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Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.
going to fly jumbo for the first time
- Thread starter war.ace
- Start date
jmig
SOH-CM-2026
Howdy:
In actuality the whale is fairly easy to land once you satisfy several parameters. The most important issue is knowing your weight, from which you can calculate your approach speed. The real plane is quite stable and can be flown within a knot or two of the desired Vref speed. Yes there are autothrottles but it is actually easier to hand fly without them.
Max landing weight for the 400 is 302,093 KG (about 665,000 lbs). At this weight your approach speed will be 159 knots with full (30 deg) flaps. Empty with min fuel, 125 knots might work! At least try to fly an ILS, if only to get a good three degree descent profile established. We have a radar altimeter making audible callouts, at 50 feet pitch the nose up smoothly 2 degrees, at 30 feet reduce the thrust to idle and hold the attitude. if it doesn't land in a couple of seconds RELAX the yoke a little. After touchdown hit the spoiler {/} key and reverse the engines, going to idle again by 60 knots. Brake as necessary!
The whole key is being established at the final approach fix (about 1500' and 5 miles) wiht gear and full flaps down and on speed. It will take some miles to do this!
Good luck: T.
In actuality the whale is fairly easy to land once you satisfy several parameters. The most important issue is knowing your weight, from which you can calculate your approach speed. The real plane is quite stable and can be flown within a knot or two of the desired Vref speed. Yes there are autothrottles but it is actually easier to hand fly without them.
Max landing weight for the 400 is 302,093 KG (about 665,000 lbs). At this weight your approach speed will be 159 knots with full (30 deg) flaps. Empty with min fuel, 125 knots might work! At least try to fly an ILS, if only to get a good three degree descent profile established. We have a radar altimeter making audible callouts, at 50 feet pitch the nose up smoothly 2 degrees, at 30 feet reduce the thrust to idle and hold the attitude. if it doesn't land in a couple of seconds RELAX the yoke a little. After touchdown hit the spoiler {/} key and reverse the engines, going to idle again by 60 knots. Brake as necessary!
The whole key is being established at the final approach fix (about 1500' and 5 miles) wiht gear and full flaps down and on speed. It will take some miles to do this!
Good luck: T.
awesome thanks, I didnt know that the spoilers are only supposed to be hit after touchdown. That's why I always come short of of the runway.
:costumes
jmig if you where there you probably would have gotten pancaked by the wheels if you were standing between me and the runway.
I think I'll stick with small planes for a while and practice with my landing and navigation.
:costumes
jmig if you where there you probably would have gotten pancaked by the wheels if you were standing between me and the runway.I think I'll stick with small planes for a while and practice with my landing and navigation.
They are wild ships to learn to fly.
You can use spoilers, but only as speed brakes (low percentages during approaches and descents). Full spoilers are indeed for slowing down after touch down.
Pulling the nose up when taking off can only go to a certain angle or you damage the tail as it tends to drag on an abrupt nose up take-off manuvere.
You cant land with so much weight on board. If you are fully laden and just took off, you'll need to drop some fuel (dump it in the air) in order to land or you'll damage the landing gear.
When going intercontinental (up to 40K plus altitude), you must bleed off fuel to get higher. By bleeding, you will lose some already when climbing, thus making you able to get even higher. The weight at first is too great for you to get to FL 400, so you'll have to slowly get there.
Fun bird to learn. Good to know the facts on these wild things.....
747 FLieger is a 'bonified' driver of such beasts. He can tell you some cool facts on them.
Bill
You can use spoilers, but only as speed brakes (low percentages during approaches and descents). Full spoilers are indeed for slowing down after touch down.
Pulling the nose up when taking off can only go to a certain angle or you damage the tail as it tends to drag on an abrupt nose up take-off manuvere.
You cant land with so much weight on board. If you are fully laden and just took off, you'll need to drop some fuel (dump it in the air) in order to land or you'll damage the landing gear.
When going intercontinental (up to 40K plus altitude), you must bleed off fuel to get higher. By bleeding, you will lose some already when climbing, thus making you able to get even higher. The weight at first is too great for you to get to FL 400, so you'll have to slowly get there.
Fun bird to learn. Good to know the facts on these wild things.....
747 FLieger is a 'bonified' driver of such beasts. He can tell you some cool facts on them.
Bill
Brett_Henderson
Charter Member
The "largest" airplane I've ever flown and landed for real, was a C-90... and I've got a lot of twin piston time (310, and Seneca), but most of my recent flying has been light singles.
The principles are the same.. it's all about nailing the numbers. If you're at the proper altitude, properly configured, at the proper airspeed... everything else falls into place.
The trick to flying big tubes in the sim, is the same as it is in real life. Work your way up the speed and complexity ladder. If you can't fly a perfect pattern and stabilized approach in a C172, effortlessly, you'll have your hands full in the Baron.. and so on.. up through the KingAir, Lear, CRJ, 737, and 747.
Crshing over and over until you finally don't crash, might be a luxury in simming.. but you really don't learn anything. It's not very satisfying, and will shorten your attention-span.
I don't fly the tubes often, because it's VERY difficult to do it realistically, if you aren't doing it regularly.
I've got all I can handle flight-planning, navigating and flying the C172, realistically.. :mixedsmi:
The principles are the same.. it's all about nailing the numbers. If you're at the proper altitude, properly configured, at the proper airspeed... everything else falls into place.
The trick to flying big tubes in the sim, is the same as it is in real life. Work your way up the speed and complexity ladder. If you can't fly a perfect pattern and stabilized approach in a C172, effortlessly, you'll have your hands full in the Baron.. and so on.. up through the KingAir, Lear, CRJ, 737, and 747.
Crshing over and over until you finally don't crash, might be a luxury in simming.. but you really don't learn anything. It's not very satisfying, and will shorten your attention-span.
I don't fly the tubes often, because it's VERY difficult to do it realistically, if you aren't doing it regularly.
I've got all I can handle flight-planning, navigating and flying the C172, realistically.. :mixedsmi:
Brett_Henderson
Charter Member
We've got a similar discussion going on at another forum.. Mainly talking about how to make it across the ocean without running out of fuel 
Input from a real 747 pilot would be more than welcome..
Rather than cross-link and cause confusion.. I'll just ask and relate..
I'd assume that the climb would be at something resembling Vy.. which leaves the question... Is it more efficient to blast up to the more efficient altitude at a high power setting ? Or is it better (for range) to nurse it up to cruise altitude ?
Input from a real 747 pilot would be more than welcome..
Rather than cross-link and cause confusion.. I'll just ask and relate..
I'd assume that the climb would be at something resembling Vy.. which leaves the question... Is it more efficient to blast up to the more efficient altitude at a high power setting ? Or is it better (for range) to nurse it up to cruise altitude ?
Henry
Retired SOH Administrator
Actually fliger 747 is a very talented person
glad we have staff like he and others
if it was down to me id just say turn crash off :redf:
and wing it
after flying in a few airbuses recently noticed the spoiler
handy to get a wing seat
but War.ace you and i are in the same boat
LOL
H
glad we have staff like he and others
if it was down to me id just say turn crash off :redf:
and wing it
after flying in a few airbuses recently noticed the spoiler
handy to get a wing seat
but War.ace you and i are in the same boat
LOL
H