Thanks to @Astro14 I had the privilege of flying a Boeing 757-200 simulator at the United Airlines training center in Denver.
The simulator (SIM) is a spectacular example of human ingenuity and engineering. CAE is the SIM manufacturer. The cockpit was built by Boeing for the real 757, then sold to CAE. CAE starts with the Boeing 757-200 cockpit complete with all instrumentation, switches, levers, breakers, controls, seats, etc. and builds the SIM around the cockpit. There are many racks of computers and graphics engines behind the SIM in the computer room. The SIM requires an entire section of the building for the SIM itself and all the supporting computers, hydraulics, actuators, etc. I believe a new SIM today is in the neighborhood of $50,000,000.
You can see the three projectors that give you a visual outside the cockpit windows. They project onto mirrors the reflects the image to your eyes.
The SIM is the most realistic simulation I have ever seen. You can't tell you are not flying the real airplane. The graphics are a bit less realistic than looking outside at the real vicinity of a real airplane, but when you are flying it doesn't detract from the realism. When taxiing, you feel bumps in the tarmac, you see cars on the freeways, you hear all the sounds of the airplane, if they would put a spritz of jet exhaust smell into the cockpit, you'd be even further convinced of the realism.
From turning the master power switch on during the preflight to shutting the airplane down at the destination, every action is exactly like flying a revenue flight. All checklists and procedures are carefully followed. Crews are expected to do their part exactly and coordinate as they are taught in CRM training. Remember, in the SIM both pilots are undergoing qualification training to do their job safely while carrying real passengers behind them.
We walked through the entire preflight, which includes programming the flight plan into the FMS (Flight Management System) and verifying all flight data such as weights, winds, temp, fuel, etc). The hydraulic systems and about 15 other systems are checked before engine start. When you start the engines, you actually hear the sounds of the engines and feel the inertia rock the airplane just a bit, just like you do in the real airplane. You get pushed back from the gate, then start taxing to the active runway.
Taxi steering is controlled by a tiller close to the captains left hand. There is a lever with a knob that you turn the front wheel. The steering is pretty sensitive and if you over steer, the SIM will simulate the mass of the airplane rocking back and forth, which could make someone sensitive to airsickness, sick. It's that realistic. You need about 25% of N1 to get the airplane moving and the taxi speed limit is 20kts groundspeed. There is a ground speed indicator on the HSI (Horizontal situation indicator). I sat in the left seat (captain), so I did all the taxiing.
When you are ready for takeoff, on the runway and lined up properly, you advance the throttles to about where you think they need to be for takeoff EPR (Engine Pressure Ratio), then you reach up above the throttles and push the auto throttles button, it sets exact takeoff power for you, so you aren't messing with it when you should be looking outside. The auto throttles can be used in every phase of flight and are very slick. The SIM tips back probably 20° giving you the feeling that you are accelerating down the runway. The reason the SIM feels so realistic is that it's full of feelings.
The movement in concert with the visual changes looking out the cockpit windows convince you that this is real. It's incredibly convincing.
We did an entire flight from San Diego to Las Vegas, which included a SID (Standard Instrument Departure) from SAN, en route, a STAR (Standard Arrival Route) to the IAF (Initial approach fix) for a RNAV approach into LAS and landing. The whole flight there is so much going on that it's overwhelming because I'm not familiar with the airplane and I'm not used to going 500 MPH. My co-pilot did a great job of keeping me out of trouble. We flew both with the auto pilot and I hand flew the airplane with the flight director. The auto pilot is simply amazing. The 757 is a great flying and landing airplane. I believe it's easier to land than the 767-400.
Next, we taxied back to the active runway and took off. Shortly after takeoff, I pulled the throttle for the left engine back to idle, as I wanted to simulate an engine out. I think we were still climbing at 1,500 fpm and Astro pointed out that I was going > 300 kts. Wow, that's performance! We climbed to about 25k feet and did a few stalls. The airplane stalls nicely without rolling over, which really surprised me. Some small airplanes I've flown love to roll over on their back when stalled. We simulated the Air France flight 447 crash where the crew inadvertently stalled the airplane in cruise. They didn't realize the plane was stalled and held full back on the joystick (Airbus) with full power and couldn't get out of the stall. The 757 is one of the highest thrust to weight ratio airliners ever built. While in a deep stall, man does the SIM try to shake your fillings out!, even with full power, you can't recover. Why? Because the wings make so much induced drag while stalled that even the raw power of the 757 can't overcome the drag. Push the nose down about 30° and it recovers quickly with only a couple thousand feet of altitude loss.
We shut the autopilot and flight director off and I hand flew the airplane for probably 45 minutes doing several different maneuvers, full power climbs, idle power descents, level flight, etc. In a Cessna 172 power controls altitude and pitch controls airspeed. It's the same in a 757, in many ways a 757 flies just like a single engine Cessna. It's just a lot heavier, has incredible power, goes a LOT faster, and is way way more complex. When I was done hand flying we were just south of Las Vagas at 25k feet and I asked Astro if we could make the airport. We used full speed brakes to increase our descent rate, then added flaps and gear as speed allowed. We did a visual approach and successfully landed from almost over the airport at 25k feet. That's some serious descent rate!
The autopilot and flight director, are wonderful tools to reduce pilot workload. The autopilot does an amazing job of flying the airplane. I can see how some pilots lose their flying skills because they become reliant on the automation. The autopilot is also very complex and it would take hundreds of hours of training and use to really know how use all of its capabilities.
The next landing was at my home airport close to where I grew up and did my initial flight training.
My hometown out the window, it's pretty realistic.
RWY 12 at ALO (Waterloo, IA) 12 miles away.
The last landing was at Goose Bay, Labrador. Astro has flown over it many times, just hasn't had to land there, think emergency.
