Frequently Asked Questions - Email Collections 4

Questions:     

1.   What are the Captains doing during the preflight briefings?
2    What happens when the landing gears cannot extend?
3.   Why are the Boeing 777 engines placed forward of the wings?
4.   The TWA 800 Crash
5.   Nearest emergency airports, curve air routes and Cabin doors 
6.   Many questions about flying and the pilot...
7.   Pilot's schedule in a day.
8.   Some Boeing 777 technical questions
9.   Airbus 340 versus Boeing 777
10. Flight Attendant was sucked out of cabin during rapid depressurization.
11. Where can a Boeing 777  land between San Francisco and Honolulu?
12. Whether the Boeing 777 is affected by the recent fuel pumps problems?
13. Has any Boeing 777 ever crashed? 

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1.   What are the Captains doing during the preflight briefings?

Hi Captain Kay,

I saw the Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 747-400 Videos (Cathay Pacific - Capt Greame Thomson, Virgin - Capt Alen Carter) 

In the Preflight Briefing room, "Dispatch Center," they were going through more than 10 pages of documents like, Load and Balance, Weather, NOTAMS, etc.

I am just interested in the printouts. Can you tell me exactly what are all those Documents about. What are they technically called?

Can you provide me a sample of it for a typical flight?

Do you know a website where it is available?

Thanks and sorry for bugging you again.

Warm regards

Srihari

Hi Srihari,

Looks like you plan to change your trade from a software engineer and become
a pilot by the queries that you are asking;-) Anyway, it will be very lengthy
if I were to explain everything.

Basically, the pilots were doing their pre-flight briefings in the
Operations Dispatch Center.  This entails reviewing all information
regarding the Computerized Flight Plans, the current and forecast weather
reports, fuel requirement, the NOTAMS (notice to airman) and whatever
documents necessary for the safe conduct of the flight.  Weight and Balance
checks are done in the cockpit when all the cargo are loaded and passengers
are accounted for.

I am sorry I am unable to give you a sample of the Flight Plan printout of a
typical flight and I am not sure where you can find a Website that has such information.  Perhaps you can try searching for them. My Aviation Links Page has a few links, especially on Pilots Briefing and International Flight Folders where you can check on information such as weather, airports, NOTAMS , etc.

Regards,

Capt Kay

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2    What happens when the landing gears cannot extend?

Hi Captain Kay,

Firstly, thank you for a great site. It is very informative and I like the fact that you are taking the time to answer some layman type questions from the everyday flyer. I fly on the Boeing 777's all the time from Phoenix to London as I am an Englishman living in Arizona and they are my favorite aircraft. 

I have a question regarding the landing gear.  I have often seen old WW2 movies where pilots have to climb down to the wheel bay and manually wind down the landing gear during a failure. I wonder,  what contingency is there in place on the Boeing 777? What happens if the front gear won't come down? Do you have a manual override switch?

Many thanks

Chris Spalding

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your compliments.  I am pleased that my service is appreciated by
you and the other air travelers.

The Boeing 777 is among the most advanced airplane at the moment and
obviously the technology today is more superior than those of the WW2 vintage, yet
it can be very simple when it comes to lowering the landing gears during an
emergency.  No more cranking because the main landing gears are so massive
and heavy that it virtually drop down by its own weight!  When the gears
fail to extend in the normal position, emergency lowering is achieved by the
use of an alternate extension system which electrically releases all the
gear lock devices.  This enables the landing gears to free fall to the down
position due to gravity.

It is the retraction process that requires a lot of hydraulic power to pull
in the landing gears. Once the gears are securely retracted, they are electrically locked in the up position.

If the front gear won't come down, it would be a very rare event! Nevertheless, if it ever happen, the pilot will declare an emergency and it is possible to land the aircraft after the runway is sprayed with foam by the fire trucks.  This calls for some special flying technique whereby, after the main wheels are in contact with the runway, the pilot will hold the nose up as long as possible.  The foam will prevent sparks cause by the  friction
with the runway to develop into a fire and the aircraft will usually come to a stop quite quickly.

The manual override switch you refer to is not to lower the front gear but to retract the gears in an emergency. For example, you can't intentionally retract the landing gears when the aircraft is on the ground because of some fail-safe ground switches.  But this manual override switch, or what we call the lever override switch permits the lever to be unlocked manually. When do we use it?  We  use it when the normal system fail after airborne and pilots don't like to have the gears hanging down after airborne because they cause a lot of drag on the aircraft, more so when one of the engine fails!

Think and fly safely,

Regards,

Capt Kay.

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3.  Why are the Boeing 777 engines placed forward of the wings?

Hi,

Firstly,  I like your site a lot!  Secondly,  maybe, I have a weird question.

I wonder, if you look at the engine of a Boeing 777, I notice that it is rather big and
it is attached to the wing in such a way that the body of the engine is not fixed right under the wings (like most airplanes) but almost in front of the wing. 

Maybe this is a stupid question, but isn't this kind of attachment weak? I mean, if you hang an engine right under the wing, it appears  more securely attached. Am I being vague about the question? 

Anyway, next week I am going to fly for the first time in a Boeing 777 and  I hope  I will survive this one!

Greetings,

Philippe.


Hi Philippe,

So you think the massive Boeing 777 engines should be below the wings instead of slightly forward of them? Be assured that this forward position is the best in terms of engine efficiency and strength. Remember, this airplane was the first one of its kind to be completely designed by computers, and computers are smart!

The engines are very big as you have rightly noticed, and if placed directly under the
wings, you need very long landing gears.  The airplane cabin will consequently be very high and the landing gears would be weak as compared to the current design.

No question is weird or stupid but I am glad to answer them if it troubles you on your next flight!

Regards,

Capt Kay.

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4.  The TWA 800 Crash

Hi,

Firstly, congratulations on your informative and interesting website. As a nervous flier it has done much to assuage my anxiety.

I had the unfortunate experience of being in JFK New York awaiting a flight to Ireland last year on November the 12th - a date you might recognize. We received news that an American Airlines plane had crashed in the Rockaway, with no survivors. Hardly great news at the best of times, even more disturbing when you are awaiting a flight that is about to take off from the
same airport.

Of course, our flight was delayed. The 3 major airports around New York were shut down, which didn't help the mood around New York, as people were reminded of the terrible events that took place there on September 11. As the day progressed, the AA587 crash appeared to be more and more a result of mechanical failure, not a result of terrorism, as was widely suspected. We eventually boarded our flight (after being made to sign next of kin details!) and the mood can only be described as one of underlying panic. Of course, needless to say, after a fairly nerve-wrecking take-off, everything went smoothly and we arrived home safely, much to the obvious delight of everybody aboard.

What first made me slightly nervous about flying was the crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island on July the 17th 1996. I was working in Boston at the time - as I recall, the general public consensus was that this crash was a direct result of a massive terrorist crime (occurring as it did two days before the start of the 1996 Olympics). However, as the months went on, the crash appeared to be a result of a subtle design flaw - this conclusion was reached after the painstaking reassembly of the wreckage. We are informed all our lives that "planes don't just fall out of the sky", except, sometimes, as in the crash of TWA Flight 800 - they do. The crash was attributed to a volatile mix of air and fuel in the plane's central fuel
tank, that was compounded by the aircraft remaining on the ground in JFK for over three hours, in very hot weather. The NTSB were unable to determine the source of the spark that ignited this volatile air/fuel mixture in the central fuel tank.

