12 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

You can only get reliably useful information out of AI if you are well-versed on the subject and know how to "lead" the AI to produce the correct answers. 

That sounds like getting a loan from a bank, you need to already have the money before they trust you enough to lend you theirs 🙂

And another successful flight!

I now LOVE this aircraft.  But let me start with a gripe.  This has been going on nearly a year.  The crazy weird aberations on the wings:

And there's an equally crazy weird and easy fix...but you have to do this EVERY flight...you Replace the Tyres in the Maintenance part of the EFB.  Yes, I know.

And when you click Replace Tyres, magically this happens:

 

Honestly, for an organisation that has a pretty high price sales strategy (and, per se, there's nothing wrong with that) this is a bit shoddy.  There was a business golden rule in all the industries I've worked in: "If you make an outstanding product, then you can charge a high price.  But if you are charging a high price for your outstanding product and it develops a flaw - then you have to sort that out super darned quick!"

 

Anyway - it IS, in my view, an outstanding product.  And - almost certainly still with my major pilot errors all over the place - I have got to grips enough with the modern flight systems to now fly and land it successfully most times.

A bit like with the splendid IniBuilds A350, my repeated error topic was starting the descent, following the descent path without losing it and then capturing the ILS successfully.

Airbus and Boeing do this stuff differently and, eventually, I found a way of getting the A350 to actually touch down - rather than make a perfect landing 1000' above the runway!

And I think I've sorted the Boeing too.

Right or Wrong, I now do the following:

- I set the ALT to Cruise Height before take-off.  The automatic processes in the 777 VNAV system then manage the height restrictions/speed restrictions until, eventually arriving at that cruise height and speed

-  Shortly before reaching TOD, I turn the ALT all the way down to ILS landing entry height (I use 2000').  If I get it right, then the descent/landing system indicators appear and the aircraft manages the descent, including intermediate level outs, and speed itself.  All I have to do is make sure that, if for example, the rate of descent results in an overspeed, be ready to assist with speed brakes, etc..  As it happens, I have not needed to do that yet.

- I'm still not sure when or if to turn on the LOC but I generally turn on APP somewhere roundabout the final turn a few miles before the ILS entry waypoint.

I have a few screen shots of those key stages if anyone is interested but this just reminds me what a stunningly good sim with a stunningly good 3rd party aircraft looks like - even through a VR headset:

 

 

Edited March 3Mar 3 by AJZip2

You do not need to press the LOC button. Pressing APP sorts both of them out when conducting an ILS approach.

Very nice, @AJZip2.

30 minutes ago, AJZip2 said:

Anyway - it IS, in my view, an outstanding product

I've been saying that to myself for the last 5 years in MSFS, whenever I get a chance ....🙂... BTW, that's also true in the RW. The 777 was a true pioneer of modern aviation in long-haul, twin-engine, widebody, and safe (ETOPS) flight. It revolutionized the industry.

My 777 travels were with British Airways, Air France (my only ever first class full long-haul roundtrip - an unforgettable experience for life), then, Emirates, AA, and UA. I cherish all those memories, as this stalwart of modern transport, is now about to be replaced, if not already to some extent, at least for pax use, by the likes of 787, 350, and (upcoming) 777-X, just as this twin-jet had played a role in replacing the (venerable) quad-jet A340.

 

BTW, those weird textural aberrations, I too have seen, though never in the 777. I've definitely seen it in some airliners, and especially on the wings too. Do you see it in the PMDG Factory livery too, or just on add-on repaints of the 777?

 

48 minutes ago, AJZip2 said:

Airbus and Boeing do this stuff differently

Indeed, we don't have to be Pro-pilots to realize and experience bits of it. That's why, I like to fly the 777 and 350 B2B, whenever possible. It's a pity, if we're airliner fans, but do not take advantage of these two excellent airliners of our SIM today: one modern and the other ultra-modern.

.

47 minutes ago, AJZip2 said:

I have a few screen shots of those key stages if anyone is interested but this just reminds me what a stunningly good sim with a stunningly good 3rd party aircraft looks like - even through a VR headset:

I agree with you and appreciate your upbeat words. Have fun, which you seem to be already having.

BTW, I encourage you to publish your images in the (nearby) Screenshots Forum. We need some fresh new blood there...🙂...

Liked your last screenshot above...thanks for sharing...

1 hour ago, P_7878 said:

BTW, I encourage you to publish your images in the (nearby) Screenshots Forum

Yes - I will.  I didn't post the A350 ones there as I took very few externals...and even we enthusiasts can get tired of shot after shot of slightly blurry and distant gauges 

But with this flight, I have purposely taken more externals 👍 

1 hour ago, Christopher Low said:

You do not need to press the LOC button. Pressing APP sorts both of them out when conducting an ILS approach.

Of possible interest to those who like buttons..most of the time,pressing APP will not allow the aircraft to capture the GS before it has captured the LOC.

I say most of the time because it’s actually a company specified option to prohibit GS capture before LOC. I believe it’s in the PMDG aircraft options in the FMC to allow you to choose either option.

The GS prohibit seems to be the default, both RW and simulated.

