Randy's Journal: Archives
21 September 2005
From the flight deck
"This is your captain speaking. We hope you're enjoying your flight as much as we are up here on the flight deck."
Maybe you won't hear those exact words from your pilot, but when you look at the recently released images of the 787 flight deck, you'll have to agree it looks like a pretty cool place to work. Truly, the future is here, now. Although we're not quite yet to the "dog and a pilot" stage. More on that later.
Yes, the 787 flight deck is going to look as distinctive as the passenger cabin does. Think: high-performance, cutting-edge sports car styling.
But the significance of this new flight deck is more than just how it looks. For all the technical improvements and advanced architecture, it's designed with significant "commonality" with other Boeing airplanes. That means an easy transition for pilots.
The first image of the 787 flight deck. How would you like going to work here every day?
For instance, even though it may look a little different, the 787 flight deck operates just like the flight deck on a 777. It will take as few as five days of training for 777 pilots to qualify as 787 pilots. The pilot pool for operators of 777 / 787 mixed fleets will be the same. For an airline this is a significant cost savings. 787 pilots will spend less time training, and more time flying.
And the commonality extends to our other products as well. For pilots of 757s and 767s, it will require only eight days of training to become qualified on the 787. That's really significant, because there are more than 200 operators of 757s and 767s, flying nearly 2,000 airplanes. To put this into perspective, keep in mind that for these operators to re-train their pilots to fly an Airbus product would take in excess of 25 days of training.
At the same time, the 787's advanced technology will be compatible with future systems as they come along. That's a greater value than, say, the Airbus line, which is stuck with a flight deck created in the 1980s for the A320. Their flight decks just can't do the things ours can.
Now, let's talk about the visual design of the 787 flight deck. In our research we interviewed pilots to understand what's most important to them. Combining this with existing Boeing "flight deck philosophy," our designers looked for inspirational products from other industries. We looked at watches, automobiles, motorcycles, even designer sunglasses.
The result is a flight deck that maintains "commonality" while providing a new look. The archway into the flight deck provides a link to the Dreamliner passenger cabin. The new seat back design is streamlined and high-tech.
A close-up image of the large screens and windows, and a head up display.
And you've probably noticed the large display screens. Much larger than we've seen on other airplanes. There will be five 12 x 9 inch displays in the 787 flight deck, providing twice the display space of the screens on the 777. The data will be easier to see, and there's more "real estate" on the screens to display more information.
Standard in the 787 flight deck will be dual head up displays (HUD). These clear screens are mounted at eye-level to allow pilots to look out the window and see an information display at the same time. Dual electronic flight bags (EFB) are also standard. These electronic equivalents of a pilot's flight bag contain up-to-date maps, charts, manuals, and other information.
From the outside of the airplane, as well as from the pilot's seat, the most noticeable feature of the flight deck is the larger windows. The 787's composite fuselage makes these windows possible, allowing pilots the necessary field of vision with fewer - but bigger - window panels.
It's all great "gee wiz" stuff. And I love that as much as the next guy. But from an airplane marketeer's point of view, the true benefit is the nearly seamless link between the Boeing flight deck of today and the futuristic look and operational capabilities of tomorrow.
It all reminds me of an old joke around the airplane industry, about the "flight deck of the future." As the joke goes, this future flight deck would be so advanced it would require just two things: a dog and a pilot. The pilot would be there to feed the dog. And the dog would be there to bite the pilot if he touches the controls!
As I said, we're not quite there yet. But you never know.