Having been on holiday when the 77W beta released, I was stuck far away from my sim, salivating at the flurry of emails that coincided with the team receiving the initial delivery.  Something one of our senior Beta Team members said stuck with me throughout the week away.  Dan Downs is a household name in our hobby, and someone seldom prone to hyperbole.  In one of his test emails, he mentioned that the 300ER was now his very favorite aeroplane to fly- that got my attention!

As soon as the car was unloaded, and the family settled into their routine I casually went into my den and booted up the flight-sim computers.  Tinkering with installers and Windows updates took a few minutes.  Then after importing my 77L EZCA files, I found myself sitting in the left seat of a 77W at stand F90 in Tampa.  The view out my windows was familiar- the view from the tarmac (you will get the reference later) was breathtaking.

 

Let's imagine for a moment that G-VIIR went tech and BA substituted G-STBB.  That 33.3 foot fuselage extension was immediately apparent!  She is a long, lovely girl. 

 

 

The GE 115s look massive- yet so right. 

 

 

The tailskid

 

is fully in a different time zone than that nose gear.

 

and that tall slab fillet tail looks fantastically correct. 

 

She was born to be this length- and most aficionados (and most airline orders) concur with good reason.

 

None of this counts though- it's the moment when you shut off the AP and melt into the aeroplane that counts- and the 77W delivers spine tingles in spades.  While the freighter (TBH I rarely fly the passenger variant- they're way too needy in back) delivers raw power with grunt enough to make me smile- the 77W has the moment arm to take all that (and a wee bit more) and transform herself from a bulldozer into a Buggati.  She has the slender figure and delicate deportment of a ballerina- minus the tutu.

 

Hand flying her has become a sheer delight.  That long pitch moment arm, combined with the superb flight model and correct Boeing FBW simulation, has combined to make her stable yet responsive in a most agreeable way.  Arriving at this happy place has been a long and arduous task- and for those prone to complaining about the timeline I point you to the RAF- "Per Ardua ad Astra".  I remember reading accounts of many 777 drivers that transitioned to other types and missed her ability to stay unruffled in strong crosswinds.  That added distance between center of lift and tail has resulted in the ability to tweak your flight path "just so".  I found myself keeping her high and regaining profile, pushing her a half dot low and regaining- in short, playing with her on the localizer, in a dance that enthralled, entertained and delighted.  Those last few seconds, while her enormous talons feel for the asphalt, those enormous raked wings expend the final dregs of lift and even whilst her huge oleos start compressing; will become (as they have to many a long haul pilot in the real world) the highlight of your trip.  She is so beautifully harmonized that you will find yourself constantly seeking perfection.  Settling for anything less than a long lazy slurp of the bogies, melding smoking scorched rubber with sun cracked paint on the touchdown markers, will be unacceptable.

 

I admit I did turn on the camera view- and while I do believe it is a neat bit of kit (already lots of piccies)- I will appreciate the RTA functionality, go-around behavior and AFDS improvements on more frequent basis.  To prevent each airport I visit from needing urgent and extensive taxi light repairs, and to prevent those long, painful meetings in RSR's office- where he forces me to drink coffee (he knows I prefer tea); I have decided to subscribe to Mel's tearse commentary on taxying long transport category aircraft- "If your a$$ isn't over the grass- keep going straight!"  Mel disliked his Chief Pilot coffee sessions too!

 

Those of you reading my drivel for the past decade now may recall a piece I penned during the 777's initial beta.  I wrote those lines moments after I first flew the initial iteration of software that was delivered to the beta team.   Only after the article was published did we come to learn that FBW had not yet been implemented in that particular version.  As you may imagine, it flew delightfully with Vangelis' unfettered flight model.  Later versions of the beta software brought the current FBW model.  We can all agree that the 777 released with FBW a bit buggered.  NO MORE!

 

Our 777 has forever left its infancy behind, and has matured into a truly stellar and robust platform.  Pitch and roll control inputs are measured, precise and smooth.  There is no tendency for abrupt pitch change, instead there is a wonderfully timed change in Alpha reminiscent of 30,000 hour captain tweaking flight path just so, to suit his fancy.  Roll control is brilliant.  Gone is a proneness to course change jerkiness, replaced instead by inertially stabilized natural motion and smooth control input that results in course change with complete decorum.   Nose over at glide slope capture is now lovely. You can watch the dot slide down and the nose dip in full synchronization- no more abrupt dip to ripple those very last drops of Drambuie in first.

