Sorry to hear about that.
I think putting things in perspective is the most import thing right now.
What it's like to fly an airliner.
- Thread starter Astro14
- Start date
I think putting things in perspective is the most import thing right now.
Thank you. On both counts.
Hey Astro:
Does United still have the ATC channel? I think it was 10 on the old planes? I asked the flight attendant once or twice if it was available (when I was near BWI and flying United) - and was told the entertainment system was broken, or the pilot didn't want it on.
Somewhere my Dad has a photo of me sitting in the left seat of 727 - still remember it - he realized that he ran out of film, and they let him take a second picture after we landed (he was a nervous flyer). Another pilot blog I used to follow said that he loved giving cockpit tours when he could - but no one asked anymore. Seemed to make him sad. (According to him the 320/321 had a really cool test mode that folks enjoyed).
Does United still have the ATC channel? I think it was 10 on the old planes? I asked the flight attendant once or twice if it was available (when I was near BWI and flying United) - and was told the entertainment system was broken, or the pilot didn't want it on.
Somewhere my Dad has a photo of me sitting in the left seat of 727 - still remember it - he realized that he ran out of film, and they let him take a second picture after we landed (he was a nervous flyer). Another pilot blog I used to follow said that he loved giving cockpit tours when he could - but no one asked anymore. Seemed to make him sad. (According to him the 320/321 had a really cool test mode that folks enjoyed).
It was Channel 9 on the old United entertainment system. Use of channel 9 is at the Captain's discretion, and the FAs get a brief on whether or not it will be available.
New airplanes, and those airplanes that came from Continental, don't have it.
Old airplanes, like mine, still do...and I leave it on...but in my mind, turning it off is step 2 in any emergency, right after flying the airplane...
New airplanes, and those airplanes that came from Continental, don't have it.
Old airplanes, like mine, still do...and I leave it on...but in my mind, turning it off is step 2 in any emergency, right after flying the airplane...
I appreciate your good wishes. I really am able to put it in perspective.
Tell us a your thoughts on the 787. Up until I flew on one, the 777 was my #1 with the A380 and 767-300 closely following. I flew on what at the time was a brand new United 787 from Houston to London, in business class (nice!). It was smooth, quiet, and I loved the physical comfort features, from the lower pressure altitude to the humidity, to the sunrise lighting at wake-up time, to the large windows with LCD dimming. It was just an amazing experience. It didn't hurt that it had the new plane smell and according to the FA, it was only on its 3rd or 4th revenue flight. I haven't ridden in one since, but would love to do it again, for sure. The business class food was fantastic, too, btw. MUCH better than Luftansa served in business class on the A380, which we flew to Johannesburg right afterward.
I've got high hopes for the upcoming 777X, as it supposedly incorporates and even betters many of the Dreamliner features.
I've got high hopes for the upcoming 777X, as it supposedly incorporates and even betters many of the Dreamliner features.
I will be interested as well to hear this.
Until the COVID struck pretty much all of our flights were on 788s and 789s. I agree on all of the above. The altitude adjustment does work and the humidity prevents that drying out of the sinuses. I can actually hear the announcements instead of the muffled goulash that came over the speakers on the older planes.
One interesting thing that I have only heard on the Dreamliners is the siren sound during the engine startup phase. I’m not sure what that is but it reminds me of the air start we had on a Coast Guard cutter ages ago trying to turn over a couple of large Cooper Bessemer diesels.
Benefits of living in CO. I have Ayr spray in all vehicles, in each room, and B767 feels much more humid than my porch
When I get to fly the airplane, the 787, I will certainly share my impressions. Buddies who have flown it say that it’s a great airplane, handles well, very fast, lots of power and sips fuel. The crew rest is nice.
As a passenger, I’ve flown it around the US and it’s wonderful. More bin space, lower cabin altitude, quieter, brighter, lighter feeling cabin and yeah, fast, cutting quite a bit of time off the trip.
Sweet jet by all accounts.
As a passenger, I’ve flown it around the US and it’s wonderful. More bin space, lower cabin altitude, quieter, brighter, lighter feeling cabin and yeah, fast, cutting quite a bit of time off the trip.
Sweet jet by all accounts.
When you say it’s very fast -
Its still not as fast as a 747, or is it?
I realize that the design goals of the 2 aircraft are different.
I don’t have a direct comparison but having flown from Seattle to Tokyo a number of times the 747 usually took about 10-11 hours. The 777 was a bit faster at around 9-10 hours. The 787 is definitely much faster at around 8.5 to 9 hours or so. Of course there are other variables to consider like wind.
A few years ago on a flight from Tokyo back to Seattle we made excellent time at around 7.5 hours. We were so early we had to wait on the tarmac for our gate to be vacated which took the time advantage away.
That’s interesting. I thought the 747 was still the fastest airliner flying.
I’ve seen 150 knot winds on the Pacific tracks, so the weather on that day when you set a record time across the ocean matters a lot. A lot.
