Boeing 7E7 proving flight

[flyboy 28]

[quote]Why ever not, Rimshot?

[Nav]

"It just looks too futuristic.."

Interesting, Rimshot - I suppose I felt the same way before I downloaded it and tried it, the "artists' impressions" just looked too improbable - big fuselage, tiny thin wings, winglets etc.. As I've indicated earlier, I understand the design philosophy better now, having 'flown 'it.

Boeing feels that the market (airlines and customers) is saying, "Just go on giving us aeroplanes much like the 737 - but make them go further, go faster, carry a few more passengers, and use less fuel."

Airbus interprets the same market as saying, "We want the prestige of operating/flying in the biggest, most 'advanced' aeroplane in the world."

That's the commercial struggle we're going to see played out over the next five years or so. And, as so often in 'big' aviation, there can only be one winner; the company that gets it wrong will almost certainly go broke.  

[Stormtropper]

bet you would think different when your in an airbus and the damn thing is in a 90 degree nose dive....

death machine...


Anyways, I don't consider the 7E7 the perttiest gal of all time (too many sleek lines ), but I'll take her over a air*cough*death*cough*bus any day

Jeff

[Mozz]

Careful, don't want this turning into a flame war  :P. Everyone has their preferences  ;D and both airplanes have their good points and their bad points  :D. Best to leave it at that??

[Nav]

Wasn't sure whether to report the next leg, Los Angeles-Baghdad - but in the end I couldn't resist it, mainly because FS produced a sight (and a screenshot!) that I won't forget in a hurry!

Thing is, brought up on the Mercator Projection, I was expecting the route to run across the Atlantic and along the Mediterranean. In fact, the Great Circle route from California to Baghdad runs pretty well due north at first, passes north of Hudson's Bay, crosses Greenland, then goes over North Cape and down through Finland and Russia! And crossing Greenland I saw the Northern Lights AND the sunrise at the same time......

After that, I encountered heavy cloud and there wasn't much to see going down through Russia - the only event was another heavy tailwind which kicked the groundspeed over 500 knots and caused another 'Overspeed' warning. This was the route, by the way.

Northern Iraq looked to be a 'green and pleasant land' - the Garden of Eden was located around here, wasn't it?

Fewer problems on the descent, used the spoiler more; and a peaceful approach into what used to be called 'Saddam International'. Anti-climax really - maybe Microsoft should produce a 'scenery update' for Baghdad, with SAMs and tracer smoking up at you, the First Officer firing off chaff and flares, and Bradley AFVs patrolling the runways....

Fuel remaining on landing 25% - this aeroplane definitely has a fantastic range. And it's good on fuel - it used 18,300 gallons for about 6,600 miles. From memory, a 747 would have needed 50,000 or more for that sort of trip?