 

AFDS interaction with the FMC LNAV/VNAV smacks of Douggie & Trevor hand-flying to Hong-Kong.  She flies like she possesses the inertia of some 250T of mass following the magenta line.  There is fully the sense of a calculated flight path, the attempt to follow said flight path, and then the actual resultant flight path.  By this I mean the FMC generates the magenta line and vertical profile, AFDS then sends the control inputs necessary to follow that course and vertical profile, and finally the airplane itself reacts to AFDS’ attempt to follow the magenta line. One cannot simply drone along oblivious to meteorological conditions, performance limitations and other variables.  All of these can and will have a tangible effect on the aircraft’s actual flight path; which can, and will sometimes deviate from the intended one.

 

Shockingly, this aeroplane will require you to stay miles ahead of it.  It will require you to assess whether you are asking for realistic performance. It will require you familiarize yourself with the concepts of momentum and inertia on a truly massive scale, unrivalled at least until my Fat Girl arrives.  It will behave as though it is a large, heavy object; traveling across the earth but fully separated from it, slicing through a fluid medium which experiences forces of it's own, and subject to each of six axes of resultant motion.

 

When you fly her, my mindset when penning “Fluid Dynamics” those many months ago will finally be understood........soon you too will be able to loose yourself in "the high untrespassed sanctity of space"...... she gets better and better

:mellow:

What an article sir. These explanations are not helping us in keeping quiet and instead causing to fly her in our dreams as if we have already brought it and we are flying.

Really awesome. Wx radar, data uplink, taxi cam i never thought these could be simulated. for me 77w is my favourite plane.

One feature will be achieved also in near future but may be not now ( shared cockpit). You guys haven't told us about weather radar and made it silently.

Bring on the all features silently. We r here for you to support.

Sorry to ask if it was already explained. What exactly is Data Uplink?

 

Thx, Julian

Usually I like screenshots, but this time what I really enjoyed was the text!

Thanks for posting. I'm eagerly waiting here.

Thank you for sharing, it looks good. FSP I want to know how?

Stunning shots! Thanks!

Thanks for the interesting inside look into the 77W Carl! It's much appreciated.

Thanks for the kind words.  Christian- your Ryanair and Aerologic repaints have given me hundreds of hours of enjoyment- I'm glad to be able to entertain you for a change!  Your art is par excellence mate- brilliant!

Sorry to ask if it was already explained. What exactly is Data Uplink?

 

Thx, Julian

 

I heard it's for importing winds data for the predictions. The professional guys can explain more precisely.

that is looooong!

Data link is used for digital communication to ground.

Kind of like Email.

Most of it, I think, can not be simulated within FSX.

 

On the real 777 data link is accessed by pushing the COMM button on the DSP (display select panel) and opens a communication menu on the lower center display. But that is not modelled on our PMDG777.....i think.....have not pushed that button for a while.

 

Data link can be used for for example:

- digital ATIS (if supported locally)

- digital departure clearance (if supported locally)

- flight plan upload from company (I think some FSX flight planning tools already support this. A route request would be via the FMC, not via the comm button)

- enroute winds upload from company provider (I know this works already in FSX if you use a weather engine program or flight planning program that supports it. This feature, just like in real life, is accessed via the FMC legs page)

- enroute ATC communications (like requesting a higher FL) and automated position reports (if supported locally).

- getting your NAT clearance.

- free text to your company (like a request for the latest soccer results :-) )

etc.

Thanks for the kind words.  Christian- your Ryanair and Aerologic repaints have given me hundreds of hours of enjoyment- I'm glad to be able to entertain you for a change!  Your art is par excellence mate- brilliant!

 

Carl, I have to thank you for your kind words too. I hope I can fly the AeroLogic repaints powered by Service Pack 1 around too one day. :smile:

I hope to read more reports from you too, they are always worth the read.

 

Best regards,

 

 

She was born to be this length- and most aficionados (and most airline orders) concur with good reason.

It took me a while to see it - initially I was content with the 200ER's appearance, but now yes, I fully agree. Just something about the length and overall appearance that's difficult (for me) to put into words.

Nice pics!

Great screens and super nice commentary Carl!

Although I barely have enough time to read all the forums and posts I'd like to...I always read yours.

 

Thanks for the verbal journey with this long beast!  

 

I can't wait to throw some paint at her when she's released!...and of course take her on a flight or 2.

 

Regards,

Steve Dra