Nothing to do with the 787, but does anyone know the story behind the 152 on the wire? I’ve never seen that picture before. I’d like to hear the rest of the story on what happened next.

I don’t understand the dislike for the HUD. I’m an old fart with mostly “traditional” views on things but when I moved from the F-4 to the F-15, I thought the HUD was a very helpful addition. The HUD in the T-38 is the best part of the T-38C mods. Maybe flying warplanes where things like weapon delivery and low level navigation are routine has biased my view towards “data in the windshield.”

I am warming up to it. It comes with new acronyms. As mentioned, I chase one ball around with the other. I control the FPV (Flight Path Vector) and I chase the FGC (Flight Guidance Cue). Better known as the big ball and little ball, but even that is cumbersome to say. I have grown fond of “Put the lime in the coconut “, easy to say and it cracks me up. Here’s a shot I took yesterday while getting set up for my next chance to excel, the lime is sitting there inside the coconut standing by for a HUD takeoff.

I'm not young anymore, but I've always been a techy. I love the HUD in principle. I've never had the pleasure in practice.

Briefly, it takes some practice to understand what you're looking at well enough for your hands (and feet) to instinctively make good control inputs.

The information is presented similarly to a modern glass cockpit PFD (i.e. what is in the middle and what is on the left and right/top and bottom of the display). If you've always flown instruments with a pipper, with or without a flight director, and never flown a flight path marker then that's a different animal too. The cloud rush that Charles mentioned can be distracting. The feeling of not looking "down" to see your instruments is distracting too. Looking "through" your virtual instruments is another strange feeling that takes getting used to. Flying approaches well took me some practice, scanning the ILS needles projected out there in empty space, to get a feel for just what are appropriate course and glideslope corrections (both far away and in close).

It is very satisfying to see the runway environment appear up ahead in the fog, in real life, with that greenish airplane symbol overlaid close to the aimpoint that you had in mind- and all of your other instruments jiving. It feels different than when the runway environment appears in expected area of the windshield, your aimpoint close to the proverbial grease spot/bug splat, which is of course also very satisfying!


I "learned" to fly a HUD in my late thirties, after several years of flying and instructing on both six packs and glass. For me it was mostly self-study and comparing the HUD with the regular instruments (which my "pilot brain" understood better) while my student was doing the actual flying.

There are more specific techniques and certain no-nos for flying a HUD in a transport category airplane (as well as other specifics for carrier aviation, for example), but since all of my HUD flying is SETP, I'm not really qualified to comment on those details, only generalities.


Jeff, I really envy you for getting to fly these things! Such a payoff for all the hard work it takes for someone to get to be in your seat.

The view from the left seat looks nice!

"Lime in the coconut," I like it!

Our saying was "time to make the doughnut" or "make the doughnut". I will find myself putting the plane in the attitude that it needs to be in and then just give it a few seconds and the ball will float up to/near the FPV symbol and then I fine tune from there.

When I started flying HUD equiped 737-800NGs I had 17000hrs of non HUD before that. The only part I had trouble with was looking 'through' the symbology on landing - it was probably 6 months before I could do that without REAL conscious effort and my landings went back to normal.

In the sim during the type rating I'd ask my crash buddy (no HUD on his side) what it looked like on his PFD and he'd wryly allow as how the magenta FD bars were painted on the screen - in the HUD it looked like I was all over the place like a mad women's breakfast. The 'world' inside the HUD is hugely expanded so it looks like you are chasing the guidance cue all over the place when in reality you're chasing parts of a degree in pitch, roll and HDG.

After 6000hrs I long ago arrived at 'HUD Cripple' - when it wasn't working for a few days recently I didn't know where to look on takeoff the first time and sat there a bit 'all at sea' and then I heard the FO say "80Kts"

"sorry - checked"

Luckily old habits returned quickly but I was glad when they fixed the bloody thing

Edit: When I transitioned from the B767 to the 777 many years ago my licence was endorse B777/787 and our Boeing FCOM/FCTM were full of differences paragraphs for the 787.

I did about 1000hrs in the 777 and while I was impressed with it I thought it was a bit too clever. For the most part though I hated long haul after almost 9 years of being permanently jet lagged so when I was offered a DEC on the 737-800NG at another airline closer to home I jumped at it.

All the widebodies have the same design flaw - HUGE fuel tanks - and then beancounters keep moving B further away from A.

The B737-800NG is nicely 'manual' too. From the windows down its sorta B777 and from the windows up its pure DC3 - lots of manly switches to swing off - no TAC etc.

Although I do miss the EICAS and Electronic Checklist. SWA should be taken out and shot for insisting Boeing not turn the 800NG into a baby 777.

For a SE pilot that has done too many intercontinental flights from the back of the plane, this is such a cool thread!!

The HUD with the EFVS (767) overlay is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Took a little getting used to, but the HUD makes low visibility takeoffs and landings easy.

Butch

Over 5 years on the 787 and it’s a wonderful airplane! The systems are very straight forward and I enjoy it. Only one airplane better.....757. Nothing will beat that airplane!!! Nothing!

Here's a 150 story
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archiv ... ug=2744125

then in 2001
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article ... 057023.php

Tom, was this common to do at your carrier?

Tom, was this common to do at your carrier?