WOW! the cabin looks very nice!

I'm wondering if the folding wingtips will ever see production.  They offered the same to AA with the original 777 in a bid to win over the carrier (it worked, as the extra design effort won over the carrier who had been leaning towards the competition).  As it was, the option was never taken up.

They'll probably be standard on the 777x.

The reason the original design was never introduced, is because it was a very complex design. Lights, bleed air for anti-ice, and not the least of worries, a piece of the aileron were all incorporated into the folding wingtip.

This new design is MUCH simpler. Pretty much everything is brought inboard of the fold. The ailerons and lights will be inboard of the fold. I remember reading they would add some electric anti-ice (can't remember if that was for the entire wing, or only the wingtip), but I don't remember where.

This means that all they have to design now, is a folding piece of wing. Much like a flap, though a little different in design.

That plane looks amazing

The airplane looks amazing, but there is one part.

 

The flight deck. I've never liked those huge displays... there's just something about them that doesn't remind me of a commercial airliner.

I'm willing to bet quite a few people said the same thing when the steam gauges were replaced. Whichever way you look at it, that's called evolution.

I'm willing to bet quite a few people said the same thing when the steam gauges were replaced. Whichever way you look at it, that's called evolution.

 

I guess so. Things change no matter what, I guess we'll be used to them in a few year's time.

but we'll be talking a potential timeframe of 2020/2021 here - 8 years from now.

 

I remember quite well witnessing one of the very first flights of the A380 here in Hamburg. That was back in 2005: already over 8 years ago.

The T7X in service 2020/2021? That is actually only 6/7 years to go.

The T7X will replace e.g. Lufthansa Group's A340-300 fleet (in service from 1994 on).

This displays Lufthansa's 25 years airframe age policy. So T7X's end of first life cycle will be 2046 (when I turn 77). Will they then use Li-Ion cells or will they only be operated by Emirates?

No more brown cockpit?

 

The flight deck. I've never liked those huge displays...

 

I am actually wondering why there are pilot's seats at all. So wailing about grey instead of brown or the super wide screen monitor's is in my eyes actually missing the fact that pilotless A/Cs are becoming more and more a reality.

Probably somewhere between 2025 and 2045 the "single pilot option" will be complemented by the "no pilot option"...

 

Always happy landings,

Claus

I am actually wondering why there are pilot's seats at all. So wailing about grey instead of brown or the super wide screen monitor's is in my eyes actually missing the fact that pilotless A/Cs are becoming more and more a reality.

Probably somewhere between 2025 and 2045 the "single pilot option" will be complemented by the "no pilot option"...

 

The current poor state of ATC (i.e. FAA de-funding/sequestration, EU's fragmented airspace, China's air force overriding all civilian ATC, Cutbacks in Australian ATC with TIBA, non-existent ATC in Africa etc) combined with expensive satcomm bandwidth charges makes radio calls a necessity - which in fast jets you'll need a 2nd pilot to operate.

 

I don't think we'll see pilotless airliners anytime soon - there has to be someone in charge of safety of the passengers and someone easy (and probably dead) for the airlines to blame in case of an accident - otherwise the airlines, software and avionics manufacturers may face billions of dollars of potential liability from US class action lawsuits. Product liability drove most of the general aviation manufacturers (like Cessna) to near bankruptcy in the 70s and 80s so it's a very serious matter.

 

 

there has to be someone in charge of safety of the passengers and someone easy (and probably dead) for the airlines to blame in case of an accident

You name it! During my PPL lessons I was told that in the case of a crash with two pilots in the cockpit (one pilot being dead) the surviving pilot should pull the dead pilot on the left seat to make sure for everyone: he did it, but now he's dead, so what?...

 

 

Product liability drove most of the general aviation manufacturers (like Cessna) to near bankruptcy in the 70s and 80s so it's a very serious matter.

Yes, I think I know the case you are talking about. The guy who blamed Cessna that he crash landed his plane because he ran out of fuel? He was given right because Cessna did not explicitly mention in their manuals that the plane requires fuel for flying...