In yet another great cockpit video from the team at Intelligent Television and Video (ITVV), we go aboard a Cathay Pacific 747-400, joining the crew of CX250 as they fly from London’s Heathrow airport (LHR – EGLL) to Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong (HKG – VHHX). In addition to following a flight in a 747-400, this video also provides great training for a flight in our 737 simulator.
The Primary Flight Display in a 747 is very similar to the one from a 737 with similar navigation inputs and effects. In addition, the autopilot controls on the glare shield operate in the same manner as the ones on a 737. By watching the step-by-step descriptions provided in this video, you will definitely improve your knowledge of the systems in our 737 simulator.
The video opens with a briefing from Captain Don Grange as he prepares to board the aircraft. He’s already done the walk around so this is a quick chat before we head up to the cockpit.
Once on the cockpit we find that the aircraft was actually late arriving so the flight deck crew have already programmed the FMC and run through their pre-departure checklists. This was being done while the cameras were being set up on the flight deck to record the rest of the flight.
Captain Grange quickly runs through some of the Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) messages the crew will see as they check the status of the aircraft and confirm that it’s ready to go. He explains what each message means and shows how messages can be removed (and returned) by changing system settings through the various panels on the flight deck.
We then go through the pushback routine, engine starts and the taxi out to the runway. During the taxi the crew go through their departure briefing and then the before take-off check list. Some of the more interesting sites seen during the taxi out include an Air Namibia 747SP and a Concorde.
We then go through the take off and initial climb, heading out from Heathrow and on to Hong Kong. After this, the Captain explains that it’s now 3 hours into the flight and they’re at 10,100m over Russian airspace. Except, actually, they’re in the Cathay Pacific 747-400 simulator in Hong Kong.
Due to the delay in getting on the aircraft in London and the poor weather they encountered arriving at Hong Kong, the decision was made to use the simulator to show various systems & procedures in a more relaxed environment.
Captain Grange resets the simulator to Heathrow and then steps us through a detailed description of the engine start process and the various temperatures & ratios the crew monitor as each engine is started. He also shows a “hot start” where an engine is allowed to get too hot during start up, typically with expensive results.
After engine start, he steps us through the various stages of the take off, covering the speeds and processes in detail. Once that is completed, he steps through the operation of the Primary Flight Display (PFD) during flight, including the LNAV, VNAV, HDG, ALT & SPD modes.
Captain Grange also shows us how weather is displayed and how routes can be changed to avoid storms, covering the use of waypoints & VORs, how the display changes and how the aircraft moves when the route is updated. He then moves up to the glareshield and demonstrates how the aircraft can be flown without the computers and just using the autopilot.
After this he demonstrates how the fuel management system can be displayed on the centre screen in the control panel. Using the simulator he is able to show different fuel loads and the effects of the cross flow valves & pump configurations. This lets him show how fuel is used during flight, starting with the tanks in the horizontal stabiliser then progressing through the centre tanks and finally using the fuel in the wings.
Moving on from the flight systems, the Captain describes the benefits provided by the winglets that are now becoming more common on aircraft around the world. He then shows us the effects of increased angle of attack leading to stall. We experience the aerodynamic buffet as the stall approaches, the stick shaker triggering and the recovery process of putting on full power.
Next, Captain Grange shows us how the Flight Engineer’s position has been replaced by computers and the 747-400′s overhead panel. He then shows how the crew would deal with an engine fire as they step through the emergency response process, including triggering the extinguishers on the engine.
Finally he explains the benefits of using the simulator and then shows us some of the key visual landmarks from the approach into Kai Tak, including the Checkerboard and the approach lighting. You can see these landmarks and much more when you fly our simulator into Hong Kong thanks to our high quality Hong Kong scenery package.
At this point we return to the actual aircraft and follow the crew through their final approach into Kai Tak. Unfortunately the visibility was low at the time of this flight’s landing but you are still able to make out many of the sites as you come in. The footage also includes external views of a Cathay Pacific 747-400 making a very impressive landing at Kai Tak.
Once on the ground the aircraft taxis into the gate giving us a number of views of older aircraft, including some Cathay Pacific 747 cargo aircraft, some Tristars, a DragonAir A320 and a Singapore Airlines 747-400. At the very end, Captain Grange returns to give us a post-flight briefing while standing in front of the 747-400 simulator.
As you can see, this video provides a great overview of a flight from London to Hong Kong but the best parts are definitely the detailed walk through of the various systems on board the flight deck. We highly recommend watching this video if you want to improve your knowledge of flight management systems before your next flight in our 737 simulator.
