Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
Introduction
&
Product Information
Index:
1. Presentation
1. 1. Systems Description.
1. 2. Tutorial Flight
1. 3. Limitations & Checklists
2. License
3. Disclaimer
4. Acknowledgements
5. Requirements
5. 1. Hardware requirements
5. 2. Software requirements
6. Installation
7. Support
8. Database
9. Aircraft menu
10. Manipulators
11. VR controllers
12. Hardware controllers
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
1. Presentation
The Rotate MD-11 is an aircraft add-on for Laminar’s X-Plane 12 that simulates the original
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter version.
This manual consists of three volumes:
1) Systems Description,
2) Tutorial Flight and
3) Pilot Handbook.
1. 1. Systems Description.
Each system of the aircraft is in a dedicated PDF file. These systems are:
1. Aircraft General
2. Air
3. Aural/Visual Warning
4. Automatic Flight
5. APU
6. Communications
7. Electrical
8. Emergency Equipment
9. Fire Protection
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
10. Flight Controls
11. Flight Instruments
12. Fuel
13. Hydraulics
14. Ice and Rain Protection
15. Lighting
16. Navigation
17. Engines
18. Doors
19. Landing Gear
1. 2. Tutorial Flight
Although the Systems Description could be sufficient to understand how the aircraft works, it
may not be so to operate the aircraft. For that matter we have included a Tutorial Flight
showing the normal procedures. Abnormal procedures are excluded from this tutorial.
1. 3. Limitations & Checklists
This includes one PDF for each item: Limitations and Checklists. These are only the Normal
Checklists.
2. License
The Rotate MD-11 is released under the terms specified in the License.rtf (or License.txt)
document inside the aircraft folder. As part of the development of this software, other third
party libraries have been used and/or redistributed, in sources or binary form, according to
the conditions specified in the corresponding license documents included in the software
package.
3. Disclaimer
The real McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a very complex commercial airliner, which also has
quite a few unique features. Although our model entails a high level of simulation, it is not a
fully 100% simulated model. Features in the original may include things that have not been
represented in the simulation, as well as features may have been added or adapted to the
scope of a software simulation that are different from the original model.
Due to its complexity and the level of simulation, improper operation of the aircraft and its
resulting bad behavior may be mistakenly attributed to a malfunction. In those cases it’s
important to read the appropriate section of the manual. Pay special attention to the
operation of the aircraft within its performance limits.
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
Important note: This manual and the model to which it refers are intended only for
recreational purposes, not for professional simulation or for real aviation.
4. Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following contributors and beta testers:
William Chardack
Joseph Chamberlain
Arno from Lufthansa Cargo
Robert Boone
SwissairMD11 (Max)
Gustavo Luna
Chas
David Malka
James Burns
Saul Galeno
Matt Bromback
Helmuth Moya
Cloud Surfer
Greg Jarchow
Wybe Witteveen
Johan van de Peppel
Atarium Liveries
Jame Burns
5. Requirements
5. 1. Hardware requirements
The following hardware and system characteristics are the recommended minimal setup to
run this product at sufficient frame-rate. The software will run in systems with lower settings,
but the frame-rate could be compromised.
Processor: Intel Core i5 or i7 3.4GHz, or AMD equivalent.
System RAM: 8 GB.
Hard Disk Usage: 2.0 GB.
Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti / Radeon RX 470 (VRAM 4GB or more recommended).
An Internet connection is required for license activation and management (not for playing).
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
The Rotate MD-11 has been designed to optimize performance and to achieve an optimal
CPU/GPU balance. However, it makes intensive use of CPU and graphics card, so make
sure to adjust X-Plane settings according to your hardware and the addons that you use in
combination with this aircraft. Remember that in X-Plane you can tune parameters like
“Number of World Objects”, “Reflection Detail” and “Shadows” that will affect your CPU
usage. Additionally, we will provide a set of 2k textures to reduce VRAM load for those with
low VRAM.
You can get more info about hot to tune X-Plane settings here:
https://www.x-plane.com/manuals/desktop/#settingtherenderingoptionsforbestperformance
5. 2. Software requirements
This software is an aircraft add-on for X-Plane Flight Simulator by Laminar Research. It is
meant to be run in X-Plane 12, for Windows, OSX and Linux platforms. It will run on X Plane
64-bit architecture only. 32-bit systems are not supported.
