McDonnell Douglas MD-12

[Stargazer]

I have seen pics of the MD-12 (double-decker) and pics of the MD-XX (stretched MD-11) project in this topic, but none of the latter actually carrying the MD-12 designation.

Here is one. It's a scan from an AW&ST from 13 January 1992.

Interesting caption here: in those hard restructuring days, McDonnell Douglas was considering a sale of the whole Douglas airliner division to Taiwan! Unfortunately I have only an incomplete article.

 

[davidy12]

It's a darn shame some people think that the MD's fate was sealed as soon as they built the DC-10. In my opinion the MD-11 effectively ruined McDonnel Douglas. If they had realized that modernizing the DC-10 wasn't enough or they had made the MD-11 with 2 engines then in my opinion I think it may be still around today.

 

[Cy-27]

I picked up a MD-12 Update sheet at Farnborough 1992 with a piece about wind tunnel testing and wing design. Were any more updates produced other than Vol.1 No.1 ?

 

[carsinamerica]

I picked up a MD-12 Update sheet at Farnborough 1992 with a piece about wind tunnel testing and wing design. Were any more updates produced other than Vol.1 No.1 ?

Wow, that's an interesting reference (especially with the 60-inch doors!). I'd never seen those. Somewhere along the line, the MD-12 went from a 208-foot span wing to a 229-foot span, but I've never been able to track down whether that was a root insert, tip extension, or something else. I'd really like to find out. Count me in as wanting to know about more updates.

 

[fightingirish]

Guy Norris - 737MAX and the MD-12

 

[Triton]

Guy Norris - 737MAX and the MD-12

Nice find, fightingirish.

 

[chornedsnorkack]

Pay attention to the upper deck, too. Only 7 seats abreast in economy. A380 has 8 abreast. Thus, because MD-12 is 11 abreast on main deck, where A380 is 10 abreast, the difference is 4 extra seats on MD-12, only 2 on A380.
Does anyone have MD-12 cross-section to compare with A380?

 

[carsinamerica]

Pay attention to the upper deck, too. Only 7 seats abreast in economy. A380 has 8 abreast. Thus, because MD-12 is 11 abreast on main deck, where A380 is 10 abreast, the difference is 4 extra seats on MD-12, only 2 on A380.
Does anyone have MD-12 cross-section to compare with A380?

Voila.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Good Day All -

On EPay right now is this promo artwork for the MD-12:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/McDonnell-Douglas-MD-12-10x8-colour-photo-Concept-double-deck-4-Jet-aircraft-/111404644480?pt=UK_Collectables_Aeronautica_MJ&hash=item19f03bf880

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[chornedsnorkack]

Pay attention to the upper deck, too. Only 7 seats abreast in economy. A380 has 8 abreast. Thus, because MD-12 is 11 abreast on main deck, where A380 is 10 abreast, the difference is 4 extra seats on MD-12, only 2 on A380.
Does anyone have MD-12 cross-section to compare with A380?

Voila.

The numbers are still illegible, even at maximum enlargement.

 

[carsinamerica]

Voila.

The numbers are still illegible, even at maximum enlargement.

Um, it's pretty legible. Don't give up so easily.

Exterior fuselage dimensions: 291 inches by 335 inches
Ceiling height: 100 inches main deck, 86 inches upper deck
Aisles: 22 inches L/R, 20 inches center (main deck, business); 24 inches (upper deck, economy)
Seat widths, business: 50 inches (2 seats)
Seat widths, economy: 62 inches (3 seats), 42 inches (2 seats)

A later version from the AIAA papers changes:
Exterior fuselage dimensions: 294 inches wide
Aisles: 26 inches L/R, 20 inches center (main deck, business), 19 inches (upper deck, economy)
Seat widths, economy: 82 inches (4 seats). This allows 8-abreast seating upstairs.

