The Same Only Different

Pilots transitioning to the 747-8 from the 747-400 will feel instantly at home but will benefit from major advances in avionics and systems

When Boeing firsttouted its glass-cockpit 747-400 in the mid-1980s, Stewart John, revered chief engineer of Cathay Pacific Airways, urged retention of the three-crew analog cockpit for commonality.

John did not get his way on that issue, but the pressure not to mess with things that work well  has been a constant challenge for Boeing as it has upgraded the airframe over the decades to keep pace with both technology and competition.

The urgency to update avionics and systems is far greater today, what with the need to take advantage of advanced fuel-saving and airspace technologies such as Required Navigation Performance, Global Landing Systems and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, says Boeing VP-Engineering-747 Todd Zarfos. Thus the challenge on the 747-8 platform has been to retain the “traditional 747-400 cockpit” for pilot commonality while incorporating much of the 777/787 technology and the enormous advances in commercial avionics in the last 20 years. He says that while the system architectures of the 777 and 787 are different from the 747-8, “behind the curtain the features are the same.”

In contrast to previous models of the 747, with the famous 39 cockpit clipboard options and 101 shades of white paint, commonality and standardization now rule at Boeing. “The days of a chief pilot coming in and picking and choosing what he or the airline wanted are gone,” Zarfos says. “The airlines want us to limit the amount of change in the fleets and we have tried not to introduce any variability.”

That said, he notes that much of the extensive functionality of the 747-8 cockpit is a result of pilot feedback from the 787, 777 and 737NG cockpits. “Lots of those issues had been sorted out on our more recent designs.” However, much of the capability cannot be used until the aviation industry catches up with technology on the ground, he points out.

As with the 787, Boeing has adopted a “standard package fits all” approach. Just a few options exist in the 747-8 cockpit, such as Class 3 electronic flight bags. The cockpit is built around a Rockwell Collins-supplied advanced display system, flight-deck communications, navigation and surveillance suite and central maintenance computer and a new and much improved flight control management computer from Honeywell.

Rockwell Collins Executive VP and COO-Commercial Systems Kelly Ortberg says the “teamwork that has occurred on this [747-8] program has been outstanding. Rockwell Collins has collaborated with Boeing to create a very powerful airplane equipped for the next-generation airspace—while keeping required pilot training to a minimum by maintaining an interface that is similar to the 747-400.”

The company’s DU-7001 Active Matrix LCD emulates the 747-400 cockpit; it first was introduced on the 747-400ER for Qantas but enables the display of advanced features found on the 777 and 787. These include a vertical situation display, RNP scales and electronic checklists.

The RC GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver is fitted with a 24-channel GNSS receiver with GLS/ILS capability that enables the 747-8 to perform RNP operations as well as GPS-guided approaches using GBAS. The GNSS receiver meets or exceeds all applicable industry requirements and provides position, velocity and time outputs for use by other aircraft systems such as TAWS and FMS.

The GLU-925 also has ADS-B capability and its advanced chipset allows for expansion to support such technologies as WAAS. As with the 787, the 747-8 features RC’s WXR-2100 MultiScan Hazard Detection System (ATW,2/10, p. 30).

Other RC equipment on the aircraft includes the communication management unit and data management unit, satcom system, VHF and HF transceivers, VOR, DME, ADF, Mode S transponder, CVR and FDR, ELT and flight deck printer.

Flight Management

Honeywell’s Next Generation FMS, which has been four years in development, will give the 747-8 the capability to operate in current and future ATM environments, according to Honeywell Aerospace VP-Marketing & Product Management Carl Esposito. It provides enhanced flight planning, navigation and guidance and aircraft performance capabilities as well as a large navigational database to meet growth requirements. “The future of navigation and air traffic management is flying today,” Esposito says.

“The NGFMS is being designed to meet increasing requirements for integrity and availability required by NextGen and SESAR,” according to VP-Crew Interface Products Chad Cundiff. “The new architecture will ensure higher quality performance and functionality while allowing faster development of new functionality enhancements.” It also supports WAAS-localizer performance with vertical guidance, FANS-1 and FANS-2 requirements.

The system works both as a standalone product, as on the 747-8, or integrated with other avionics. It will be offered for retrofit on the 747-400. Honeywell says there has been considerable feedback from 747-400F operators who plan to keep those aircraft for several more decades.

Another subtle change in the 747-8 cockpit, explains Zarfos, is removal of the center detent in the landing gear lever. Previously, crews set the lever to “up” then to “off” once the gear was retracted. Now they need only to set the up position to retract the gear. Also, the autobrake selector has been relocated to a position above the first officer’s FMC similar to the placement on the 787 and 777.

Fly By Wire

As well as having a near-identical cockpit, Boeing wanted the 747-8F to handle the same way as a 747-400, which has necessitated a move to partial fly-by-wire for lateral flight control, says Zarfos, because of the increased weights without increase in wing area. The partial FBW controls the outboard ailerons and six spoilers on each wing. “Both aircraft have identical handling characteristics,” he claims. Removal of the mechanical actuation is a weight saver and he says an extra benefit is provision of load-maneuver alleviation, which gives greater structural efficiency.

Pilots flying the 747-400 will be able to transition to the 747-8 after 2-3 days of differences training and retain a common type rating, while pilots coming from a 777 or 787 will require about 11 and nine days respectively of training. For pilots moving from the 747-8 to the 777 or 787, the transition training is eight and six days respectively. Those flying the 747-8, 777 and 787 will have common takeoff and landing currency with common segment currency pending.

In many ways the 747-8 is all about “going back to the future” by taking arguably the best-known and most-loved aircraft built by Boeing and melding it with the very latest in technological wizardry that can facilitate all the advances on aviation’s long-range radar. That capability will be needed as the -8 will be flying for decades to come.