The 747 remains the fastest of the airplanes listed, not quite Convair 990 fast, but among modern airplanes, still the fast conventional airliner.
The 747 had a design cruise of about 0.86. The 787 is close at 0.85. The 777 is 0.84. The 767 is slow, at 0.80 though all of them can be adjusted for the conditions of that day, using a trade-off between fuel burn and hourly (crew, etc.) cost known as “Cost Index” in the flight management system.
On any given day, airplanes will fly adjusted speeds when the winds are like those strong tail winds. In most track systems, the airplanes have to fly a constant Mach for spacing on the tracks, so CI is calculated, but an average, compromise, constant Mach is selected and filed in the flight plan.
The 747 remains the fastest of the airplanes listed, not quite Convair 990 fast, but among modern airplanes, still the fast conventional airliner.
The 747 had a design cruise of about 0.86. The 787 is close at 0.85. The 777 is 0.84. The 767 is slow, at 0.80 though all of them can be adjusted for the conditions of that day, using a trade-off between fuel burn and hourly (crew, etc.) cost known as “Cost Index” in the flight management system.
On any given day, airplanes will fly adjusted speeds when the winds are like those strong tail winds. In most track systems, the airplanes have to fly a constant Mach for spacing on the tracks, so CI is calculated, but an average, compromise, constant Mach is selected and filed in the flight plan.
that looks kinda like the 747 cockpits we would coffe break in when I was fixing forklifts except half the levers , it has been a long time though.!Originally Posted By: DeepFriar
Thanks for that writeup. I was trying to remember the 757/767 intro, along with the fact that they were trying to have as much cockpit commonality as possible, and was thinking that the originals had CRT's which was very advanced for the time. Am I remembering that incorrectly? Or did the CRT's age out and were replaced with the steam gauges as shown beside the EFIS/MAP combo CRT. Is there more unseen-in-the-photograph EFIS with engine/synoptic data on CRT's?
That's an EFIS/MAP airplane. A 757-200 RR. EFIS/MAP is the original cockpit instrumentation. Most advanced design on the market when it was introduced about 35 years ago... I took a picture of just the flight instruments.
Here's an Internet shot of the whole thing:
The center stack of EFIS displays is the EICAS (Engine Instrument and Crew Alert System). It shows engine performance on the upper CRT, and either additional engine or status information on the lower. Actually, all six displays are identical CRT units, driven by a display module (3 of them, with backups and switching) for each individual position. You can interchange CRTs. Helps with spare parts inventory.
I used to love listening to Channel 9... it was my background noise. Kind of like your experience in the devils chariot, when the pilot turned off channel 9 it always made me perk up, even when 3/4 asleep. 9/11 from DEN-EWR over CLE was one to remember. Anyhow with over 2.2MM on UA, 500k on AA, and an easy 500k on all others, I appreciate what you do, UA pilots are the best of the best, and all UA front line employees have earned my loyalty. Thanks for this thread, greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much for your kind words! I really appreciate that!
Hey Astro, thanks for the explanations and all. I always wanted to be a pilot since I was 4, living right next to Toronto Pearson International. Would see them roar over my house and it got to a point I could tell what type of aircraft was flying over just by the engine noise (GE, RR, the rare PW).
Somehow I became an accountant... Oh well. Still love everything aviation related. The 757 like you’ve stated has a great power to weight ratio The thing is a rocket! However I’ll always love the Queen of the skies. Something about the 744 that makes it so majestic. I think it looked aggressive and awesome in the old grey/blue United livery.
Somehow I became an accountant... Oh well. Still love everything aviation related. The 757 like you’ve stated has a great power to weight ratio The thing is a rocket! However I’ll always love the Queen of the skies. Something about the 744 that makes it so majestic. I think it looked aggressive and awesome in the old grey/blue United livery.
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I never knew you were a pilot. When I was younger we would sit at the airport and watch the planes takeoff and land. My dad has a radio you can listen to them talk. A guy that went to my church is a retired pilot he flew the commuter planes. We still occasionally will go to watch the FedEx and UPS planes take off. I wish we had a 747 though that would be cool but I don’t think it could fit here at my airport. My buddy is a aircraft mechanic up in Indiana he loves doing it. Personally for me I’d never step foot on an airplane that’s a little scary for me lol. Don’t like heights.
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It's been an interesting career, that's for sure. I've been fortunate enough to fly a wide variety of airplanes. I started this thread to talk commercial aviation and airline flying.
I spent a lot of time talking about the airplane that I flew in the Navy, the F-14, in this thread: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/f-14-questions-answered-ask-away.191767/
You might find it interesting...I did my best to make a very technical subject straightforward.
I spent a lot of time talking about the airplane that I flew in the Navy, the F-14, in this thread: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/f-14-questions-answered-ask-away.191767/
You might find it interesting...I did my best to make a very technical subject straightforward.
