I now have Boeing 787 time in my logbook

AggieMike88

AggieMike88

Touchdown! Greaser!
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The original "I don't know it all" of aviation.
Well, to be truthful, it's just simulator, but none the less, it was a way cool opportunity to do something aviation oriented with my Dad, who flew T-38's in the Air Force and 727's for Braniff until the 1982 shutdown.

In mid-July, we flew the Skylane down to Houston where we had a tour of the United Airlines Facility at IAH, and then 4 hours of time in the B787 sim.

The opportunity was my first time in a sim of this category and way more fun than I could have imagined. The realism they are able to achieve is unbelievable.

And I learned a ton on the capabilities of the B787 including that it can do a Cat 3 Auto Approach and Autoland including auto braking on the runway. All the PF and PM are doing is putting in the various inputs and configuration changes at the right time. And many other things that make this aircraft one of the wonders of the modern jet passenger liners.

The movie is Dad doing an approach into 13R at KDAL. The photos are what we got as we toured and had our turns at the controls.


IMG_2445.JPG IMG_2403.JPG IMG_2419.JPG IMG_2412.JPG IMG_2446.JPG IMG_2430.JPG IMG_2410.JPG Throttle Quadrant.JPG IMG_2418.JPG
 
AggieMike88 said:
And I learned a ton on the capabilities of the B787 including that it can do a Cat 3 Auto Approach and Autoland including auto braking on the runway.
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This should help the Asiana pilots with the San Francisco landings ...:eek:
 
Very cool to do something like that with your Dad Mike. How'd y'all arrange that?

Roll Tide!
 
Great you could share and experience that with your Dad. You do any approaches?
 
mscard88 said:
Great you could share and experience that with your Dad. You do any approaches?
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Several. And this was the first time I could get a handle on RVR (Runway Visual Range) that I studied in my IFR texts. We had talked about it, but I never could grasp what it looked like until the sim instructor stopped the flight just as we crossed the beginning of the approach lights, and stepped us through the different RVR values. NOW I have something to mentally compare to. Oh, and then he moved us to the runway threshold and showed us what an RVR of 300, 200, 100 looks like.... essentially different levels of grey soup. But again, valuable experience and made me appreciate what Greg B and our other 121 drivers occasionally have to deal with.
 
Having and Using the HUD makes many of the difficult approaches easier. It didn't take long to get used to having it there and following steering and other commands. That would be a nice thing to have someday in our piston airplanes .
 
Airline I flew at I think our lowest takeoff RVR was maybe 300-400. Been retired awhile so I've already forgotten. The ones I did in a similar sim were more intense sometimes than actual. As you said, amazing what that level of sim can do. Most if not all airlines actually train to the type rating in the sim, check ride in the sim, and then you're out online flying people around, initially with an IP for a number of hours, like 20-25 hours and then you're on your own.
 
Looks like an awesome time! at my carrier and equipment we can do RVR 500 takeoffs, and catii landings in touchdown- mid -rollout of 1200-600-300.....you don't realize how low It is until you see it and I can say the full motion sims do a fantastic job of replicating most everything! Jealous you got to fly the 787 sim! Looks like a great time!
 
How old is your dad, Mike?

Is he in good health?

Are you coming to Gaston's?

(Yes, all three questions are related and pertinent.)
 
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Two features I liked on the HUD was

(1) when the right setting was engaged, you also saw a representation of the runway edges. So just like using the shape of the real runway as visual cues of being too high, low, left, right, this virtual cue would provide similar information.

(2) "center the pipper" function. The flight computer provides a "pipper" that is sorta like the golden snitch from Harry Potter. The computer constantly updates the screen with that pipper to say this is where you need to be. As long as you keep the circle within your virtual airplane around that pipper, you're lined up and flying where you should be.

xNAXLA04.jpg


If you look in the middle of the photo, you'll see what I mean about keeping the pipper within the circle. This feature made a descent and approach through the soup a real simple thing.
 
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One long term hope is that one day, us piston guys would have an affordable HUD solution similar to the photo.
 