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Good Day All -

On EPay is a nice Ken Hodges painting of the MD-12:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-ILLUSTRATION-OF-A-MD-12-PLANE-BY-KEN-HODGES-ARTIST-FOR-NASA-/191594252063?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c9be8471f

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Triton]

McDonnell Douglas MD-XX LR (Long Range)

MD11/MD12-undeveloped models

When MD11 sales were slow in the early 1990's MDC looked at several new variants including the MD12. MD12X, MDXX. Many people are i'm sure aware of the proposed MD12 which looked very similar to the Airbus A380 currently being built today. However, the MD12 started out as a tri-jet. The MD12X was also a tri-jet as were the MD-XX, MD-XX LR and MD-XX Stretch-all of which looked very similar to the MD11 and featured commonality in flight deck etc but featured a huge 213 ft wingspan, range of up to 8320 nm (LR) and a fusealge 31 ft longer than the current MD11. None of the proposed variants and indeed the new MD12 got off the ground, largely due to the huge debts that MDC were running. The MD-XX Stretch and MD-XX LR were unveiled at the Farnborough air show in 1996 but again the project never got the go ahead and shortly before the end of 1996 the project was cancelled.

Source:
http://md-eleven.net/MD11-MD12-undeveloped-models

 

[hesham]

From L+K 2/1994,

a good artist drawing to it.

 

[fightingirish]

McDonnell Douglas MD-12 Handout
A handout on the proposed McDonnell Douglas MD-12 aircraft. (Yes, I said MD-12.)
The McDonnell Douglas MD-12 was a four-engine, double deck, superjumbo airliner concept conceived in the early 1990s. Powered by 4 GE CF6-80C2 high-bypass turbofans, the MD-12 was designed to have a maximum capacity of 511 passengers in 3-class configuration, and a maximum range of 9,200 miles.
Download here or here or here or here or here or here (19.9 Megs)

Link: http://aviationarchives.blogspot.com/2020/08/mcdonnell-douglas-md-12-handout.html

McDonnell Douglas MD-12 Specification Sheet
A copy of the company produced spec sheet for the proposed MD-12 aircraft.
From the sheet: The MD-12 is the first full length/double deck, high capacity aircraft to be offered to the World’s airlines. The four engine aircraft will fly the longest routes, carry the largest payloads, and perform with the best economic efficiency of any long range aircraft available. The aircraft is presently in the design stage of development. The finished product will be a direct response to the needs of the wor1d’s leading airlines. The MD- 12 will be the leader in the large, long-range jet class for the next century.
Download here or here or here or here or here or here (11.3 Megs)

Link: http://aviationarchives.blogspot.com/2020/08/mcdonnell-douglas-md-12-specification.html

 

[carsinamerica]

McDonnell Douglas MD-XX LR (Long Range)

Source:

MD11/MD12-undeveloped models

MD-12?? - undeveloped models.

md-eleven.net

First, a note for the forum guardians: I wonder if my post, and some of the ones above about the MD-XX should be moved to the DC-10 Projects and Variants thread.

This shows some of the changes from the MD-11 baseline as of the end of May '96. Later, the span was increased slightly from 200 ft. to 213 ft. The described stretch of 9.3 m is pretty much spot on: the final stretch was 31 ft. (9.45 m).

Some further armchair analysis.

• Judging by the promotional images, the MD-XX Stretch and MD-XX LR both moved the L2/R2 doors 3 frames aft, but that's not necessarily a stretch.
• The MD-XX LR would probably have been about 12 in. longer in its fuselage than the MD-11, which is why the reports usually say it's "virtually" the same size. This is because the -XX Stretch is 31 ft. longer, which is 18 frames, plus 12 inches. The 12 inches, presumably, is in the wingbox, so that stretch would be common to both Stretch and LR versions.
• Counting windows and cross-checking against an FAA document about NLAs from 1996 shows that the Stretch was stretched by 8 frames forward and 10 frames aft, compared to the LR.

Here's my question, though: Has anyone ever seen a decent-quality 3-view of either the MD-XX LR or the MD-XX Stretch? It's so odd. Those drawings exist for most concepts, but seemingly not the MD-XX family. The only thing that comes close is this datasheet from the FAA NLA paper, but the proportions are all wrong and detail is entirely absent.

 

[hesham]

From, Lotnictwo Aviation International 1992 Nr 21.

 

[td_07]

From Flight International archives, April 1-7 1992 and 6-12 May, 1992, respectively.
Here goes 3-engined version of 'big' MD-12 Sferrin was talking of, and 2-engined as well...

Any idea what kind of engines would have been used on the twin engine concept? Looks to be of the higher-bypass variety

Furthermore, using three engines already seems rather out there, although it does look like an evolutionary stepping stone from the MD-11