[16JAN16] The Things They Carry... 747-400 Info

[Kenzo 24]

Probably one of the most useless options, but its great you created this. Id rather fly a virtual spare engine in the cargohold of the combi in KLM colors.

[Copper. 78]

When Qantas retire its remaining 744RR fleet, that'll be it... No more <external> Spare Engine Carriage assuming no one else buys/utilises the option.

 

Cue PMDG 744v2. I think its good that we will get the chance to know more about a rarely utilised option.

 

I've re-installed 744v1 and am in practice mode, preparing, and looking forward to a more refined product in v2. I am going to stretch it v2 as much as I have the NGx!

[Zangdaarr 0]

That's a cool option, will this have an impact on aerodynamics ?

[Boeing or not going 578]

What happened to the 777-200ER?

 

Patrick

Same as the BBJ, it was never officially promised and they have moved on to other releases - David Lee

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

 

 

Not an expert of the 747 by any means, but I did manage to cobble up some information on the internet as I'm rather bored with no new PMDG aircraft to buy. ;-)

 

1) What is it?

Landing gear control handle lock

 

2) There are two of them- what is the other one doing?

I can only find references for 1 lever, attached to a lock solenoid and a relay, which is connected to a proximity switch electronics unit or PSEU.

 

3) What electrical sources do each of them use?

28VDC from DC Bus 2

 

4) What signal are they getting from the air-ground circuit? (meaning: which gear signal unlocks each of them?")

Primary and alternate gear tilt sensor circuits (All body/wing gear tilted) and the body gear steering actuator lock circuits.

 

 

The reason I asked was due to a post I read on pprune, where the click sound was used to indicate that the aircraft is airborne. The 'latch' is probably referenced in relation to the 747 Classic, where AFAIK there's an actual latch.

 

 

Lian-

 

MOSTLY correct!  Well done!

 

The answer I was looking for was that it is a solenoid that you hear making that clicking noise.  There is a second one that you also hear at almost the same moment, and that one is blocking movement of the speedbrake handle beyond the flight detent with the air-ground system sensing air mode.

 

Since you went through the effort-  yes- it is modeled. 

David-

 

Same as the BBJ, it was never officially promised and they have moved on to other releases - David Lee

 

This is not a precisely accurate answer.

 

We have indicated for quite some time that we intend to do the 200ER at a later date.  I have been saying for a year now that the 200ER will happen "sometime after the 747s are released, if we think the market will support the expansion of the product."  We are pretty comfortable that it will- but we obviously aren't going to hold up the 747 production at this stage of the game.

 

I always encourage folks to search for my answers on similar topics before paraphrasing me and in doing so, accidentally changing my answers.  :wink:

[sbclark 55]

I have a question,

 

I used to fly the PMDG 747-400 version 1 until the NGX and 777 came on the market.

 

One of the really cool things I liked about the cargo version years ago, were the loaders that were positioned to load cargo into the nose and side doors of the 747.

 

Do you intend to include these loaders with version 2, or rely on GSX and others to provide them?

 

Bill Clark

[x-plane 123 61]

Very cool feature! With all the recent updates on the Queen, do you have any DC-6 updates planned? Or has it still mostly been fine tuning things?

[Zentosi 0]

Thanks for the insight! Can't wait for this release.

[mcbellette 145]

Captains-

 

I am spending a dreary, overcast Saturday testing out new mathematical models related to the fuel system, and I thought I would swing by with a few images from Jason's recent test-flying down Sydney way.  (Jason lives in Canada... So naturally he bids for all the southern hemisphere test flying during the winter months! Those crafty Canadians!)

 

So, back to the point of the post...

 

If you look closely at the image of N744PM parked on the ramp at YSSY, you will notice something a bit odd...  Something very rarely seen on an in-service 747-400...

 

 

 

 

Yes!  The optional fifth-engine pod!

 

One of Pan American's original design requirements was the ability to transport a podded engine to an out-station in the event a 747 became stranded with a bad engine.  After all, the initial engine reliability during flight test of the 747-100 left a bit to be desired, and Pan American's engineering department wanted to be certain that their very expensive new airplanes wouldn't wind up waiting on a jet engine to arrive by surface shipment in the event an engine change was needed at an out-station...  So they asked Boeing to incorporate the ability to strap a fifth engine to the airframe for transportation.

 

This was accomplished, and was fairly standard fair on the early 747 as the global resource of spare engines was quite small.

 

Fast forward to the 747-400, and not many operators opted to purchase the spar modification required to carry the fifth engine, but a few did.

