[26JAN18] ...These are a few of our FAVORITE things...

[Guest]

41 minutes ago, Jeff Nielsen said:

Oh my!!!  That is all.  

You're not helping with my financial crisis!

Perhaps Kyle will come along and say; Hey, Jim, you're flying our B738 and our B772.

 

Hey, The 747's on us buddy...

 

Then life, will, just be complete.

 

[serviceceiling 135]

7 hours ago, scandinavian13 said:

Not sure if it’s an option or not. Still, no need to nitpick something. Everyone here knows there’s an option to turn both of those things off.

Also: alpha images, so there’s that.

Sure, just making sure you guys are aware of that, really.

And as far as I know that shouldn't be an option since the -8 has an ECL, thus making this type of checklist obsolete. All the -8f/i flightdeck pictures on the net don't have one as well. But again, great stuff! Everything else is pretty spot on from the looks of it. 

[Samany69 41]

On 1/26/2018 at 8:06 AM, rsrandazzo said:

So... Tell me...  What have you guys noticed in the tiny details that you love about the 747-400 simulation?

I'm fascinated to know what you guys have noticed and what made you notice it.

ok Dear Captain @rsrandazzo . one of the things that i noticed was the way airplane behaves during a Cross-bleed starting . i was monitoring the Duct Pressure during a simulation of Xbleed engine startup and one thing that i noticed was that without increasing the throttle up to 70% N2 , the airplane was able to maintain the required duct pressure to start Engine 3 with 22psi . yet i tried to check out if it does the same for starting the engine 2 with with Pressurized air from engine 4 ... the main point is the air pressure decreases in a duct as the pressurized air passes through more distance across the duct ! but the pressure didn't drop unlike the real story in a 747 of any generation . this is a fluid mechanics fact not just a 747 specific story ....  ( i have to mention that i am not pilot nor holding a pilot related license yet I am an aircraft maintenance engineer who loves the boeing products and loves the PMDG products even more ) .... 
dont take it as an offensive comment . my words are to help improve the products ( yes the PMDG products ) that i am advertising to any of my friends who are new or old to simulation world who i'm telling them that PMDG is the best of the bests and i love to see that your products are even more realistic than what a real pilot can ever imagine . wish i had enough time to put on simulation to take out even more Positive or negative points just to help out the improvement process. yet here is one . wish you all going with boeing . 

Cheers . 

Saman Mahdi Abadi .

[rcoultas 21]

On 1/25/2018 at 11:36 PM, rsrandazzo said:

So... Tell me...  What have you guys noticed in the tiny details that you love about the 747-400 simulation?

After studying a 747-400 cbt, one of the little things that made me smile was when I wanted to test something I learned.  

After touchdown, when I saw the LE flaps/slats retract during thrust reverser deployment, I thought “damn PMDG” It’s the small things like that make it feel like a living breathing machine! 

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Saman,

Wait... so you...  wut? 

I'm not sure what "the real story" you reference is- but your expectation of what the machine is doing seems to ignore a couple of PRSOVs, the high-stage and low stage bleed crossover, and a half dozen other sensors and logic control points that the system uses to transmit pneumatic pressure to a large number of places.  It isn't just a straight tube full of air at a constant pressure- as hard as the airplane may try to make it behave that way. 

These are pretty complex machines, Saman- and the reason us (mostly dumb) pilots are given specific procedures to follow is that the owner of said complex machine doesn't want us to break it by doing something that it can't protect itself from... 

Thanks for playing around with it, though- at least we know you are noticing what it will do!

 

[Samany69 41]

24 minutes ago, rsrandazzo said:

Thanks for playing around with it, though- at least we know you are noticing what it will do!

Hahaa ... My dear and lovely friend ( yes you ... i know you wont honor me with your friendship medallion ) hahaa .. i know what you say and what you mean . yes what you say about the owner and us ( not you , i know you are professional and i believe in you ) is totally true . as i'm a dummy who has not read the whole FCOM but have had some looks over AMM ATA chapter 36 ( Pneumatic ) and AMM ATA Chapter 71 ( Power Plant ) , found out the this should be the case . yet i'm not to argue nor deny what you say but also confirm and i cant stand against some one i really believe that has much more knowledge than i do . i love it when you reply to my posts cuz i am sure that i am going to learn something new . it was my dream to work in PMDG ... well the life seems to have no interest to let me work for my beloved company .... so sad ....   yet here is some info which i'm sure you are aware of but anyway still good info for other ppl to read aswell :

ATA 36 - Pneumatic 

1. General
A. The pneumatic system controls the flow, pressure, and temperature of the engine bleed air that is
used for these systems:
Airplane pressurization and environmental control system (ECS)
Wing leading edge flap drives
Engine cowl and wing thermal anti-icing
Engine cross-starting
Hydraulic pump operation and reservoir pressurization
Potable water tank pressurization.
B. The engine bleed air supply system is operated by the engine bleed switches on the bleed control
module in the flight compartment. The Air Supply Control and Test Unit (ASCTU) monitors the engine
mounted air supply components and the distribution system. The ASCTU receives inputs from the
bleed control module and sends the appropriate commands to the individual air supply components.
C. Each engine supplies compressed air to the pneumatic system. There are two sources of bleed air
available from the engine; intermediate pressure (8th-stage) and high pressure (15th-stage). Engine
fan air is used to remove heat from the engine bleed air in the precooler.
D. The pneumatic system can also be pressurized with a ground air source or the APU. The APU is also
used as a secondary pressure source in flight.
E. The pressure and temperature of the pneumatic ducts can be monitored on the Engine Indicating and
Crew Alerting System (EICAS). A SYS FAULT light and an EICAS message will be shown for an
overpressure or an overtemperature condition.
2. Engine Bleed Air Distribution System
A. Engine bleed air is used to supply pressure to the airplane pneumatic ducts. During low engine
power operation, 15th-stage bleed air is used. During high engine power operation, 8th-stage bleed
air is used. The ASCTU controls the air supply components installed on the engine and in the strut
area.
B. The high pressure shutoff valve (HPSOV) and the high pressure controller determine when to change
from high pressure to intermediate pressure (IP) to satisfy the system flow requirements. The IP
check valve permits flow from the IP bleed port and prevents reverse flow from the high pressure
port to the IP port.
C. The pressure regulating valve (PRV) and the pressure controller maintain the proper precooler inlet
pressure.
D. The fan air modulating valve and the fan air temperature sensor control the amount of fan air that
goes through the precooler. This will maintain the proper temperature of the precooler outlet air.
E. The pressure regulating and shutoff valve (PRSOV) regulates the pressure in the distribution
manifold and keeps it at 45 psig. The PRSOV can be closed to shutoff engine bleed air. This is done to
isolate the system or when there is an overtemperature condition. During engine operation the
PRSOV prevents reverse flow back to the engine. It has an override function to allow reverse flow
during engine start.


ATA 71 - Power Plant

TASK 71-00-00-802-085-N00
6. Start the Engine (Normal Operation - Engine Bleed Air)
A. General
(1) Look at the aft part of the nacelle during the start for signs of fuel leakage as shown in the
Leakage Limits.
B. Location Zones
Zone Area
221 CONTROL COMPARTMENT LEFT (STA 220 TO 380)
222 CONTROL COMPARTMENT RIGHT (STA 220 TO 380)
412 ENGINE NO. 1
422 ENGINE NO. 2
432 ENGINE NO. 3
442 ENGINE NO. 4
C. Procedure
SUBTASK 71-00-00-862-086-N00
(1) Do the procedure with the Power Plant Operation Limits.
SUBTASK 71-00-00-862-087-N00
(2) Make sure the engine is stable at idle.
SUBTASK 71-00-00-862-088-N00
(3) Make sure you do the steps shown in the Prepare for the Engine Operation procedure, but
replace the steps that follow:
(a) On the pilots’ overhead panel, P5, make sure the components that follow are in the
specified position:
1) APU VALVE switch - OFF
2) L and R ISLN VALVE switches - open if the cross start uses an engine from the opposite
wing.
3) ENGINE BLEED switch for the engine in operation - ON
SUBTASK 71-00-00-862-089-N00
(4) Increase the power on the engine in operation until the DUCT PRESS indication on the main
EICAS display is a minimum of 30-40 psi.
SUBTASK 71-00-00-712-090-N00
(5) Use the Start the Engine (Normal Operation - Air from an APU or Ground Cart) to continue the
start procedure.
(a) Decrease the engine speed to idle on the engine you used for the cross start after the
engine which is started operates at more than 50% N2 rpm.
------------------------- END OF TASK ---------------------------


Love to be in contact with you dear Robert . 

