cargo door. It really is that small! I’ve seen pictures of Lambos and Ferraris being loaded through that opening, which really puts the size of the MD-11F into perspective.
Buy the source Files (PSD and Vector)

Visual differences between the MD-11 and DC-10

The MD-11 was essentially the second-generation version of the DC-10. Although it shares a vast majority of structural components from that old gal, there are actually some very significant visual differences. It was essentially an all new design:

  • The fuselage was lengthened by 18 ft 7 in (5.66 m) over the DC-10-30
  • It has an all new screwdriver-style tail cone
  • The wingspan was increased by 4 ft 2 in (1.27 m)
  • Winglets were added to the wings
  • The airfoils under the wings are slightly modified
  • It featured all new engines (General Electric or Pratt & Whitney)
  • The new engine options necessitated a slight redesign of the number two engine housing attached to the vertical stabilizer. This actually started with the DC-10-40, but it carries over to the MD-11 as well.

Other minor visual difference include:

  • The size and location of the small aerodynamic fins on the top and the bottom of the fuselage.
  • A slightly redesigned landing gear (front and rear). Everything is still structurally the same, but many of the little details have changed.

Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to update this post as soon as they announce an Attack / Fighter version. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’ll cave in eventually…

My name is Scott, and I graduated from the College for Creative Studies (Detroit, MI) in 1996 with a bachelors degree in Industrial Design.

I have an extensive background in both 2D and 3D illustration. These days, I spend a majority of my time creating aircraft templates and airliner art. I’m basically an airplane dork.

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6 Comments

  1. Thanks so much for making this template! I was one of the designers of the MD-11 automatic flight system, and I am also a professor of aerospace engineering at Cal Poly, Pomona. I have been using a scanned MD-11 profile for years in my aircraft stability and control class, and finding your template makes my lecture slides that much cleaner! Needless to say, I love my MD-11 also! 🙂

    Reply

    1. You’re very welcome Ray! It’s very assuring to know that my template is good enough for one of the designers of the MD-11. I’m glad you found this useful. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Hey Scott nice job with he MD-11 and also since he largest aircraft u made was an A380-800, I got a little challenge for ya if u get a chance

    The challenge for u is to make the King of Cargo the Antonov AN225 it’s the largest aircraft in the world think u can do it, if so than thank you alot

    Reply

    1. Challenge accepted! The 225 is going to be my next all new (illustrated from scratch) aircraft template. It will mostly likely come sometime within the next month or two – I have some travel coming up (and a few other projects to finish), but I’ll be starting on it after that.

      Reply

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