Question for a 747 driver
 

Remember, guys, I'm just a lowly RJ turd...
When you're pulling your 747 in to the gate, how in heck do you know when to stop? There's no way you could see the marshaler!

Hack, i'm not even an official RJ pilot yet - so anybody, feel free to correct me on this. But the following has been my experience in the jumpseat of various airlines ....

But generally speaking there are many docking systems around the world and in the US as well. the APIS, PAPA board, there's even a new (8 years old now) sys in HKG that sends a laser beam to your nose and measure it's size, to determine automatically what type of a/c you're driving and will guide you to the stop location fully automatically w/o having a guy down there on the ramp tweak it, or have ramp control or cordination center tweak it ahead of time.

Also, in some places where you park on a remote stand (I.E. no jetway) the marshaller can stand farther back which allows him/her to be seen from the cockpit.

Hope this helps!

-schone

Here is one way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WspEGzBBGPU

Don't refer to yourself as a turd. An elm, oak, and weeping willow are all trees. You are a pilot. Be proud of yourself and carry yourself like the professional you are. :)

Yep that's how it's done. It works for all airplanes, the "marshaller" will input into the docking system what type of airplane will be pulling in to the gate and it will give the feet/meters remaining custom tailored for that type of aircraft.

Popa,

Pilots aren't terds, unless you are talking to my ex-wife. I'm sure there are other pilots that can chime in, but during my time as a 747 Capt...there were two common ways to park the "Whale". One was with a marshaller, usually standing on top of the tug so you could see them. The second, which is popular in Europe and Asia was a visual docking system that employed a sort of Azimuth localizer light for guidance and a line-up light to stop. At the new airport in Bangkok and some others they have a drag racing tree that goes from green to yellow to red (to stop). And if you go too far, it says "TOO FAR"...even though I've never done that !!!! ;)