I actually used to press the LOC button prior to the APP button in the PMDG 737. I did that for a long time, and I am almost certain that I did it because it was the procedure mentioned in the PMDG 737 tutorial 1 (the quick flight from EGKK London Gatwick to EHAM Amsterdam Schiphol).

On a side note, we can ignore the fact that I had accidentally deleted EHAM prior to flying that tutorial, so the landing was completed in an empty field!! 

I know you know all this stuff already  Chris , so it’s just for the benefit of people lurking to pick up top tips…

It tends to depend on what ATC have asked you to do. You often get cleared something like descend to 3000ft turn right to 240 degrees to join the localiser. You might be descending through 4000ft towards 3000ft 13 miles out and are just about established on the GP.

It would be tempting to just hit APP at this point as you know your about to be cleared the ILS and continue the descent in LOC/GS however it wouldn’t be wise as that’s not your clearance and the aircraft would carry on descending on the glide below your cleared level.

If of course you get a clearance like “ on the heading cleared to establish localiser 27R descend 3000ft once established descend with the glide” then you are at liberty to hit APP.

4 hours ago, AJZip2 said:

Shortly before reaching TOD, I turn the ALT all the way down to ILS landing entry height (I use 2000').  If I get it right, then the descent/landing system indicators appear and the aircraft manages the descent, including intermediate level outs, and speed itself.

I use the Maltese cross symbol on the approach chart to set ALT at the TOD. It is shown on the bottom in the section with the glide slope. Post an approach chart and i can point it out. 

1 hour ago, Christopher Low said:

I actually used to press the LOC button prior to the APP button in the PMDG 737. I did that for a long time, and I am almost certain that I did it because it was the procedure mentioned in the PMDG 737 tutorial 1 (the quick flight from EGKK London Gatwick to EHAM Amsterdam Schiphol).

I did the same thing for the same reasons across multiple versions of the PMDG 737 for many years.  It was a “whoa” moment for me when I learned it was actually perfectly normal to just select APP in most cases.

The other thing from the same tutorial was turning on the fuel pumps before starting the APU, and shutting down the APU before turning off the fuel pumps.  Turns out that’s not necessary.  

Glad I can still be learning after all these years of simming, and it goes to show how important that early PMDG tutorial was for me!

19 hours ago, Stearmandriver said:

The AI discussion has been interesting, but it seems to boil down to: 

You can only get reliably useful information out of AI if you are well-versed on the subject and know how to "lead" the AI to produce the correct answers. 

Which means in order to get correct answers from the AI, you need to already know the answers.  So, how is the AI being helpful?

Seems pretty circular.

Why does one use a calculator for math?

Shots from the video are on the screenshots section if anyone is interested (and fully understand if no-one is   )

7 hours ago, jon b said:

I know you know all this stuff already  Chris , so it’s just for the benefit of people lurking to pick up top tips…

It tends to depend on what ATC have asked you to do. You often get cleared something like descend to 3000ft turn right to 240 degrees to join the localiser. You might be descending through 4000ft towards 3000ft 13 miles out and are just about established on the GP.

It would be tempting to just hit APP at this point as you know your about to be cleared the ILS and continue the descent in LOC/GS however it wouldn’t be wise as that’s not your clearance and the aircraft would carry on descending on the glide below your cleared level.

If of course you get a clearance like “ on the heading cleared to establish localiser 27R descend 3000ft once established descend with the glide” then you are at liberty to hit APP.

Thanks, @jon b.

Always good to hear...whether we may be doing it right or not....🙂...

5 hours ago, AJZip2 said:

Shots from the video are on the screenshots section if anyone is interested (and fully understand if no-one is   )

Thanks, @AJZip2...!

I will surely mosey over... as we say around here...sometimes...🙂...

21 hours ago, UrgentSiesta said:

Why does one use a calculator for math?

@UrgentSiesta, indeed, the student calculator that 5th-6th graders start using around here is a good example of a deterministic AI system (partly applicable, btw, also in aerospace e.g., to the incredibly complex system of the 787).

Such systems produce reliable and useful information only when one is "well-versed" to know how to "lead" it to the correct output. If I want the calculator to produce the correct result for (2^3 i.e., 8), I cannot input (2x3) and expect to get the correct answer. In the case of the 787, someone (well-versed) must input correctly to get the system (supported by AI) to lead to a correct output e.g., leading you from A to B.

It's important to remember, though, such AI systems did not get there in one shot. It's an iterative learning process, before the AI can get to the advanced stages of maturity. AI Models remains useful at (and quicken) each stage of progression, with ability to process vast amounts of data with unprecedented (non-human) speeds. 

Depending on the task on hand, constant validation and cross-checking (e.g., with other AI models) helps with progression. After all, all the AI could not predict the thermal runaway temperature of the 787 lithium battery cells. We can be now sure that advanced AI is keeping watch over such and other systems to keep us safe.

Nothing new here...that's how science and technology progresses and matures. All we need is an open mind. AI (just as FBW once) is (and will be) a permanent fixture of modern aviation and airplane design, in spite of our skepticism.

There is on-line (free) stuff (instructor-led and non-instructor-led) available, if one is interested to learn, instead of asking questions here. After all, AI is (fortunately) not mandated for all here, as for some of us.

Cheers...!

(Note: This text is generated by a human…)

Edited March 4Mar 4 by P_7878