So you want to be a B787 pilot?

[Norwegianwood]

Pilots and aviation buffs will find very interesting.

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I (the author) just completed the first pilot training class on the 787 at United Airlines, an airplane which is destined to replace the 767 and live for many years after I retire. Here's what I've learned in 787 training so far. By the way, last night we passed our MV (maneuvers validation) check ride, with emergency after emergency, and the FAA observing. Tonight was our LOE (line-oriented evaluation), again with FAA - this time 2 FAA observers. It's 0200 and I just got back to the hotel and poured a well-earned glass of wine to celebrate. I now have a type rating in the 787. Phew. I'm pretty confident this will be the last one for me.


I've summarized some of the major differences and unique features of the 787 versus more traditional "old school" airplanes like the 777 (not kidding) - from the pilot's viewpoint. Our "Differences" course takes 11 days to gain an FAA type rating, which is a "common" type rating with the 777. The course has been like drinking from a fire hose, but has finally come together. Some of our pilots attended Boeing's 5-day differences course, and deemed it unacceptable. The FAA approved the Boeing 5-day course, but our guys decided it lacked too much information. FAA is observing our checkrides now, and taking our course as well, to certify the training. We're just the guinea pigs.


A computer nerd would describe the 787 as 17 computer servers packaged in a kevlar frame. The central brains is the Common Core System (CCS). Two Common Computing Resources (CCRs) coordinate the communications of all the computer systems, isolating faults and covering failed systems with working systems. When battery power is first applied to the airplane in the morning, it takes about 50 seconds for the L CCR to boot up. After this, a few displays light up and you can start the APU. If there is a major loss of cockpit displays, this may require a CCR reboot, which would take about a minute. Here are a few of the major features and differences from the 777.


Electrics - Though a smaller plane, the 787 has 4 times the electric generating power of the 777 - 1.4 gigawatts. Generators produce 235 VAC for the big power users. Other systems use the traditional 115 VAC and 28 VDC. There are 17 scattered Remote Power Distribution Units which power about 900 loads throughout the plane. The big power distribution system is in the aft belly, along with a Power Electronics Cooling System (PECS). This is a liquid cooling system for the large motor power distribution system. There's also an Integrated Cooling System (ICS), which provides refrigerated air for the galley carts and cabin air, and a Miscellaneous Equipment Cooling System for Inflight Entertainment Equipment.


If 3 of the 4 engine generators fail, the APU starts itself. The APU drives two generators, and can be operated up to the airplane's max altitude of 43,000 feet. If you lose all 4 engine generators, the RAT (ram air turbine) drops out (like a windmill), powering essential buses. (It also provides hydraulic power to flight controls if needed).


If you lose all 4 engine generators and the two APU generators (a really bad day), you are down to Standby Power. The RAT will drop out and provide power, but even if it fails, you still have the autopilot and captain's flight director and instruments, FMC, 2 IRSs, VHF radios, etc. If you're down to batteries only, with no RAT, you'd better get it on the ground, as battery time is limited. Brakes and antiskid are electric - 28V - so you don't lose brakes or antiskid even when you're down to just standby power.


Normal flight controls are hydraulic with a couple exceptions. Engine driven and electric hydraulic pumps operate at 5000 psi (versus normal 3000 psi) to allow for smaller tubing sizes and actuators, thus saving weight. If you lose all 3 hydraulic systems (another bad day), you still have two spoiler panels on each wing which are electrically powered all the time, as is the stabilizer trim. You can still fly the airplane (no flaps, though). If you're having an even worse day and you lose all hydraulics and all generators, flight control power is still coming from separate Permanent Magnet Generators (PMGs) which produce power even if both engines quit and are windmilling. If the PMGs fail, too, your flight controls will be powered by the 28 V standby bus.


If you lose all 3 pitot/static systems or air data computers, the airplane reverts to angle of attack speed (converts AOA to IAS), and this is displayed on the normal PFDs (primary flight displays) airspeed indicator tapes. GPS altitude is substituted for air data altitude and displayed on the PFD altimeter tapes. Very convenient.


If you lose both Attitude and Heading Reference Units (AHRUs), it reverts to the standby instrument built-in attitude & heading gyro, but displays this on both pilot's PFDs for convenience.


If you lose both Inertial Reference Units, it will substitute GPS position, and nothing is lost.


If someone turns one or both IRSs off in flight (I hate it when they do that), you can realign them - as long as one of the GPSs is working!


There is no pneumatic system. The only engine bleed is used for that engine's anti-ice. Wing anti-ice is electric. Each of two air conditioning packs control two CACs, which are electric cabin air compressors. The four CACs share two air inlets on the belly. Each pack controller controls two CACs, but if a pack controller fails, the remaining pack controller takes over control of all 4 CACs.