Sincerely
Your big Fan . 
Saman Mahdi Abadi

[Guest]

10 hours ago, VHOEI said:

Ahem Ahem.....

(courtesy of wikimedia commons.)

I'm pretty confident that the 747-8 also has an option for a yoke checklist to be included - considering that boeing is the king of offering customisation of an aircraft.

What's the deal with the orange and red stuff wrapped around the yoke shafts?

[thepilot 571]

On 27.1.2018 at 3:32 AM, fakeflyer737 said:

TAKEOFF PERFORMANCE CALCUALTOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can we get it for the 744 and the NGX???

Add the 777-300ER to that list.

737/77L/744 at least have TOPCAT support. Alas, it doesn't seem like it is being worked on anymore...

 

[ph-cxz 28]

9 hours ago, ganter said:

What's the deal with the orange and red stuff wrapped around the yoke shafts?

It is probably in testing phase at Boeing prior to delivery.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, ph-cxz said:

It is probably in testing phase at Boeing prior to delivery.

Yeah, I can see it brand spankers (new) from the gizmo on the glare shield above the MCP.

 

Just wondered exactly what the red and orange tapes and strapping were for.

[swood721 28]

On 1/27/2018 at 8:48 AM, wedgantilles said:

Thanks @swood721 and @skelsey for your very interesting answers.

Sure thing. As another example, sitting on the ramp yesterday in the 767, we pushed back with 55,600 lbs of fuel. When we lined up for takeoff, we showed 56,100 lbs of fuel. Due to the heat exchangers kicking in after we started the engines, we ended up departing with “more” fuel than we had just sitting on the ramp. Pretty cool stuff!

[Guest]

On 26/01/2018 at 11:09 PM, junkyspam7 said:

 

Robert, I’m interested to know how you did this. Did you have a static summer and winter value programmed for very country in the world or does the FMC dynamically work in the background to figure out what the density should be depending on location, time of year, temperature etc via the internet perhaps?

Bumping this just in case it got lost in all the 748 news ;)

[rheinis 105]

 

Well...there is one detail that sticks out the most for me...

 

...it  really  makes me freakin' proud (and humble) to own and fly it...

 

[Nighthwk 566]

1 hour ago, junkyspam7 said:

Bumping this just in case it got lost in all the 748 news ;)

Trade secrets, I suppose.

[hasse29 41]

Well, little ashamed about this, but will tell. I am extremely experienced simmer when it comes to PMDG 747. I doubt that many people has as many hours as me flying the queen. So my excitement was very big when I for the first time started up 747 in P3D 4.1. A foggy day at ZSPD, going to ZBAA. I had loaded my airplane with passengers and cargo, finished the briefing. Decided to do a packs off takeoff. I was testing new functionality and releasing PMDG service vehicles.

I did a pushback, went through checklist and started to taxi. I just love to see this big bird taxi. Everything went smooth this misty day. Lined up at the runway. Everything looked fine. Did an perfect takeoff, very smooth. A bit up in the air some turbulence shake it up, but nothing serious. Very fast I could fly without flaps.

Suddenly my daughter asked me to help her in toilet. I hurried up and helped her. Back to the queen that was just passing transition alt at 9850ft. Fixed all things and all was good. Closing in to FL110 and an error message came up. Dont remember exactly what it said, but started to check controls. What can it be.I think there was a warning siren also. I could not find anything. I had not turned on error, so I started to wonder if I discovered a bug.

Continued through FL150 and soon it reported that oxygen mask was released. I though "Ok, what am I doing since I try to kill all passengers?". Looked at FMC to check on doors. But all doors was closed and locked. What the h..l was going on. Went back to checklist and checked on all to find out what went wrong. Then I found it. Because my daughter interrupted me, I forgot to turn on packs after takeoff. The big bug was me (as it often is). Quickly turned on the packs and got to practice a return to Shanghai. In my mind I could see all ambulances waiting for my arrival.