Good Morning fellow pilots,

 

I am here this morning in seeking advice on decelerating in the PMDG 777-200LR.

 

I am currently aware that you need to use speed intervention in order to get the plane to slow to final approach speed. However, I am unsure about what altitude to do this at, or what distance from the runway I should be at and be configured for landing.

 

I have read a chapter in the FCTM about decelerating but it did not answer my question.

 

Thank you in advance for your insightful answers.

Check your MCP windows for speed. The 777 does not automatically slow to vREF like the 737 NGX.

I always aim to be at or just below 10,000 feet 30 miles from end of descent.  Watch your vertical path deviation indicator as well.

We dont use a fixed schedule but if you aim to be at 10.000ft at 250kt around 30nm from the airfield it's a good start. Select F1 and slow to F1 speed at around 4-5000ft, F5 and F5 speed at on base leg (or at around 3-4000ft), select gear down and F20 and F20 speed at around 2500ft and then F30/F25 (if light) around 2000ft. That will give you a nice stable approach and as you get more comfortable you can then adjust as necessary.

We dont use a fixed schedule but if you aim to be at 10.000ft at 250kt around 30nm from the airfield it's a good start. Select F1 and slow to F1 speed at around 4-5000ft, F5 and F5 speed at on base leg (or at around 3-4000ft), select gear down and F20 and F20 speed at around 2500ft and then F30/F25 (if light) around 2000ft. That will give you a nice stable approach and as you get more comfortable you can then adjust as necessary.

 

Thank you for this exactly what I am looking for. I will try this out next flight tonight, thank you.

hey quick guys....in terms of a learning curve....is it harder than the ngx??? i mastered the ngx in 2 months even though i started playing fs in january.....will the 777 take longer??

It doesn't fly like the ngx, so your first manual maneuvers, (takeoffs, landings, maintains) will feel difficult. I would wait for the sp1. This fixed some issues with FBW. That way you don't get used to the current system.

hey quick guys....in terms of a learning curve....is it harder than the ngx??? i mastered the ngx in 2 months even though i started playing fs in january.....will the 777 take longer??

 

 

You know something about the B737 already and the B777 is more automated - actually the B777 should now be a good deal easier to learn. The PMDG intro doc will even help you with some of the differences "(...) not your NGX on steroids."

 

 

actually the B777 should now be a good deal easier to learn.

You could not have said a truer word, Oliver. Have not had a single problem with this aircraft. In fact, it makes me indulge myself with it far more than any other PMDG aircraft.

hey quick guys....in terms of a learning curve....is it harder than the ngx??? i mastered the ngx in 2 months even though i started playing fs in january.....will the 777 take longer??

 

I hardly believe you went from installing FS to master the 737 NGX in 3 months. Call me a skeptic.

 

That said, the 777 seems "easier" than the 737, although "easy" is a misleading word, you still have to understand the aircraft and its automation to the highest level, which takes time and a lot of study just as in the 737. You'll have to be an efficient "energy manager" as well; that is, you'll have to plan your descents and speed adjustments beforehand or else you'll end up high and fast. And you'll have to understand that the 777 is way bigger and heavier than the 737 and isn't as maneuverable.

That said, the 777 seems "easier" than the 737, although "easy" is a misleading word, you still have to understand the aircraft and its automation to the highest level, which takes time and a lot of study just as in the 737.

Unless you are a real 777 pilot you don't have to understand the automation to the highest level. If you don't use the failure model the automation will always work. Simmers just need a basic working knowledge to get going, which you can gain from the tutorials. They may want to go deeper as they get more interested, or they may remain casual users. The choice is theirs.

 

Referring to the manuals is important, but studying them in detail is optional. I think all the talk of the time needed to study manuals puts some people off moving on to PMDG aircraft from the FSX default airliners.