There are no circuit breakers in the cockpit. To check on them, or if you get a message that one has opened (more likely), you select the CBIC (circuit breaker indication and control) display on one of the MFDs (multi function displays). There you can reset the virtual C/B if it is an "electronic" circuit breaker. You can't reset a popped "thermal" circuit breaker.


If you have an APU fire on the ground or inflight, the fire extinguishing bottle is automatically discharged. If there is a cargo fire, the first two of seven bottles will automatically discharge also.


There's a Nitrogen Generation System which provides automatic full-time flammability protection by displacing fuel vapors in the fuel tanks with nitrogen (Remember TWA 800?).


Like the 767 and 777, the 787 also has full CPDLC capability (controller-to-pilot datalink communications). In addition, its full FANS capability includes ADS-B in & out. The controller can uplink speed, heading, and altitude changes to the airplane. These show up on a second line right under the speed, heading and altitude displays on the mode control panel. If you pilot wants to use them, he can press a XFR button next to each window. The controller can even uplink a conditional clearance, like - After passing point XYZ, climb to FL390. If you accept this, it will do it automatically.


Fuel system - like the 777, the 787 has a fuel dump system which automatically dumps down to your maximum landing weight, if that is what you want. In addition, it has a Fuel Balance switch which automatically balances your L & R main tanks for you. No more opening crossfeed valves and turning off fuel pumps in flight. No more forgetting to turn them back on, either.


Flight Controls - An "Autodrag" function operates when the airplane is high on approach and landing flaps have been selected. It extends the ailerons and two most outboard spoilers, while maintaining airspeed, to assist in glidepath capture from above, if you are high on the glideslope. The feature removes itself below 500 feet.


Cruise flaps is an automated function when level at cruise. It symmetrically moves the flaps, ailerons, flaperons, and spoilers based on weight, airspeed and altitude to optimize cruise performance by varying the wing camber, thus reducing drag.


Gust suppression - Vertical gust suppression enhances ride quality when in vertical gusts and turbulence. It uses symmetric deflection of flaperons and elevators to smooth the bumps. This should result in fewer whitecaps in passengers' coffee and cocktails. Lateral gust suppression improves the ride when on approach by making yaw commands in response to lateral gusts and turbulence.


Instrument Approaches - The airplane is actually approved for autoland based not only on ILS but on GLS approaches - GPS with Ground based augmentation system, which corrects the GPS signals. GLS minimums are the same as CAT I ILSs - 200' and 1/2 mile visibility. Our airline is not yet approved for GLS autolandings yet, though we will be doing GLS approaches.


Special Cat I & II HUD approaches - These allow lower than normal minimums when the Heads Up Devices are used at certain approved airports (HUDs). The HUDs include runway centerline guidance which helps you stay on the centerline on takeoff when visibility is greatly reduced. It uses either ILS or GLS for this.


Cabin - Pressurization differential pressure maximum is 9.4 psid, so the cabin altitude is only 6000 feet when at the max cruising altitude of 43,000 feet. There is a cockpit humidifier switch, and cabin air humidification is fully automatic. Cabin windows are larger than other airplanes, and window shading is electronic. The passenger can select 5 levels of shading, from clear to black. The flight attendants can control the cabin lighting temperature - mood lighting - to aid in dealing with changing time zones (evening light after dinner, morning light to wake up, etc.).


Much of the cockpit seems like it was designed by Apple. The Control Display Units (CDUs) are virtual, so you can move them from one MFD to another. In fact, you can configure the displays in 48 different ways, I think, though we have found a few favorites we will use to keep it simple. To move the cursor from one MFD to another, you can either use a button, or you can "flick" your finger across the trackpad (Cursor Control Device) to fling the cursor from one screen to the next - much like an iPad.


I'm going home this morning, and will return for a 777 simulator ride before I go back to work. They want to make sure we've still got the old-fashioned legacy airplane in our brain before we fly the 777 again, even though it shares a "common type rating". We won't get the first 787 until October, and begin operations in November or December. At that time I'll return for at least 4 days refresher training before beginning IOE - initial operating experience in the airplane - with passengers.


What a ride. It may be "fuel efficient", but I'm glad someone else is paying for the gas.


P.S. If you wish to share this with someone else, be my guest, but please remove all email address, and don't send it to your entire mailing list. I think the 787 will be a great plane, but there could be some surprises with this level of innovation. Time will tell

[sky's the limit]

"Never fly the 'A' model of anything..."

X2 when it's plastic.

You can have it...

[andy_mtl]

reading this made my night at my secodn job!

Really well writte and great details!

[photofly]

Though a smaller plane, the 787 has 4 times the electric generating power of the 777 - 1.4 gigawatts.

