Notices
Hangar Talk For non-aviation-related discussion and aviation threads that don't belong elsewhere

boeing 747

Old 08-30-2008, 07:58 AM
  #1  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Aug 2008
Posts: 8
Default boeing 747

Hi everyone, I was wondering what it was like the first time you got to fly the 747? what feelings/emotions were running through your head? were you extremely nervous or calm? haha just wanted to see different peoples experiences are with this huge plane. I dont even understand how something that big can fly? im always in amazement everytime I see one take off.
noob is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 08:08 AM
  #2  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Aug 2007
Posts: 143
Default

uh oh...


JPilot23 is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 08:20 AM
  #3  
Are we there yet??!!
 
Joined APC: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,010
Default

An airplane is an airplane. Everyone is a little nervous on their first day in a new aircraft. The thing with the 74 is you have to remember hat you have a whole lot of mass behind you pushing you, meaning you cant slow down from the marker while doing 250. The hardest part about flying the 74 is taxiing it.
Thedude is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 10:03 AM
  #4  
Moderate Moderator
 
UAL T38 Phlyer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Position: Curator at Static Display
Posts: 5,681
Default Humbled

noob:

It humbled me. In a word: inertia.

I had 4000 hours of military time, mostly twin jet time when I went into the 747 sim the first time. I was used to fighters and trainers, where control response is very rapid, and when controls are neutralised, movement around any axis stops almost immediately.

In the 747, with lots of weight (engines and fuel) so far out from the fuselage, once you get the thing rolling, it doesn't want to stop. Pitch is similar, with such a long fuselage. I overcontrolled in bank and pitch for the first two sim sessions.

In other words, I was used to airplanes where the dynamic damping from the empennage/dihedral was greater than the inertial effect of the airframe.

The 747 (and most other heavy airliners) are exactly the opposite.

Once I learned to master the beast (and I flew the -100, 200, and -400), the word was "Majestic." It amazed me that something designed on paper in the 1960s, with slide rules (not even hand-held calculators back then), could be so big and so fast (redline is 0.92 Mach), have the ability to fly a third of the way around the world, and still turn a profit.

Pretty amazing machine.
UAL T38 Phlyer is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 10:28 AM
  #5  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Slice's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Spartan
Posts: 3,652
Default

Originally Posted by noob View Post
Hi everyone, I was wondering what it was like the first time you got to fly the 747? what feelings/emotions were running through your head? were you extremely nervous or calm? haha just wanted to see different peoples experiences are with this huge plane. I dont even understand how something that big can fly? im always in amazement everytime I see one take off.
I'll be able to give you an answer in a few weeks. Going by past experiences, I don't anticipate being nervous...
Slice is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 12:01 PM
  #6  
Tri-tanic operator
 
CactusCrew's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Position: Doggie
Posts: 2,382
Default

Originally Posted by Slice View Post
I'll be able to give you an answer in a few weeks. Going by past experiences, I don't anticipate being nervous...
U da' MAN ...

CactusCrew is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 12:26 PM
  #7  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Slice's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Spartan
Posts: 3,652
Default

Originally Posted by CactusCrew View Post
U da' MAN ...

I'll be more nervous for the oral next week...flying's the easy part(usually).
Slice is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 12:31 PM
  #8  
Gets Weekends Off
 
joepilot's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jul 2008
Position: 747 Captain (Ret,)
Posts: 800
Smile

I'll second Thedude's statement about the hardest part being taxiing.

At max weight and flaps ten, Vr approaches 180 Knots. You will get up close and personal with the far end of a lot of 13,000 foot runways.

It's not as flexible in terms of slow down and go down as a 727, but better than the 737, and much better than the 757.

Joe
joepilot is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 04:11 PM
  #9  
Bored
 
Spongebob's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: Grumman Torture Device (weekends only)
Posts: 445
Default

Concur with the above....I went to it from a 56k lb. turboprop (E-2)..
For me,
- Taxiing was/is hardest! Fine line between keeping it rolling and rolling too fast.
- Getting the be-otch to slow down/come down. The late descent in ANC sucks, especially on the classic where you get speed brakes or flaps, not both. The key I've found is to be judicious use of the landing gear to add drag.
- Inertia: one of the instructors referred to the 747 as a fat woman: plan early where you want her to go, and don't let her get going to fast in any direction.

Beyond that, and overall, I found it way easier than the Hawkeye. Doesn't have any bad habits if you plan appropriately and it's actually nice to hand fly.

Spongebob
Spongebob is offline  
Old 08-30-2008, 07:20 PM
  #10  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Sep 2005
Position: Computer desk
Posts: 118
Default

Originally Posted by UAL T38 Phlyer View Post
noob:

It humbled me. In a word: inertia.

I had 4000 hours of military time, mostly twin jet time when I went into the 747 sim the first time. I was used to fighters and trainers, where control response is very rapid, and when controls are neutralised, movement around any axis stops almost immediately.

In the 747, with lots of weight (engines and fuel) so far out from the fuselage, once you get the thing rolling, it doesn't want to stop. Pitch is similar, with such a long fuselage. I overcontrolled in bank and pitch for the first two sim sessions.

In other words, I was used to airplanes where the dynamic damping from the empennage/dihedral was greater than the inertial effect of the airframe.

The 747 (and most other heavy airliners) are exactly the opposite.

Once I learned to master the beast (and I flew the -100, 200, and -400), the word was "Majestic." It amazed me that something designed on paper in the 1960s, with slide rules (not even hand-held calculators back then), could be so big and so fast (redline is 0.92 Mach), have the ability to fly a third of the way around the world, and still turn a profit.

Pretty amazing machine.
Nice post.

I came into the classic from learjet 20's. My first takeoff on ioe was off 31L at Kennedy. 800,000lbs gtow in August! After rolling 11,000 feet all The bird would do in the Canarsie climb was around 1200 fpm! Once the wing got clean it bumbed up to 2000fpm. I thought we had lost an engine. I didn't find taxing difficult. I like being able to see the whole airport.
leardriver is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
romeoKC10FE
Kalitta Companies
19
08-30-2008 11:02 PM
jungle
Your Photos and Videos
2
07-30-2008 03:27 PM
Sir James
Major
0
03-15-2005 02:07 PM
RockBottom
Major
0
03-10-2005 10:40 AM
SWAjet
Major
0
03-07-2005 09:48 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices