maybe  users  should  actually  read   whats  is  on the cdu  and  not  actually  think it  is :wink:

It's nothing to do with me being "smart". The CDU pushback interface says TURN TAIL LEFT (or RIGHT if that's what you select). That doesn't need explaining, surely? Also, the voice command from the captain to the tug is "they want the tail to our left". Not the tug driver's left. Still confused by that?

I already figured it out after the first time when I went the opposite direction of where I wanted to do, as Andreas did. The problem in this case is when I'm getting ready to push back, I go to external view and I'm looking at the nose of the plane when trying to figure out which way I should be going and how much distance I need to push back before commencing the turn. Very hard to do that when you're looking from the back of the plane. As for the voice command, I heard that and that was what got me wondering if I was even going to be going the right way or not. Of course, you don't hear the voice command until after you've already started the pushback sequence, so that doesn't do any good.

 

If you look at the manual you will see it is out of step with the sim. It shows TURN NOSE RIGHT, as per the 777 pushback controls. This must have changed late in the day and the manual was not revised. That does confuse things, but the issue (whether nose or tail) is the turn direction relative to what. That, surely, can only mean relative to the aircraft. Why would PMDG make it unduly complicated by making it relative to the tug driver?

To you, it might have been obvious. To me, who was used to doing it in a different manner in FS9, not necessarily so obvious.

This  is  turning  out  more  difficult  than  it  really  is, not  rocket  science  here

This  is  turning  out  more  difficult  than  it  really  is, not  rocket  science  here

Pretty much already figured it out after screwing it up the first time.

Hello PMDG team, Thanks for the new 747-400! It is a fantastic aircraft, especially with lots of details and extremely realistic! As can not be expected from you, a brilliant work and actually much too cheap. THANK YOU! :-)

 

Greeting from Oskar of Germany

If you have problems use GSX then its

 

Nose Right/Tail Left 

or

Nose Left/Tail Right

 

If you don't understand that, then best to give up and just use straight back but again that's the plane NOT the tug. :smile: :wink:

 

Hope this can helps clear it up!!!

 

Just to be clear the "tail" is of a plane because there talking about the plane nothing else. Just like the term "Pushback" again its the plane not the tug.

Hello PMDG team, Thanks for the new 747-400! It is a fantastic aircraft, especially with lots of details and extremely realistic! As can not be expected from you, a brilliant work and actually much too cheap. THANK YOU! :-)

 

Greeting from Oskar of Germany

Very on topic. :rolleyes:

If you have problems use GSX then its

 

Nose Right/Tail Left 

or

Nose Left/Tail Right

Incidentally, when I was pushing back at O'Hare, the option I was given was "Push on taxiway A, face south" or "Push on taxiway A, face north" or some variant thereof.

I must admit, I screwed up the first pushback due to this change! Am not amused, PMDG... Am.Not.Amused! haha

Not necessarily. Ramp control at DFW would tell the crew tail south or tail west. It was always what direction they wanted the tail pointed.

There are large differences between N America and the rest of the Wold ICAO and this is one of them.

Incidentally, when I was pushing back at O'Hare, the option I was given was "Push on taxiway A, face south" or "Push on taxiway A, face north" or some variant thereof.

Ok look at chart (you do use charts?) and as long as the person using it knows there North from south, east from west they should be OK!

North is the top of chart, south bottom, east right side, west left side.

 

So lets say your on GATE K19 and your Departing Runway is 27R I would have a wild stab in the dark :Whistle:  at "push on taxiway A face north"

 

Just how hard it is?

 

2 pagers on Tail left/right.   

 

If people have problems with left and right how do you get on with an FMC!!!

 

*Note all this is in jest as the topic must be a wind up*

No, it's not a wind-up. When you get used to the way things are in the 777 and 737, and to now change to having to deal with the way things are in the 747... it takes a few pushbacks to do it intuitively, because subconscious bias is to set the 747 pushback up other way around because of what we learnt in the 777 and the 737.

 

Don't get me wrong, the change is welcomed as the tail is usually the reference used by crew and atc (if not given other instructions). I usually monitor my pushbacks anyway. You can never trust those pesky truck drivers haha

OK well I hope you guys can work it out.

Ok look at chart (you do use charts?) and as long as the person using it knows there North from south, east from west they should be OK!

North is the top of chart, south bottom, east right side, west left side.

I only use charts when I'm at home. When I'm in the office, I don't, as I don't have my second computer with me with which to be able to pull charts up. I've been in the office since a week before the 747 was released. That said, given my job, I would HOPE I know which way north, south, east, and west are, or I'm going to be in a LOT of trouble. 

There are large differences between N America and the rest of the Wold ICAO and this is one of them.

Exactly, that's why there are no absolutes. I worked for a major airline at KDFW. I'm now retired. When we would push back from terminal E, one of the ramp controllers would tell us to push tail west. The problem was it was actually tail south. To push tail west would have meant pushing the aircraft around the corner of the terminal, which wasn't necessary. Finally, a crew member called him on it and he  figured it out. Every airport is different and even the controllers are different. Some are sticklers for procedures and others are pretty lax.