What would you say is the normal State a F would be in when the crew board?

 

First flight of the day C&D or Long?

 

Turn around Long?

Hey David,

I asked a fellow simmer, painter and 744/8 F First Officer for a major freight carrier to chime in and fill us in as I'm very interested as well.  :wink:

 

I just finished my 1st official 747 flight....UPS 744F from KDFW to KLAS.  I just set up the plane with the engines off and a few other settings I'm vaguely familiar with for this flight...would love to have it setup like the folks who fly them for real do.

 

Oh the flight....flawless! (If you dont count the fact I was about to report the pause at TOD wasn't working until I determined it was...you guessed it...pilot error! LOL)  After a circling decent just east of PRINO (due to the aforementioned pilot error) and a lovely high-alt view of lake Mead and "The Dam"...she perfectly captured the LOC, followed by the GS..and I let her fly me down to 2500, where I took over for her and made a landing (Notice the words such as "Smooth, nice, greaser, etc" are missing from in front of the word landing, hehe).

Let's just say when you flirt with the min approach speed as calculated by the FMC, and fall a little too far below it over the threshold (at my weight)...she responds by introducing you back to Mother Earth in a manner not conducive to a long career on the flightdeck (Unless your the videographer for Just Planes, hehe)

The techs are inspecting her to make sure I didn't break anything...but I think it was just a "firm" landing more so than I'm used to.  And the sounds and shakes PMDG programmed into her were completely convincing that I screwed up...my big subwoofer shook as I imagine the real flightdeck would have....just amazing!

 

This plane will probably be flown by me more than all of my previous planes put together as the years roll by and I rack up the flight time on her.  Can't say enough good things about her....PMDG hit it out of the park with the Queen!

What would you say is the normal State a F would be in when the crew board?

 

First flight of the day C&D or Long?

 

Turn around Long?

 

I'm kinda dense or maybe its just to early in the morning but whats State a F?  But as to the normal panel state would be Long Turn with maybe APU running and one or 2 AC Packs on and all the doors open and unloading/loading taking place.  I've seen C&D twice in two years.  Both times were ferrry flights so no loading needed to take place so there was no reason to have power on the aircraft.

I'm kinda dense or maybe its just to early in the morning but whats State a F?  But as to the normal panel state would be Long Turn with maybe APU running and one or 2 AC Packs on and all the doors open and unloading/loading taking place.  I've seen C&D twice in two years.  Both times were ferrry flights so no loading needed to take place so there was no reason to have power on the aircraft.

I think the "F" refers to the Freighter Brian.  :wink:

I think the "F" refers to the Freighter Brian.  :wink:

Makes sense now. Coffee hadn't kicked in yet haha.

 

 

Let's just say when you flirt with the min approach speed as calculated by the FMC, and fall a little too far below it over the threshold (at my weight)...she responds by introducing you back to Mother Earth in a manner not conducive to a long career on the flightdeck...

 

Firm landing? You'd fit right in as a naval aviator.   B)

 

 

Firm landing? You'd fit right in as a naval aviator.

 

Very true Greg....although my firm landing was due to me running out of lift at a most inopportune time verses driving the beast to the ground in order to hit that "postage stamp" in the middle of the ocean.

While I didn't drive them in the Navy, I did fix them as an avionics tech for 11 years.  :wink:

Ahh, Steve! I see we have something in common (Avionics Tech) :smile: .

 

A friend flies Boeings for a living and he says that the recommendation from Boeing is to make the landing, "Firm!", so you probably actually nailed it. Of course, most pilots (including me, both IRL and in the sim) have a thing called an "ego" and that tends to get in the way of Boeing's recommendation. Sometimes :Whistle: .

 

Glad your flight went to so well. I'm still wading through manuals, but perhaps tomorrow. We shall see.

 

Glenn Davy

My worst landing was when the gear door bracket came loose and wouldn't close the door after extending the right main on a C-414 Chancellor.  As soon as I started to rotate for landing that (relatively) big open box of a gear stowage area became something like a parachute and I slammed into terra firma..., the PNF looked at me with astonishment and yelled that I just drove a gear strut up his @#!$.  I took a lot of grief for that one; boy, it stays with you.

I'm flying the 'F' exclusively (Cargolux flights in Europe, and Atlas Air flights from PANC to the Lower 48), and use the "short" turnaround panel state.   Not sure how realistic it is but it all feels good and there's just the right amount of setting up to do, without having to wait around for the IRSs to align :wink:

 

Absolutely love this bird.    Just landed in St Louis (KSTL) from Anchorage, 5hr flight - flawless, with some heavy winds on take off, and some heavy precipitation on approach.  

I'm flying the 'F' exclusively (Cargolux flights in Europe, and Atlas Air flights from PANC to the Lower 48), and use the "short" turnaround panel state.   Not sure how realistic it is but it all feels good and there's just the right amount of setting up to do, without having to wait around for the IRSs to align :wink:

 

Absolutely love this bird.    Just landed in St Louis (KSTL) from Anchorage, 5hr flight - flawless, with some heavy winds on take off, and some heavy precipitation on approach.  

 

If you like flying out of PANC might I suggest UPS77 from PANC to KONT.  The flight route changes between an MD11 and 744F.  Good luck slowing down on the ZIGGY4 arrival into KONT....speedbrake out, flaps and gear down, hand out the window.

If you like flying out of PANC might I suggest UPS77 from PANC to KONT.  The flight route changes between an MD11 and 744F.  Good luck slowing down on the ZIGGY4 arrival into KONT....speedbrake out, flaps and gear down, hand out the window.

 

Thanks - I shall be flying that route next! (and will look out for my speed on that arrival :wink: )

I'm flying the 'F' exclusively (Cargolux flights in Europe, and Atlas Air flights from PANC to the Lower 48), and use the "short" turnaround panel state.   Not sure how realistic it is but it all feels good and there's just the right amount of setting up to do, without having to wait around for the IRSs to align :wink:

 

Absolutely love this bird.    Just landed in St Louis (KSTL) from Anchorage, 5hr flight - flawless, with some heavy winds on take off, and some heavy precipitation on approach.  

 

We always reset the IRS Selectors at every ground station.  I would just suggest loading Long Turn.

We always reset the IRS Selectors at every ground station.  I would just suggest loading Long Turn.

 

Great to know - wilco, thanks Brian.

Great to know - wilco, thanks Brian.

 

I mean if your gonnna do mulptiple legs in a day, just a cycle of the selectors would be enough.  I don't think that helps the sim all to much as its not the real plane though.  But we swap crews and the aircraft is setup like Long Ground Turn.