The Boeing Triple 7

....is simply an awesome aircraft.

With 9 rows across (2+5+2) in an aircraft as long as a 747 -- but with only
two gigantic engines -- modern materials, an excellent sound system, and
little video screens in the seat backs, I was absolutely astounded at the
comfort and ride of this plane.

I've flown first and second-generation jet airliners (707s, DC-9s, 727s,
DC-10s, L-1011s, MD-80s) and was always annoyed at one thing or another,
usually the whiny noise level and air handling systems. Boeing has
addressed both issues in the 777, and in the three different aircraft we
rode in the noise level was almost unnaturally low -- and the air was fresh
without being overly dry.

And having a moving-map GPS display right in front of me was very cool, too!
(612 mph was our top ground speed -- at 35,000 feet.)

The new 787 Dreamliner is supposed to incorporate all the breakthroughs from
the 777, plus take advantage of the lightness and strength of composite
materials. Having just toured the immense plant where it is to be built,
let's hope Boeing has another winner in the wings...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Did you take a trip to somewhere in the 777?

Rod

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:Cg5le.7245$PS3.6886@attbi_s22...
...is simply an awesome aircraft.

With 9 rows across (2+5+2) in an aircraft as long as a 747 -- but with
only two gigantic engines -- modern materials, an excellent sound system,
and little video screens in the seat backs, I was absolutely astounded at
the comfort and ride of this plane.

I've flown first and second-generation jet airliners (707s, DC-9s, 727s,
DC-10s, L-1011s, MD-80s) and was always annoyed at one thing or another,
usually the whiny noise level and air handling systems. Boeing has
addressed both issues in the 777, and in the three different aircraft we
rode in the noise level was almost unnaturally low -- and the air was
fresh without being overly dry.


The 777 is not that good. Having crossed the Atlantic many times in it, it
is my least liked aircraft. It has a reputation for being very dry. Try it
on an 11 hour flight. Last month I got through three litres of water during
a flight from Beijing to London

The A330 on the other hand is neat. They go one better than gps moving map
and have two camera views available. The first looks down giving a view
directly beneath the plane.

The other give a pilots view. Its pretty cool watching the landing in real
time.

The 777 is not that good. Having crossed the Atlantic many times in it,
it is my least liked aircraft. It has a reputation for being very dry. Try
it on an 11 hour flight. Last month I got through three litres of water
during a flight from Beijing to London

Hmm. I wonder if it's where you're seated, cuz we didn't find this to be
the case at all. Usually I'm totally desiccated after an airline flight,
but not on this bird.

The other give a pilots view. Its pretty cool watching the landing in real
time.

Now THAT is cool!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Did you take a trip to somewhere in the 777?

Chicago-Seattle-Denver-Chicago.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Chris wrote:

The other give a pilots view. Its pretty cool watching the landing in real
time.

That beats United's radio feed hands down!

George Patterson
"Naked" means you ain't got no clothes on; "nekkid" means you ain't got
no clothes on - and are up to somethin'.

Jay Honeck wrote:
...is simply an awesome aircraft.

With 9 rows across (2+5+2) in an aircraft as long as a 747 -- but with only
two gigantic engines -- modern materials, an excellent sound system, and
little video screens in the seat backs, I was absolutely astounded at the
comfort and ride of this plane.

I've flown first and second-generation jet airliners (707s, DC-9s, 727s,
DC-10s, L-1011s, MD-80s) and was always annoyed at one thing or another,
usually the whiny noise level and air handling systems. Boeing has
addressed both issues in the 777, and in the three different aircraft we
rode in the noise level was almost unnaturally low -- and the air was fresh
without being overly dry.

And having a moving-map GPS display right in front of me was very cool, too!
(612 mph was our top ground speed -- at 35,000 feet.)

The new 787 Dreamliner is supposed to incorporate all the breakthroughs from
the 777, plus take advantage of the lightness and strength of composite
materials. Having just toured the immense plant where it is to be built,
let's hope Boeing has another winner in the wings...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Hi Jay,

Glad you like "my" airplane. I worked in the LCD technology team that
developed the LCDs for the 777 Flight Deck. It was the first airplane
in the world to utilize LCD Displays for an EFIS system. When we
started, active-matrix LCDs were ugly as sin, but we pushed hard on the
manufacturers to rise to our standards, and much of what was developed
for the 777 is now incorporated in LCDs for laptops and TVs.

I also worked on the project team for the AIMS Display function. AIMS
stands for Airplane Information Management System which is an
integrated avionics suite that forms the brain of the 777. I spent a
year on-site at Honeywell's Deer Valley facility in Phoenix AZ while
AIMS was being designed. Working on that project was a real kick in
the pants.

I also architected the Master Brightness Control system for the 777
which puts all of the displays and lightplates under the control of a
single knob located on the overhead panel. I organized a demo with the
help of a couple of other engineers in the 757 simulator and convinced
John Cashman that we should put this system in the 777. He gave us the
go ahead and we made it work.

It was a fantastic experience and I got to work with a lot of
world-class engineers, many of whom I am still friends with. I now
live in Idaho, but recently I have been looking hard at possible going
back to Seattle to work on the 787. Boeing wants me back, but my
family and I are now pretty established here so it is a hard decision
to make. My former lead engineer is now the Chief Systems Engineer for
the 787 program... I always wonder where I might have wound up if I had
stayed instead of leaving during the 1995 layoffs. Of course, then I
wouldn't have met my wife, so I think I made the right choice.

Did you get a chance to peek in the flight deck?

Best Regards,

Dean Wilkinson
http://www.razorsedgesoft.com/airplan/index.htm

The 777-300 also has cameras since it is a stretch version and they are
useful for ground handling, and depending on the airline, you can view
the images from the cameras on the 777 as well...

Hi Jay,

I forgot to include a link to some photos from my days working on the
777. They are on my website at http://www.razorsedgesoft.com/777.htm

Dean Wilkinson

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:8_9le.6357$IC6.755@attbi_s72...
The 777 is not that good. Having crossed the Atlantic many times in it,
it is my least liked aircraft. It has a reputation for being very dry.
Try it on an 11 hour flight. Last month I got through three litres of
water during a flight from Beijing to London

Hmm. I wonder if it's where you're seated, cuz we didn't find this to be
the case at all. Usually I'm totally desiccated after an airline flight,
but not on this bird.

Living in Seattle, I have several friends who are employed as engineers for
the various Boeing jets. One explained to me that jets have no humidifiers
at all. The air is humidified strictly from the passengers (respiration and
perspiration).

Given that, the idea that a particular jet "has a reputation for being very
dry" seems ludicrous to me. For a given altitude and cabin pressure, there
will be a given air "turn-over", and for a given air "turn-over" and a given
exterior humidity (always extremely low at airliner altitudes), there will
be a certain amount of moisture extracted from the passengers. That amount
of moisture is always considerable, regardless of aircraft make or model.

Note that nowhere in that chain of events is the design of the jet
pertinent. The only way I can see for a jet to have "a reputation for being
very dry" is for the jet to be equipped with a DEhumidifier. Which, of
course, they aren't.

Pete