Seeing as the Pickering nuclear plant produces 4GW, I'm hoping that's a typo and the 787 produces 1.4 megawatts.

[JohnnyHotRocks]

Did someone say 1.21 Gigawatts????

[Cobra64]

Can I still hack the mainframe with IFE system and steer the plane to wherever I want to go?

from a few years ago http://www.wired.com/politics/security/ ... r_security

[Prairie Chicken]

I think I followed half of that ... sort of.

[esp803]

Interesting post,

I thought I was flying advanced aircraft last year with EHSI's and a FMS from the 80's.... I don't think I have ever heard of half those acronyms.

Did someone say 1.21 Gigawatts????

+1

[yycflyguy]

I think I followed half of that ... sort of.

Basically he is saying the 777 was awesome but the 787 is way more awesomer!

Triple and quadruple redundancies on some systems, better cabin pressurization, automatic aerodynamic compensation systems, cleaned up/ergodynamic flight deck, better automated fire suppression systems. It was a very well written summary. Truly remarkable advancements.

[Ah_yeah]

All available to you for a limited time offer...if you're willing to accept certain concessions.

[yycflyguy]

All available to you for a limited time offer...if you're willing to accept certain concessions.

Unfortunately you are right. The FOS pound of flesh wont be nearly enough to satisfy future management bonus and compensation. The let is coming sooner rather than later with training set to start in 9-10 months. Should see it on an equipment by next summer.

Shiny new planes = reduction in pay.

[BTyyj]

http://airnation.net/2012/12/04/united- ... w-orleans/

I wonder what this one was about? Seems like they're having to consult Boeing.

[Old fella]

To those who pay(travelling public) it's just another airplane. Most couldn't tell the difference between a B767,777 or 787 and probably could care less. It will be "how much" rather than "type" flavour for the many years to come!!

[DanWEC]

Fantastic summary, writing one of those out really helps the pertinent info stick.

I have a question, how does the AoA to IAS backup system calculate airspeed?

Edit- I should have paused and practiced some common sense there. Since, given a fixed altitude, a lower IAS results in a higher AoA then its not really that big of a deal for the system to calculate it, no?

Cheers

[Rockie]

Fantastic summary, writing one of those out really helps the pertinent info stick.

I have a question, how does the AoA to IAS backup system calculate airspeed?

Edit- I should have paused and practiced some common sense there. Since, given a fixed altitude, a lower IAS results in a higher AoA then its not really that big of a deal for the system to calculate it, no?

Cheers

A number of things would be required to derive a correct airspeed. Altitude and angle of attack as you say, but also weight, calculated center of gravity and trim setting as well.

[yycflyguy]

One of the cool systems are the cruise flaps which automatically determine C of G and weight to determine how much cruise flap to put out to optimally reduce drag in cruise. A Boeing rep was saying that a typical 8 hour flight uses around 40% less fuel.... maybe he was just trying to sell me an airplane.

[Raybanman]

Did someone say 1.21 Gigawatts????

No Johnny, those are JIGAWATTS. "One point twenty-one Jigawatts" if I remember correctly

[flatface]

Deleted

[ogopogo]

To those who pay(travelling public) it's just another airplane. Most couldn't tell the difference between a B767,777 or 787 and probably could care less. It will be "how much" rather than "type" flavour for the many years to come!!

I wonder if people are noticing any reduction in cabin noise -- I understand that's what those scallops on the engines are for?

[DH772]

I think passengers would definitely notice. High ceilings, larger windows, automatic tint, with larger over head bins. Along with less obvious things such as a more comfortable lower cabin altitude (about 6,000ft versus 8,000). The heating/cooling system doesn't run off the typical bleed air but compresses its own fresh air. Along with composite design, allows for much more humidity within the cabin. Sure your typical passenger might not notice these small detailed items but even if they walk off that airplane and feel more refreshed and comfortable without knowing why, I'd say mission accomplished! Looks like a cool machine.

[pelmet]

Did someone say 1.21 Gigawatts????

1.21 Gigawatts..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-77xulkB_U

[CAL]

so you want to fly a 787....
be really senior at a legacy carrier or move far far far from home.....
but a nice article

[43S/172E]

Growing Pains for the 787


FAA orders airlines to inspect 787 Dreamliners for fuel leaks

The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering airlines to inspect all of Boeing’s 787s for improperly installed fuel-line connectors that could result in leaks or even fires.

By Dominic Gates

Seattle Times aerospace reporter



The Federal Aviation Administration is ordering airlines to inspect 787 Dreamliners for improperly installed fuel-line connectors that could result in leaks or even fires.

The safety directive, to be published Wednesday, gives airlines a week to check fuel-line system fastening wires and 21 days to check connectors inside the pylons that hold the engines.