AggieMike88 said:
One long term hope is that one day, us piston guys would have an affordable HUD solution similar to the photo.
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The one in the photo isn't even close to affordable. Word on the street is if you break one, it's a cool half a million including installation costs.
 
okay, you picker of nits.... "with similar functionality as the one in the photo"
 
AggieMike88 said:
Several. And this was the first time I could get a handle on RVR (Runway Visual Range) that I studied in my IFR texts. We had talked about it, but I never could grasp what it looked like until the sim instructor stopped the flight just as we crossed the beginning of the approach lights, and stepped us through the different RVR values. NOW I have something to mentally compare to. Oh, and then he moved us to the runway threshold and showed us what an RVR of 300, 200, 100 looks like.... essentially different levels of grey soup. But again, valuable experience and made me appreciate what Greg B and our other 121 drivers occasionally have to deal with.
Click to expand...


I've done several CATIII approaches, but the lowest one I did was RVR 75m (think that equates to 300' on the chart) into BHX with a 757 several years ago. It was VERY impressive to see what that machine can do. You can't see anything except a centerline light whiz past. The grey runway didn't even stand out from the fog. Amazing technology.

Of course, taxiing to the ramp was interesting!
 
"Cat 3 Auto Approach and Autoland including auto braking on the runway." Did one of those on a 757 more than 20 years ago... ok, I was in jump seat on a test flight.
 
AggieMike88 said:
xNAXLA04.jpg


.
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This is the best thing to happen to flying in a long time. Flying path instead of pitch is the most logical method of flying. A "zero path reference line" instead of an artificial horizon makes flying so easy. Please tell me that you didn't have to trim the 787. I have never been able to find out if you need to trim it or not.
 
NJP_MAN said:
This is the best thing to happen to flying in a long time. Flying path instead of pitch is the most logical method of flying. A "zero path reference line" instead of an artificial horizon makes flying so easy. Please tell me that you didn't have to trim the 787. I have never been able to find out if you need to trim it or not.
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Trim? I'm not following what you're asking. I know you weren't addressing me, but I suspect others are also confused about the question.
 
MAKG1 said:
Not if the GS is inop. That was the problem in that crash. They could do a coupled ILS, but not a LOC.
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On a severe clear day. Oh, and the autothrottle was inop, too. Big whoop. Use the ASI and the PAPI. Fly the plane. Asiana clearly couldn't do that. I won't ride them again.
 
Ghery said:
On a severe clear day. Oh, and the autothrottle was inop, too. Big whoop. Use the ASI and the PAPI. Fly the plane. Asiana clearly couldn't do that. I won't ride them again.
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I was airborne when the crash happened. Yes, it was a nearly perfect flying day, 50+ miles visibility, no wind.

And there I was wondering why NorCal wouldn't give me flight following or let me through Class C. I'm sure they had their hands full, but they didn't tell me at the time.

The autothrottle wasn't inop. They forgot to engage it.
 
denverpilot said:
Trim? I'm not following what you're asking. I know you weren't addressing me, but I suspect others are also confused about the question.
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The FBW aircraft I fly doesn't need to be trimmed (It goes where you point it). When I look at the yoke of the 787 I see trim switches. Why would a FBW airplane that flys in path need trim on the yoke ? I could see back up trim on the pedistal like we have. I just wonder if it needs to be trimmed like a FBC airplane.
 
NJP_MAN said:
The FBW aircraft I fly doesn't need to be trimmed (It goes where you point it). When I look at the yoke of the 787 I see trim switches. Why would a FBW airplane that flys in path need trim on the yoke ? I could see back up trim on the pedistal like we have. I just wonder if it needs to be trimmed like a FBC airplane.
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I can think of a number of human factors and failure mode reasons why not to change that.
 
denverpilot said:
I can think of a number of human factors and failure mode reasons why not to change that.
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I'm only interested in knowing if the trim is used in normal laws. Maybe it's only there for alternate or direct laws. More and more manufacturers are going to side stick and FBW set ups, so it's interesting to see Boeings interpretation of what a FBW airplane looks like. I just can't tell in the videos I have seen if the trim is being used.
 
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