Wooohoo! Flying in a real Lufthansa B-747-400 simulator

[roger-wilco-66]

Well well, this is as sophisticated as flight simulation can get, I guess.
My fiancée gave me as a present a 3 hour training session at the Lufthansa training center in Frankfurt, Germany. My hat is forever off to her!
I chose the Boeing 747-400 simulator, because the B 747 is my favorite airliner. I wish I had more sim time in it in FSX... 5 days to go and I try to learn at least the basic cockpit layout now.

http://www.proflight.com/-proflight-e/2-planes/b747.php


Cheers,
Mark

[grunau_baby]

You Lucky one! Congrats, it wil be be lot´s of fun and tremendously sweaty palms for sure!

Looking forward to your story! And no "Panthers" please, you´re holding up the honour of the SOH-simnuts

Regards
Alex G.

[kilo delta]

If you haven't got it, pick up PMDG's 744...it'll get you up to scratch before you start flicking switches for real. Enjoy!

[dvj]

Well well, this is as sophisticated as flight simulation can get, I guess.
My fiancée gave me as a present a 3 hour training session at the Lufthansa training center in Frankfurt, Germany. My hat is forever off to her!
I chose the Boeing 747-400 simulator, because the B 747 is my favorite airliner. I wish I had more sim time in it in FSX... 5 days to go and I try to learn at least the basic cockpit layout now.

http://www.proflight.com/-proflight-e/2-planes/b747.php


Cheers,
Mark

Now that's my kind of woman!

[roger-wilco-66]

You Lucky one! Congrats, it wil be be lot´s of fun and tremendously sweaty palms for sure!

Looking forward to your story! And no "Panthers" please, you´re holding up the honour of the SOH-simnuts

Regards
Alex G.

Hehe, I'll do my best, I promise !
I think I'll get the PMDG 747, to enter the simulator prepared and not panthering it at the first landing.


Cheers,
Mark

[TuFun]

You going to have blast... some sims I got to experience in... F-4E, KC-135, and B-52 refueling sim trainer. In the F-4 trainer the operator threw in a UFO! In the 135, sat in the copilot position while the Major flew some dramatic patterns. We were a rock'n to the point the safeties functions activated to shut down the actuators. In the B-52, while trying to hookup with the 135, smashed into the boom. Interesting note is the system used a Tanker model that was stationary and a few camera moved around the model giving it motion on the screen.

[cputters]

I have 3 hours up in an F111 sim whan I did a stint with the RAAF with school.

They threw in the ufo's as well as the Starship Enterprise and a few Imperial Destroyers.

You'll have a blast mate.

[hey_moe]

Damn Mark, you da man. Sounds like ya gonna have a blast. Don't forget to come back and give us all the goodie details.

[roger-wilco-66]

OK, so today I had the training session.

It took about three and a half hours, of which the first one and a half were briefing and technical instructions. We were briefed on the 747-400 numbers (eg velocities, power settings and so on), the cockpit layout and the elements of the training itself. We were to take off and go through the procedures to horizontal cruise flight, perform basic air maneuvers like turns, and do a few landings. No instrument flying - just basic airman stuff. Landing had to be done by VASI. The instructor is a Lufthansa first officer with an A380 rating - he was scheduled to fly to Capetown / South Africa this evening in this aircraft:-) Very nice guy btw and a great instuctor.

The Lufthansa flight training center in Frankfurt is very impressive. Here you have around 20 simulators for all kinds of aircraft - from B-737 to the 747-400 as well as all sorts of Airbuses including the A380. They stand grouped in smaller sections of 5 or so simulators per hall section. I was instandly fascinated how quiet it was in the halls - despite all of the units were in motion and constantly in action on their six large hydraulic cylinders. It was really quiet and you heard almost nothing except for some cooling fans humming along steadily.

Finally, the preceding crew of "our" simluator finished and we entered the cockpit. My first impression of the B747 cockpit was a surprise, it is smaller than I thought. On my turn, I sat in the captains seat ready for take off. All systems were OK and I had the permission for take off. I moved to throttles to t/o position and after a short delay the engines catch up. The sound inside the simulator is authentic. Then you accelerate and you're pressed into the seat. What??? Yes, when accelerating the simulator tilts backwards - the illusion is perfect, let me tell you. I was totally perplexed. Then the 747 rumbles down the runway - the vibrations also seem authentic. I keep the line in the middle with gentle and small rudder inputs (also high control forces here). The co-pilot (instructor in my case) calls the V's and at the "140 rotate" I pull back slowly. The motion of the simulator on liftoff is perfect, the rumble stops when the wheels leave the runway and you get the typical "airy" feeling on takeoff - I guess in that moment the hydraulics go downwards horizontally. I call out the gear, FO pulls the lever and moves it upwards. Rumble is perfect. At 5000ft I call the flaps, lower my climb angle and reduce N1 to about 80%. Try to stay under 260kt and climb to 10000ft to perform turns and stuff. Upon leveling out I reduce power to about 60% N1, yield for an appr. 5 degrees attitude and trim the aircraft for level flight. The turns were uneventful, except that I was quite surprised how high the control forces were. Thank god for that trim switch on the left horn.

Landings were interesting. The words of my r/l flight instructor were ringing in my ears - don't push her too hard, let her come, hehe. So I was easy on the controls, didn't over control, aligned and kept the sink rate nicely at around 700ft/sec. At 50ft the last announcement came and I eased her into a flare - power to idle of course - and let her settle on the runway. The touchdown produces a nice bump, and I let the elevator slowly relax to neutral, while holding the middle line with the rudder. Then the nose settles for a second nice bumps and in with the reversers and onto the toe brakes. Deceleration is spectacular - the simluator tilts forward considerably and pulls you out of the seat. Fanatastic illusion!
I made 4 landings, two with auto-throttle and two totally manually, the first two at day and the last at night, visually. The ship feels very heavy and you have to anticipate the outcome of your control inputs, as well as power sttings. The landings were done visually by VASI and I did my best to keep the two white ones left and the red ones right. The night landings were spectacular, visually. Cars were driving on the ground, moon was shining, stuff like that.

Hey, that thing about holding the honors of SOH. Mission accomplished, I can say with some pride. The instructor congratulated me for the good landings and the overall control of the 747-400. That sounds like bragging, but that's the way it was. Best thing is, my fianceé was on the jump seat and whitnessed it all. She was very impressed, and what is better than that, besides holding the honors of SOH :-) ? Bless her for that great gift!

I have the contact of the instructor, he told me that I can book individual sim flights with him directly, if I want. We then can work out the program for such an event individually. I'm going to do that for sure!

If you ever have the chance to fly in a "real" simulator, go for it!

http://www.lufthansa-flight-training...lotte/s_boeing

Cheers, and thanks to Tina for that marvellous gift,
Mark

PS: pictures were made by the instructor, but I don't have them yet, will post them when I have them!

[roger-wilco-66]

Just for the record and if anyone's interested, here is a fact sheet of the simulator itself:

http://www.lufthansa-flight-training...FRA+%28FT48%29