The MD-11 Takes Off : Aerospace: The new aircraft is key to the future of Douglas Aircraft Co. Its maiden flight is six months behind schedule.

After three years of development that cost well over $500 million, McDonnell Douglas flew its new MD-11 jumbo jetliner for the first time Wednesday before as many as 20,000 cheering employees at the firm’s Long Beach plant.

The new jetliner, which carries 323 passengers over its maximum range of 8,000 miles, is critical to the future success of the firm’s Douglas Aircraft Co. unit. Airlines have made commitments for 312 of the three-engine aircraft, worth nearly $30 billion in future business for Douglas.

The flight came some six months later than planned in the original program schedule and was delayed for several more hours when a persistent fog shrouded the Long Beach area until about noon.

When the sun finally burned off the fog, the MD-11 was moved into position on the runway. First, in a gesture customary of the pomp of maiden aircraft flights, a 1935 vintage Douglas DC-2, one of the oldest company aircraft still operating, flew by, tipping its wings.

The MD-11 followed shortly, easily lifting off after a short takeoff roll at 12:28 p.m. for an initial flight leg over the Pacific Ocean. John Miller, chief of flight operations for the MD-11, piloted the aircraft on a loop that included a swing over the Mojave Desert and then a touchdown at 3:24 p.m. at the firm’s test center in Yuma, Ariz.

“It was a good way to start the new year and a good way to start the test program,” Douglas spokesman Don Hanson said.

The good start is badly needed at Douglas, which suffered through 1989 with all of its aircraft programs losing money and falling behind schedule. The MD-11 delays were blamed on problems at suppliers and on a massive management reorganization at Douglas last year that seriously disrupted the 40,000-employee organization.

Douglas President Robert Hood Jr. had set a goal six months ago of having three MD-11s flying by the end of last year, a goal that was missed by a mile. Louis Harrington, Douglas vice president and general manager for the MD-11, said in an interview Wednesday that the company now hopes to have just the second MD-11 flying by next month.

Securities analysts said they will be watching Douglas closely this year to see whether the firm can obtain prompt government certification for the MD-11 and begin deliveries. Harrington said Douglas hopes to obtain that certification by October or November.

Douglas has a work force of 6,000 on the MD-11 now and will increase that to 10,000 by year-end. When the production rate of one MD-11 per week is reached in 1991, employment on the program will hit 12,000.

Because Douglas’ assembly and production on the MD-11 accounts for only 35% of the aircraft, subcontractors and suppliers will also see a big upswing in employment. The boom at Douglas and rival Boeing in Seattle is offsetting in large part the decline in aerospace business resulting from falling defense budgets.

The MD-11 is powered by three General Electric engines, though the aircraft also is offered with Rolls Royce and Pratt & Whitney engines. It is derived from the DC-10, but features a stretched fuselage, new cockpit and special winglets that help improve fuel efficiency. It is about 200 feet long and has a wingspan of about 170 feet.

Demand for the MD-11 has been so strong that Douglas is considering accelerating the production rate to 1.25 aircraft per week by 1992. That would allow the company to eventually recover to its original delivery schedule.

Delays on new aircraft programs are almost predictable. Boeing, touted for its fine management, has fallen badly behind schedule in production of its 747-400 jumbo jetliner.

Many of the thousands of employees who Douglas released from work to watch the flight were perched on hangar rooftops, along runway fences and atop aircraft scaffolding. They had cameras in hand to record the event.

“We are all aviation freaks, so this is a big day for us,” said Gregg Rorabaugh, an avionics buyer on the MD-11 at Douglas. “I’m glad I could get the pictures. I’ll keep them in a scrap book and give them out to my friends.”

THE MD-11 AT A GLANCE

Wingspan: 169 ft. 6 in.

Length: 200 ft. 10 in.

Height: 57 ft. 9 in.

Maximum Weight: 602,500 lbs.

Speed: 588 m.p.h. at 31,000 feet

Engines: Three, supplied by Pratt & Whitney, General Electric or Rolls-Royce

Nonstop range: 8,039 miles with 323 passengers

Orders and options: 312 aircraft for 29 customers (as of Dec. 1, 1989)

Configurations: All passenger, freight only, passenger/freight combination

Passenger capacity: 250-405, depending on configuration

Program launched: Dec. 30, 1986