(Delayed to OCT 24th) TFDi Design sets October 16 as expected release date for MD-11 Collector’s Edition

Update, October 16th: TFDi issued a short statement revealing that they had taken the decision to “delay the MD-11 Collectors Edition by one week to allow our Quality Assurance team to dive deeper into the aircraft to ensure that you get the best aircraft possible“. The package is now expected to be released by October 24th!

TFDi Design, the team working on a high-fidelity MD-11 for Microsoft Flight Simulator, has announced that the Collector’s Edition of this project is expected to be available by October 16. This edition will mark the first time the aircraft is available to the public and will serve as a significant milestone in the project’s development, putting the MD-11 in the hands of the 1,000 simmers who purchased this package and thus invested in the project’s development early on.

The MD-11 has been a complex undertaking by TFDi Design, with various components still at different stages of development. As of this week, the FMS is at 85% completion, with features like LAT REV, SID/STAR entry, and airway entry fully supported. The autoflight system is also at 85%, having been retuned for Microsoft Flight Simulator. The displays, including the PFD, ND, EAD, and SD, are at 95% completion, with various refinements being added as the project progresses.

TFDI MD 11 MSFS 2

The Collector’s Edition will be the first public release of the MD-11 and will serve as a platform for further testing and bug reporting. Users who have purchased this edition will gain exclusive access to the ER variant of the MD-11, besides the standard passenger and cargo variants.

The Collector’s Edition will also serve as a precursor to the Early Access phase, where a wider audience will be able to provide feedback and bug reports. After that, the MD-11 will eventually reach the Feature Complete stage where all features are implemented, and the focus shifts to bug fixing.

While the project now seems to be reaching a critical and important milestone, there still seems to be a lot left to be done, so don’t expect a full open rollout any time soon. This will certainly be a project to stay in the lookout for in 2024! In the meantime, we’ll certainly have a lot of feedback from the lucky ones who will be flying the MD-11 starting October 16th. Stay tuned!