Just finished 4 "fun filled weeks" of airplane school, and I'm going home with a license to drive one of these

http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/galle...ial/777-02.html

 

and by "drive" you mean push the buttons and watch the computer do the work, right?

 

Very cool!

I was browsing on the Boeing 777 site and was looking at the virtual cockpit and I have a question. Next to the clipboard is some kind of handle...what is that?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by negcamber
[B]Very cool!

 

Believe it or not, you can actually fly it like a real airplane

Although your right, I'm going to end up with a blister on my index (typing) finger

 

Congrats, the 777 seems like a really cool plane.

Hopefully I will get to fly one some day. I want to be a commercial pilot. I will hopefully be getting my instrument rating soon.

 

Just got back from EAA airventure in oshkosh and the owner of Air Atlanta in iceland actually piloted a 747-400 into the show with some 400 pilots from iceland on board along with a piper cub and a pitts S2b in the belly which are his "fun" planes. it was quite a site, thousands upon thousands of people watched him make two low fly-bys and then make a perfect touchdown and taxi that monster right up to the crowd....really impressive. The triple 7 is something in its own right, a monster on the level of a 747 that is a twin is just out of this world. Must be weird flying using fly-by-wire though huh?

 

Xpander4 -

When did you take those pictures of TF-ATF (the registration number of the aircraft pictured above)? As far as I can tell TF-ATF is the reg. number right? There is a bit of a glare on the number (2nd photo, tail area and nose gear door).

The reason I ask is, you stated that it was a -400, no big deal but it's not. I never flew the -100 or -200, (I am typed in the -400) & I wanted to see what model the aircraft in the picture was. I did a search on the registration number and found this image:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/253771/M/

The photo was taken on July 17, 2002 and it looks like it's about to be moth-balled. Although in your picture it has the AirVenture 50th logo which is this year for sure! Weird, huh?

Anyway, the aircraft in your photo appears to be a 747-246B. There is an email link to guy who took the picture above (on that link). You should send him your photos and let him know the date you took it. I'm guessing that he got the reg. number wrong.

As for the 777, the fly-by-wire controls are somewhat transparent. The ACES/PMA (gee whiz electronics) do a nice job of providing the feel that you expect in other Boeing aircraft without the slop you'd find with cable actuated controls. The fly by wire controls also offer some envelope protections that you don't see on other Boeings, which is nice!

Cheers -

 

Hey, I took those pictures last tuesday on the opening day of the show. I think that was the 23rd. TF-ATF is what it looks like to me as well, so I dunno what the deal with that is. I'm not too good with the airliner types within the models I guess, heh.

 

I wrote the guy who took those pictures on July 17th, his reply is below. I've never heard of an aircraft being painted quite that quickly! However, it looks as though that is what happened.

"Thanks for the e-mail and for the link to those pictures. Much appreciated!

Yes, when I photographed TF-ATF on the 17th July, it did indeed look
like it was to be mothballed. When I returned to Manston on the 21st July, the aircraft had been moved to another part of the airfield and was already (mostly) re-painted. I sat and watched her take off for a proving flight. On Tuesday 23rd July, TF-ATF flew first to Keflavik and then to Wisconsin.

If you look for Photo ID: 254814 on Airliners.net, you will see a
photograph I took on Sunday 21st. Attached to this e-mail is another photograph (taken on the same day) showing the as yet unpainted left hand side.

Best wishes,
Jon."