The next issue but one of Flight International - out on 31 August - has a feature not to be missed. Our test pilot, Mike Gerzanics, has had a chance to fly the Boeing 787 - not in the sky, but the next best thing: on a CAE 7000 simulator. The simulator is the first the Canadian company has configured for the Dreamliner, and will be used by domestic launch customer Continental Airlines. Mike is one of the first pilots to get a chance to sample the cockpit and what Boeing's new "plastic fantastic" is like to fly.
Here's a short extract of his piece:
My initial impression of the flight deck was that it was on par size wise with a 757. Cockpit color is a bluish gray, which I found more refreshing than Boeing's previous light brown. The six flight deck windows have a combined area of 3.1m2, markedly larger the the 777's 2.5m2. Cockpit layout was classic Boeing, a space where any 777 pilot would feel right at home. Two welcome additions to the flight deck are the electronic flight bags, located on the side walls and the Rockwell Collins HUDs. The forward panel is high lighted by five large (15.1in/38.35cm diagonal) MFDs, two per side with one placed on the center console. Conventional control columns actuate the full fly-by-wire flight controls. The two thrust levers fall readily to hand. As with other Boeing offerings, the thrust levers are back driven, giving valuable feedback to the pilots when the auto-throttles (AT) are in use.
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