In OSX systems you will need to authorize execution of the software. For that before running
the Rotate MD-11 the first time, open the Terminal app in your OSX, type this line
substituting the path to your Rotate MD-11 installation (without the [ ]) and press “enter”:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine [Rotate-MD-11 folder full path].
You will also need:
For all platforms:
●
64-bit Operative system.
●
Laminar Research X Plane 64b v11.55.
Windows:
●
Microsoft Windows 8, 10 64b.
●
Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 (x64) Redistributable.
OSX:
●
OSX 10.11 and up (using Rosetta for ARM Processors).
●
OpenGL Framework.
Linux:
●
GLIBC v2.27 (Ubuntu 18.04).
●
OpenGL.
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
6. Installation
To install the add-on, copy the Rotate-MD-11 folder, contained in the compressed
package, to any of the folders inside Aircrafts of your X-Plane installation. The installation
path will look like this:
X-Plane 12/Aircrafts/Rotate-MD-11.
First load and license activation
Launch X-Plane and select the Rotate-MD-11 and any airport in the “Flight Configuration”
page. Select “Start Flight”.
Once loaded, an activation window will pop up. Follow the instructions to complete the
activation process.
After a successful activation you will be asked to reload the aircraft. Do so, and the aircraft
will be loaded and fully operational.
7. Support
The Rotate Team will provide customer support for the product during the commercial
availability of the product.
There will be a support forum at:
forums.x-plane.org
You can also contact the support team and open a ticket through the Rotate Support Center:
support.rotatesim.com
For commercial support (anything regarding your purchase, download and so on) you should
contact your product distributor.
8. Database
This software uses a third party Navigation Database to provide advanced navigation
procedures inside the FMS. The current distribution includes an outdated version of this
database, courtesy of Aerosoft GmbH.
Most third party distributors of Navigation Databases should have a product compatible with
this aircraft.
How to update automatically:
Most Navigation Databases products have an installation manager which automates the
installation. Consult your provider for support on these products.
How to update manually:
The third party navigation database is installed locally in the “nav-data” folder inside the
aircraft’s folder structure.
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
Completely remove and substitute the contents of that folder with an updated compatible
navigation database and it will be made accessible to the FMS on reload.
Be aware that using a non compatible database or partially rewriting the contents of the
“nav-data” folder may cause malfunction or totally inhibit the execution of this software. If
that happens you can reinstall from the original distribution package.
9. Aircraft menu
There is a Rotate MD-11 Aircraft Menu that will allow you to set a number of options and
perform various tasks, such as fuel and cargo load, open the doors, set failures and so on.
The menu is accessible through the X-Plane Plugins Menu:
The Aircraft Menu has four tabs, dedicated to: Options, Load Manager, Ground Operations
and Failures:
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
All menus are pretty much self explanatory, but the Load Manager needs some clarification:
The graphic shows the Zero Fuel Weight Center of Gravity (ZF-CG) and the Take Off Weight
Center of Gravity (TO-CG) for a given weight. Y axis represents weight (units are set in the
options tab) and X axis represents the deviation of CG as a percentage of the MAC (Mean
Aerodynamic Chord). The lines represent the ZF-CG and TO-CG limits. TO-CG and ZF-CG
values are shown below the graphic, along with the Take Off Weight (TOW), the Zero Fuel
Weight (ZFW) and the Landing Weight (LW). For the Landing Weight to be calculated, the
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
pilot must enter the estimated Trip Fuel. The Payload CG must also be entered manually.
For further explanation on how to load the aircraft, see the Tutorial Flight.
10. Manipulators
Manipulators are used to manipulate cockpit elements like switches, handles, knobs,
buttons, etc.
You can click over the hot-spots to manipulate switches, buttons, knobs and handles. They
operate as on/off toggles, or increasing/decreasing the position of knobs and handles. They
are represented by a hand or arrow symbols when the mouse is passed over them in the 3D
cockpit. Some manipulators may require click & drag to be operated. Additionally, most
manipulators in the form of knobs or wheels can be operated with the mouse-wheel as well.
You can highlight the mouse hot-spots in the 3D cockpit by activating X-Plane’s option
“Show Instruments Click Regions” in the “View” menu.
11. VR controllers
The simulation provides basic compatibility with VR hardware, relaying all functionality in
X-Plane’s support for these devices. We have customized manipulators and hotspots to
make VR integration as smooth as possible. However, we cannot guarantee that controls will
be fully functional and/or calibrated in all cases and for all gear.
