Boeing 777 cockpit

[Kevin]

So on our trip to Sydney we went from Dallas to San Fransicso where we got on a Boeing 777. On our walk to the gate we were walking with the pilots of our plane and I was talking with Annabelle. The co-pilot turned around and said hello to her and invited us to the cockpit for a photo-op. Wow! How cool was that. I'm not sure if it happens a lot or not, and I think I was just as excited as she was.

Here is the view without the flash to drown out all the instruments. She was asking if any of the displays have touch screens. Which they don't... but all those buttons and knobs, makes you wonder if the pilot knows what they are all for. She must not have touched anything important because the plane made it to Sydney.

 

[BucolicBuffalo]

That's very cool!

 

[powder smoke]

How Awesome is that!! ps

 

[eveled]

That is very cool, she'll never forget that. I remember being allowed in the cock pit during a flight, times have changed.

 

[Fox Mike]

That is great. Not many kids today will even be able to SEE in the cockpit, much less actually sit there.

 

[Kevin]

Thanks, I know, I actually got a little nervous taking the pictures, like I felt like I was invading their space in a way. I suppose she doesn't look like someone who might do something wrong.

 

[WendyZXZ]

Those are great pictures and it was wonderful of them to let her check out the cockpit!

 

[Colonialgirl]

Should have had stand in the doorway to the Cockpit wearing the hat and greeting passengers as they boarded.

 

[Freedomrocks]

How could they not invite her in? She is adorable. Bet you were not ignored by the flight attendants throughout that flight either.
Kind of the same treatment my 4-year old son got on our flight back from Maui. He kept singing 'Tiny Bubbles in the Wine Makes Me Happy', line over and over again on the flight back. the passengers and crew loved it. Well they did anyway for the first two or three hundred times - after that, not so much.

 

[737tdi]

Kevin: Great stuff my friend. Awesome that the little one got to experience a bit of the flight.

As far as the buttons and instrumentation, every pilot knows exactly what it does, displays and effects. I do as well. Those screens are called DUs (display units). The one on the left shows the aircraft attitude (HSI). The one on the right shows direction, ADI/RADALT and many other things. There is a ton of information shown on those displays. It is mind boggling if you don't know what is there. It really is fairly simple. Imagine a B17, it shows the same info. but in a digital way with quite a bit more info.. It really isn't terribly hard to understand if you work with it. If you want to see and observe one in action give me a holler, I can show some of it at the hangar, with the kids as well. It all depends on what we are working on at the time.


Karl

By the way, you best keep an eye on that little girl, she is going to be a handful 10 years from now.

 

[coach]

What a thrill and memory for a kid.
It would be for me too.

 

[graygun]

Don't you wish you were young and cute,lol? Not you Kevin,you are still young.

Yes,the pilot must know,very well,what everything is for. I used to work on simulators and we had to know as well because we tested and repaired all the hardware. Software problems were handled by other folks on our contract.

A pilot can possibly experience information overload in an emergency situation. One of our sims,for the T-1A, had the "glass cockpit" as your photo shows.

 

[Kevin]

Thanks, and wow Karl, that would be awesome! I might just take you up on that sometime this summer. Last year we were members of the Flight museum there on the other side of the runways and Annabelle loved to go up into the Southwest planes they have.

 

[737tdi]

Thanks, and wow Karl, that would be awesome! I might just take you up on that sometime this summer. Last year we were members of the Flight museum there on the other side of the runways and Annabelle loved to go up into the Southwest planes they have.

A few guys and I installed that aircraft. Did you know that particular aircraft was the first 737-300 and dedicated to the Wright Brothers (Kitty Hawk)? It was repainted prior to towing it over there and making it safe for tours. Fuel tanks purged, all fluids removed, cleaning, etc.. I love that little museum, a lot of stuff for such a small space.

Just give me a shout of when you what to come by, I am off on Sun/Mon so either of those two days would work for me. Keep in mind the hangars are not air conditioned so it gets very hot come the middle of summer.

Karl