Okay I have a question, hopefully someone can answer.On Long Haul Flight on the B747-400, I notice there are two seperate crews in the cockpit, maybe somtimes more, and i know or at least think thaht one crew takes the plane off from the destination and the other crew lands it? is that right? and if so at what point during the flight do they decide to switch?AntMinneapolis, Minnestoa:-)

It may depend on the length of the long-haul. For example on the Virgin Atlantic 744 trip from London to San Francisco there were 3 pilots who rotated, not two seperate crews. All 3 of them were in the cockpit during takeoff and landing. On even longer flights there may be two seperate crews. Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/asv_beta_member.jpg

Oh ok, well since there is 3 pilots in there, does that mean they can all fly either in the C seat or the F/O seat? and how do they decide when to alernate?Ant

Ant,There are company rules that dictate this stuff. Sorry, I don't know more details.Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/images/asv_beta_member.jpg

In the flights where I was present at the flightdeck such as some transatlantic flights (in the 777 at least) there were two separate crews composed of two captains and two f/o. The highest captain in the airline hierarchy got to choose who flew which legs. The time is usually the same for all 4 crewmen although the most experienced guy usualy gets more flightdeck time (flying or at crewseat - doens't matter. they tend to be more present because they're the ones responsible.)Once I flew to New York with three captains alternating and since I was also there (I'm just a private pilot) they let me do some comm and bad weather avoidance (all under their scrutinous tutelage). They told me that's the worst possible crew scenario - only captains and no first officers - sharing the flightdeck because no internaitonal captain is used to right-side flying and the associated flows and tasks. http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/800driver.jpg

I believe it's regulation that the crew in the front seats for takeoff must also be the crew in the front seats for landing. If you have the ITVV Virgin Altantic 747-400 video then you'll see a good example of a 3 member crew. If you don't have the video, then i very much recommended it, especially with the pending PMDG release!Cheers,Jeff

What is the ITVV virgin Atlantic 747-400 video and how do i go about getting it?

http://www.itvv.co.uk/:-)Cheers,Jeff

Hi,what would happen on a 3 crew west coast trip with Virgin is:you would have 1 capt and 2 FOs,the FOs would fight it out between them who is going to get a sector when they check in,normally its quite civillised but can lead to friction!Often its a question of "when did you last get a landing?".You have to manage 3 landings in 90 days to stay current,and for capts one of those has to be in the last 28 days,so the captain will always get a sector.If say the capt flies outbound the fo who isnt going to get a landing will be in the right hand seat as PNF.Typically all three pilots are on the flightdeck till top of climb,then the flight time -1hr is split into 3 equel breaks and the first pilot will take his break,normally the relief FO.The reason you have 3 pilots is to increase the duty period allowed,you need a min of 3hrs rest in order to extend you duty,half of your time on break is then added to your duty hours.For example the duty limit for the SFO you mention works out at 14hours (plus 3 hrs rest divided by 2 = 1.5 hrs) so you get 14+1.5 =15.5 hours,you can use different combinations of rest to achieve a max of 18hrs.In a delay for example to relief crew might not get a rest at all, as the operating crew claim max time on break to extend their duty to still be in hours for the landing.On a SFO with a flight time of 10+ hours you`d normally have about 3 hrs each.When the capt goes on his break the FO in the right hand seat becomes the APIC or acting pilot in command (a special simulator training session is reqd to get this qualification) and the relief FO sits in the capt seat,as pilot not flying.The last pilot then returns from their rest about 1 hr before landing in time to prepare.The bunks are nice and dark and comfortable,but the noise from the new security door closing as the cabin crew entering is quite loud.The door also has a "beep beep" door bell that goes of when someone wants to come in,some idiot decided a good place for the speaker for the door bell would be right outside the crew rest door,so that wakes you up every time it goes off!On the way back to 2 FOs will reverse their roles.If you get 2 capts and an fo the relief capt will take the left hand seat and take command when the operating capt goes on break.RegardsJon