12. Hardware controllers
The simulation provides support out of the box for the usual hardware configuration with
joystick/yoke without pedals using the regular X-Plane axes. The default axes for the usual
controls, i.e. elevator, ailerons and rudder work with the default configuration. Dedicated toe
brakes and tiller with continuous controllers require selection in the Aircraft Menu (see
below). Throttle handles will also work with default axes for 1 or 3 configuration handles.
Many of the most used commands in X-Plane already work. Additionally, there are custom
commands for every configurable action of our simulation ready to be assigned to buttons or
keystrokes via the X-Plane menus.
Some controls like flaps and speedbrake handles can be operated through commands or
continuous axes. We recommend the use of commands to get the correct animations of the
complex mechanisms of the handle. When using continuous axes on controls that have
a simulated servo or continuous movement like flaps or speedbrakes, you may
experience discrepancies between the hardware controller and the simulation. To avoid
this behavior we recommend using commands to drive these controls.
In the case of the throttle handles, configure one or three axes assignments. You can use
the throttle Response Curve. The keyboard shortcuts will work as well.
Have in mind that during ATS (autothrottle) control, the virtual handles in the cockpit will
move disregarding your hardware setting. You should adjust your hardware handles to the
virtual position before canceling ATS or before going to CLAMP mode, to avoid jumps in the
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
virtual handles position. To this end, an amber “ghost handle” will indicate the hardware
position when you move the levers and they don’t match the virtual position so that you can
have a visual reference of the hardware position. The amber mark will disappear when
matching the virtual position or when not moving the levers.
Also, note that during CLAMP mode or whenever ATS system is disengaged, the hardware
handles will command the position of the virtual handles in the cockpit. If your hardware is
glitchy it might move the handles even without touching the hardware.
Finally, to minimize hardware glitches, we have implemented a small delay in the hardware
response. If you move your hardware levers too fast the displacement may not be detected
properly. If you experience this, try moving the levers more slowly.
For reversers, you can use one or three handle axes if your hardware provides that, or
alternatively use the regular commands “Hold all engine reversers at max” or “Toggle all
engine reversers”. You can use “per handle” commands as well. And “beta and reverse”
option in throttle axes will work too. Just have in mind that commands will override other
commands and the hardware axes if triggered after the fact.
1) The simplest way is to assign a button to the command “Hold all engine reversers at
max”. Call this command once you are with throttles at idle and you will get
deployment and max reverser power automatically. In this way you can't control the
amount of reverse thrust.
2) Alternatively, you can assign “Toggle all engine reversers” to a button (or a lever that
works as a button). The operation will then be: Move throttle to idle and toggle
reversers and wait until "REV" is displayed in green at each N1 indicator, then
advance the throttles to regulate the amount of reverse thrust.
3) If you have one or three hardware levers available you can assign them to the
reverser axes controls and actuate them while your throttle handles are in idle.
Remember to wait until "REV" is displayed in green at each N1 indicator before
applying thrust.
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Rotate MD-11 Manual. Introduction & Product Information
Toe brakes and tiller. To avoid issues regarding brakes and tiller, if you are using
hardware toe-brakes and/or tiller you should assign them in X-Plane menu and then check
the following boxes in the Options tab inside the Rotate MD-11 Aircraft Menu: “Use hardware
controller toe-brakes” and “Use hardware controller tiller”.
If you are not using hardware controllers for toe-brakes and/or tiller, then leave the
respective boxes unchecked.
When using pedals for brakes, have in mind that axis assignments take precedence over
the commands. When toe-brakes axis are assigned and check-box is selected in the menu,
they drive all braking, and should work the way you would expect combined with park brake
handle, that is, to release park brake you press toe-brakes and handle is released. If
hardware toe brakes is not assigned (or check-box is not selected), then the default
commands to control the brakes are used.
Finally, make sure you calibrate the neutral position of the yoke. Uncalibrated neutral
position of the yoke can lead to interference with the Autopilot PIDs. This can in turn lead to
parasite AP roll/pitch commands and problems engaging the AFS.
Follow X-Plane’s instructions on how to configure different types of hardware controllers and
on how to assign functions to controls and keyboard keystrokes.
Be aware that we cannot provide support for every hardware controller model out there.
Some controllers may need a specific middleware or advanced configuration that is out of
the scope of our simulation.
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