The smart guy
What a fantastic experience! Thanks Astro!
The simulator (SIM) is a spectacular example of human ingenuity and engineering. CAE is the SIM manufacturer. The cockpit was built by Boeing for the real 757, then sold to CAE. CAE starts with the Boeing 757-200 cockpit complete with all instrumentation, switches, levers, breakers, controls, seats, etc. and builds the SIM around the cockpit. There are many racks of computers and graphics engines behind the SIM in the computer room. The SIM requires an entire section of the building for the SIM itself and all the supporting computers, hydraulics, actuators, etc. I believe a new SIM today is in the neighborhood of $50,000,000.
You can see the three projectors that give you a visual outside the cockpit windows. They project onto mirrors the reflects the image to your eyes.
The SIM is the most realistic simulation I have ever seen. You can't tell you are not flying the real airplane. The graphics are a bit less realistic than looking outside at the real vicinity of a real airplane, but when you are flying it doesn't detract from the realism. When taxiing, you feel bumps in the tarmac, you see cars on the freeways, you hear all the sounds of the airplane, if they would put a spritz of jet exhaust smell into the cockpit, you'd be even further convinced of the realism.
From turning the master power switch on during the preflight to shutting the airplane down at the destination, every action is exactly like flying a revenue flight. All checklists and procedures are carefully followed. Crews are expected to do their part exactly and coordinate as they are taught in CRM training. Remember, in the SIM both pilots are undergoing qualification training to do their job safely while carrying real passengers behind them.
We walked through the entire preflight, which includes programming the flight plan into the FMS (Flight Management System) and verifying all flight data such as weights, winds, temp, fuel, etc). The hydraulic systems and about 15 other systems are checked before engine start. When you start the engines, you actually hear the sounds of the engines and feel the inertia rock the airplane just a bit, just like you do in the real airplane. You get pushed back from the gate, then start taxing to the active runway.
Taxi steering is controlled by a tiller close to the captains left hand. There is a lever with a knob that you turn the front wheel. The steering is pretty sensitive and if you over steer, the SIM will simulate the mass of the airplane rocking back and forth, which could make someone sensitive to airsickness, sick. It's that realistic. You need about 25% of N1 to get the airplane moving and the taxi speed limit is 20kts groundspeed. There is a ground speed indicator on the HSI (Horizontal situation indicator). I sat in the left seat (captain), so I did all the taxiing.
When you are ready for takeoff, on the runway and lined up properly, you advance the throttles to about where you think they need to be for takeoff EPR (Engine Pressure Ratio), then you reach up above the throttles and push the auto throttles button, it sets exact takeoff power for you, so you aren't messing with it when you should be looking outside. The auto throttles can be used in every phase of flight and are very slick. The SIM tips back probably 20° giving you the feeling that you are accelerating down the runway. The reason the SIM feels so realistic is that it's full of feelings.
The movement in concert with the visual changes looking out the cockpit windows convince you that this is real. It's incredibly convincing.We did an entire flight from San Diego to Las Vegas, which included a SID (Standard Instrument Departure) from SAN, en route, a STAR (Standard Arrival Route) to the IAF (Initial approach fix) for a RNAV approach into LAS and landing. The whole flight there is so much going on that it's overwhelming because I'm not familiar with the airplane and I'm not used to going 500 MPH. My co-pilot did a great job of keeping me out of trouble. We flew both with the auto pilot and I hand flew the airplane with the flight director. The auto pilot is simply amazing. The 757 is a great flying and landing airplane. I believe it's easier to land than the 767-400.
Next, we taxied back to the active runway and took off. Shortly after takeoff, I pulled the throttle for the left engine back to idle, as I wanted to simulate an engine out. I think we were still climbing at 1,500 fpm and Astro pointed out that I was going > 300 kts. Wow, that's performance! We climbed to about 25k feet and did a few stalls. The airplane stalls nicely without rolling over, which really surprised me. Some small airplanes I've flown love to roll over on their back when stalled. We simulated the Air France flight 447 crash where the crew inadvertently stalled the airplane in cruise. They didn't realize the plane was stalled and held full back on the joystick (Airbus) with full power and couldn't get out of the stall. The 757 is one of the highest thrust to weight ratio airliners ever built. While in a deep stall, man does the SIM try to shake your fillings out!, even with full power, you can't recover. Why? Because the wings make so much induced drag while stalled that even the raw power of the 757 can't overcome the drag. Push the nose down about 30° and it recovers quickly with only a couple thousand feet of altitude loss.
We shut the autopilot and flight director off and I hand flew the airplane for probably 45 minutes doing several different maneuvers, full power climbs, idle power descents, level flight, etc. In a Cessna 172 power controls altitude and pitch controls airspeed. It's the same in a 757, in many ways a 757 flies just like a single engine Cessna. It's just a lot heavier, has incredible power, goes a LOT faster, and is way way more complex. When I was done hand flying we were just south of Las Vagas at 25k feet and I asked Astro if we could make the airport. We used full speed brakes to increase our descent rate, then added flaps and gear as speed allowed. We did a visual approach and successfully landed from almost over the airport at 25k feet. That's some serious descent rate!
The autopilot and flight director, are wonderful tools to reduce pilot workload. The autopilot does an amazing job of flying the airplane. I can see how some pilots lose their flying skills because they become reliant on the automation. The autopilot is also very complex and it would take hundreds of hours of training and use to really know how use all of its capabilities.
The next landing was at my home airport close to where I grew up and did my initial flight training.
My hometown out the window, it's pretty realistic.
RWY 12 at ALO (Waterloo, IA) 12 miles away.
The last landing was at Goose Bay, Labrador. Astro has flown over it many times, just hasn't had to land there, think emergency.
The smart guy
What a fantastic experience! Thanks Astro!
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