Originally Posted by qaluunat
I am just a student going to flight school, and I only fly a little Cessna 172 right now, but dream of someday flying a 747, or a big Airbus. I assume many students have these same desires, and I just wanted to know what it is like. For you pilots who fly these large planes, when you are taking off, or coming in to land, how do you feel? Even taking off and landing in the Cessna is still exhilerating, and I can't even imagine what it would be like in a 747. I am just a bit curious, and hope to find out for myself someday.
The 747 is a pig. Cool, but a big lumbering pig. They probably won't have any left when you're ready to fly them. Everyone is dumping them for more economical planes. But flying airliners is cool. I love flying them. I just landed a 757-300 this morning in a crosswind. I greased it in (not trying to brag
). The takeoff last weekend in a 767-200 that was light was fun too. Lots of power and a great climb. Flying a complex aircraft on a complex arrival or departure is fun. Add wind, weather, mountains, etc and that just makes it more interesting. Just like in a 172, you feel good when you do a job well done.