"pacplyer" wrote in message Is PIO easy in that thing?

PIO isn't much of a problem. The DC-9-30 series is easy to land. The MD-81
put some 40% more weight on the same wing. It bleeds off speed so quickly
that some pilots get caught. The JT8-Ds can take a long time to spool which
doesn't help. Additionally, the elevator isn't very effective at Vref -5.
Pull back to flare and nothing happens. This is good for a laugh when others
try to emmulate me without realizing that I use stab trim when I'm flaring.

The MD-11 drivers tell me it's
"one of those airplanes" (that's dangerous to land) since the stab is
so small, and if the tail software load screws up, you hit hard (no
elev authority) and then if one wing spar cracks, the other keeps
flying and you wind up on your head.

A retired DC-10 friend mentioned that tailstrikes in the flare happen
frequently with those planes.

D.