McDonnell Douglas MD-12

The proposed MD-12 was a full double-decker configuration concept.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-12 was a design study undertaken by the McDonnell Douglas company in the 1990s, though it should be noted that this study was a revival of an earlier Douglas study of the 1960s for a double-decker widebody, reprinted in Air International in 2001. Initially it was to be a stretched, higher capacity version of the trijet MD-11. The design then grew into a much larger aircraft with 4 engines and two passenger decks extending the length of the fuselage, and was announced in April 1992. This was similar in concept to the future Airbus A380 and Boeing NLA, and would have been larger than the Boeing 747. Despite aggressive marketing, especially in the aviation press, no orders were placed for the aircraft, and it was quietly forgotten after the 1997 merger between McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.

Specifications (MD-12 HC, as designed)

MD-12

General characteristics

• Crew: two pilots
• Capacity: 430 Passengers in 3 class arrangement. Up to 511 passengers in high capacity layout.
• Length: 208 ft 0 in (63.40 m)
• Wingspan: 213 ft 0 in (64.92 m)
• Height: 74 ft 0 in (22.55 m)
• Wing area: 5,846 ft² (543.1 m²)
• Empty weight: 413,700 lb (187,650 kg)
• Loaded weight: lb (kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 949,000 lb (430,500 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× General Electric CF6-80C2 turbofans, 61,500 lbf (274 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 656 mph (1,050 km/h) (Mach .85)
• Range: 9,200 miles (14,825 km)
• Service ceiling: ft (m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min (m/s)
• Wing loading: 162.3 lb/ft² (792.7 kg/m²)

Related content

Related development

• McDonnell Douglas MD-11

Comparable aircraft

• Airbus A380
• Boeing NLA
• Boeing 747X

See also
Template:Douglas airliners