 

 

 

The extra mounts are placed on a load bearing bracket that allows the engine to be hung in very similar fashion to how it would be attached to the pylon.  It requires some planning and some thinking ahead to make certain you can get the engine on/off the airplane, but these are relatively minor concerns for airline with a global reach.

 

The engine itself gets a bit of extra treatment, with the N1 fan being removed, along with a bunch of other prep work to ensure the engine does not rotate during the flight.  The lack of lubrication under pressure would be heck on the bearings, and would obviate the whole point of hauling the engine along with you in the first place- so a shroud is installed to divert the airflow around the core and through the now empty bypass shroud.

 

 

 

One last postcard view of N744PM preparing to depart Sydney. 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago, QF demonstrated the flexibility of the fifth engine pod by hauling an engine from Sydney to Jo'Burg on one of their 747-400s.  They made a nice video of the endeavor since it is relatively uncommon to see it take place in the wild:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWfA3I_cALs

 

 

Anyway- we thought we would give a bit of a taste of what you can expect to have available at your fingertips with the new PMDG 747-400 Queen of the Skies II.  We are cramming in a huge amount of detail and realism for you!

 

Okay- back to checking equations in the fuel system!

 

Interesting little tid-bit to add. Because of the added weight and drag the extra engine imposes on the aircraft. the Qantas flight had to make one refuelling stop in Perth before the flight over the Indian Ocean, on what would normally be a non-stop flight. Also, check the following Qantas link for a photo of a Qantas 707 carrying a fifth engine...

 

http://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/roo-tales/that-time-when-we-strapped-an-extra-engine-on-to-a-jumbo/

[vc10man 732]

Thank you for that link, Matthew. Did not know that about the B707. You live and learn.

[Boeing or not going 578]

David-

 

 

This is not a precisely accurate answer.

 

We have indicated for quite some time that we intend to do the 200ER at a later date.  I have been saying for a year now that the 200ER will happen "sometime after the 747s are released, if we think the market will support the expansion of the product."  We are pretty comfortable that it will- but we obviously aren't going to hold up the 747 production at this stage of the game.

 

I always encourage folks to search for my answers on similar topics before paraphrasing me and in doing so, accidentally changing my answers.  :wink:

 

Your team also did the same thing for the BBJ expansion of the NGX, promise that it was coming eventually, but then other releases continued and it got lost, I am expecting the same thing with the 200ER of course I would like to be proven wrong. But the 747v2 is of course my main love, specifically the freighter variants, -F, -BCF, -ERF, -8F so I will not complain - David Lee

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

But David...  In your post you said you won't complain... yet you do...

 

Therefore you must not mean what you say in your posts, or at least that is how the rest of us can interpret them, no?

 

In which case- it must mean that we didn't say what you said we said in your post where you complain but say you won't...  In which case we must not have said precisely what you are trying to make others believe we said when we actually said something else, that lead you to say we said something we didn't actually say in the post in which you say you won't complain but do...

 

So I reiterate my original point.  We have said all along that the 200ER will come later- as an expansion...  after the 747s...

[HUSSAR 272]

But David...  In your post you said you won't complain... yet you do...

 

Therefore you must not mean what you say in your posts, or at least that is how the rest of us can interpret them, no?

 

In which case- it must mean that we didn't say what you said we said in your post where you complain but say you won't...  In which case we must not have said precisely what you are trying to make others believe we said when we actually said something else, that lead you to say we said something we didn't actually say in the post in which you say you won't complain but do...

 

So I reiterate my original point.  We have said all along that the 200ER will come later- as an expansion...  after the 747s...

 

:He He:

[wijnand 11]

 

But David...  In your post you said you won't complain... yet you do...

 

Therefore you must not mean what you say in your posts, or at least that is how the rest of us can interpret them, no?

 

In which case- it must mean that we didn't say what you said we said in your post where you complain but say you won't...  In which case we must not have said precisely what you are trying to make others believe we said when we actually said something else, that lead you to say we said something we didn't actually say in the post in which you say you won't complain but do...

 

So I reiterate my original point.  We have said all along that the 200ER will come later- as an expansion...  after the 747s...

Reading this at 8 o'clock AM (local time) I really happy with my coffee    :smile:

 

Thanks for the pictures.

 

Regards,

 

Wijnand Lindelauf (EHBK)

[Berike 13]

One thing I would love to test (just to see what happens).

 

Replace 747-8i engines with Quad GE90s