Fuel leaks were reported by airlines on two in-service 787s, and subsequent inspections by Boeing of jets in service or still in production revealed some fuel line connectors were installed incorrectly.

Such leaks “could result in fuel leaks and consequent fuel exhaustion, engine power loss or shutdown, or leaks on hot engine parts that could lead to a fire,” according to an FAA notice Tuesday in the Federal Register.

Boeing recommended such inspections to 787 customers on Nov. 25. The FAA airworthiness directive makes it mandatory.

“Certainly we would prefer not to have workmanship issues,” said Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter. “But the system finds them, we report them and we develop a solution.”

Gunter said the inspections have already been completed on about half the 38 airplanes delivered so far.

“Boeing is also taking appropriate steps to ensure proper installation on airplanes in production,” Gunter said.

She would not disclose which two foreign airlines reported the original leaks.

The pylons are struts, attached at right angles to the front edge of the wing, that hold the engines. Inside the pylons, a complex spaghetti of electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel systems feed into the engine.

When the engines are hung at the jet’s final stage of assembly, all these systems must be meticulously connected from pylon to engine.

Fuel is fed into the engine from gas tanks in the wings. Two key connectors, one rigid and one flexible, are installed to couple the fuel lines in the pylon with those in the engine.

In addition, a safety wire — known as a lockwire — is twisted between adjacent fasteners to ensure they do not loosen during service.

The FAA said inspections revealed “missing or improperly installed lockwire.”

They also foundsome connectors with parts installed in the wrong locations, some with incorrect parts installed and some with extra parts installed.

Inspection of the connectors involves some disassembly, replacement of the o-rings, and checking of all the seals and retainer rings.

Without that, the FAA concluded “the unsafe condition ... is likely to exist or develop in other” 787s.

The FAA estimates that complying with the inspection mandate will take about 10 work hours at a cost of about $2,712 per airplane for parts and labor.

Gunter said there is no tie between the fuel leaks and the incident that caused an emergency landing Tuesday in New Orleans of a United Airlines Dreamliner.

The FAA airworthiness directive, first reported Tuesday by Bloomberg News, is the second that applies to the Dreamliner.

The first was issued in September when a fan shaft of the GE engine cracked during pre-delivery ground tests in South Carolina.

That directive requires repeated ultrasonic inspections of the engine shafts for potential cracks.

Dominic Gates: (206) 464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com

[Norwegianwood]

Small potato's compared to what happened all those years ago when the competition tuned itself into the worlds largest Husqvarna!!

[43S/172E]

Still it is growing pains but they had that sticky issue with the arcing in the E and E bay....


New United Airlines 787 in emergency landing

The pilot received “multiple messages” indicating system errors and decided to divert the Newark-bound 787 Dreamliner, making a safe emergency landing in New Orleans.

By Dominic Gates

Seattle Times aerospace reporter


A new United Airlines 787 Dreamliner flying from Houston to Newark, N.J., had to make an emergency landing Tuesday morning in New Orleans when “a mechanical issue” arose after departure, the airline said.

United Flight 1146 landed safely and without incident, with 174 passengers and 10 crew members aboard.

The cause was not immediately clear.

On a recording of the air traffic control exchanges as the plane headed toward New Orleans, the pilot is heard calmly telling the Houston control center that “we had an electrical malfunction.”

A person at Boeing with knowledge of the incident said the pilot observed “multiple messages” indicating some system errors, and decided to divert “out of an abundance of caution.”

The electrical panels in the jet’s electronics bay were inspected after landing and showed no sign of arcing. There was no fire, the person said.

That suggests this incident is unrelated to an incident two years ago on a flight-test plane, when an electrical short in one of the electronics-bay panels started a serious fire.

“United will work with Boeing to review the diversion and determine the cause,” airline spokeswoman Christen David said in a statement.

Boeing’s 787 spokeswoman, Lori Gunter, said the company is working with United “to further understand the event.”

The jet is the newest of three Dreamliners delivered to United, the first U.S. carrier to fly the 787. The plane was delivered from Everett on Nov. 20.

The plane took off from Houston at 8:06 a.m. CST, according to live flight-tracking data from Flightaware.com.

Forty minutes into the flight, just after it crossed the Mississippi River, the plane descended from 40,000 to 30,000 feet and its speed dropped quickly from 600 mph to 480 mph before resuming the higher speed, the Flightaware data shows.

The plane then diverted south and landed in New Orleans at 9:25 a.m.

Firetrucks met the airplane as it landed, as is standard when an emergency is declared. The airline put passengers on a different aircraft to get them to Newark.

Dominic Gates: (206) 464-2963 or dgates@seattletimes.com