I was wondering what your opinions are as to the awful crash of TWA flight 800? Surely many, many planes must have a volatile mixture of air/fuel in their central fuel tanks - if a plane flying from New York to Paris has enough fuel in its wing tanks alone, surely many 747s are currently baking away on the tarmac of some airport, with a dangerous mix of air/fuel in their
near-empty fuel tanks, awaiting some mysterious source to ignite this deadly combination? Is this all that is required to cause another catastrophe like TWA 800? Or am I missing the point completely? It seems to me that the official NTSB explanation should make everybody very
nervous about flying!

Thank you for your time,

Michael Farren


Hi Mike,

Thanks for the interesting report of your experience.

My opinion of the TWA 800 crash?  It was a most unfortunate accident and it happened on an old B747 Classic. Do you know that if you drive an jalopy on a hot afternoon with a fuel tank that is near empty, you may also have a volatile mixture of fuel/air mixture in it as well!  

Have you given a moment's thought that it may explode if it comes in contact with a spark as well?  Although the analogy may be simplistic, that is the realty of life. All I can say is that, most aircraft fuel tanks are very well insulated from unnecessary sparks but Murphy Law still preclude any accident free fuel tanks.

Regards,

Capt Kay.

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5.   Nearest emergency airports, curve air routes and Cabin doors 

Hi.. 

First, I would like to say that this is the greatest web page I have found on flying. Thanks! 

I have two questions:-

You mentioned that, when flying  long distance over water,  the route is never further than one hour from an airport for any emergency landings. I wondered about this while looking at the map in the airline magazine.  When flying from  TYO (Tokyo) to LAX (Los Angeles), where are the emergency airports on route?  Also, when flying from LAX to TYO,  why does the route head further north and then further south when returning to LAX?  

In flight, I also see people standing around the door areas and I am sure there is no way they could open it, but tell me, am I correct about this! :)  ..one of those silly questions I guess that I have wondered about. 

All my other concerns were answered in your web page and it is all so very interesting to read anyway. I too get some jitters from time to time while flying, but what I say to myself is "You are right where you are suppose to be at this minute" and that over water puts me at peace. Flying is fantastic and it lets me go places that I never would be able to visit if not for flying.  So the thrill of adventure outweighs any fear. It still amazes me just the same, this whole flying business!  I love it.

Thanks in advance for any answers you can give me to my questions. 

 Nola Glen

Hi Nola,

From your email, I have summarized the 3 questions:-

a.   Where are the emergency airports within an hour's flying on the route
from TYO to LAX?
b.   Why is the route from LAX to TYO appears to be curve on the map?
c.   Can the passenger doors be opened in flight?

a.   As regard to your first question, I was discussing a topic on extended twin engine operations (ETOPS), peculiar to any two-engine airplane.  This is not applicable to a Boeing 747 because it has 4 engines. Historically, for a twin engine commercial airplane to fly over water or land,  Regulations require it to be within an hour away from an emergency airport if it loses one of its engine due to mechanical problem.  Therefore, these airplanes can only operate in Airways within an hour from an emergency airport.  In your case, I believe you flew on a Boeing 747 from TYO to LAX and the law need
not require it to comply with this one hour rule.

b.  I am sure your second question is a very interesting one for those who are not very familiar with the various types of maps.  Do you know that when you first did Geography in School, many people were not aware that the basic World map was a distorted representation of the Earth's surface.  Only those countries around the Equatorial regions are truly represented by its size. Those nearer to the Poles are highly magnified.  The basic World map is similar to a ball being stretched so that its shape is made to fit into a piece of paper.  The most accurate map is in fact the map on a Globe.

The shortest distance between TYO and LAX is in fact a straight line between these two cities.  So if you place a string on a Globe between TYO and LAX, you would see that the shortest distance is in fact the one that head further north and then south to LAX.  Because the map you so often used or see is in fact a distorted map, the shortest route now appears like a curve on the map in the Airline magazine.

c.   Your third question shows your concern about the airplane doors which could be accidentally opened in flight by those standing around them.  I can assure you that it is almost impossible to open the doors in flight even if they have been deliberately unlatched.  You know why?  The differential pressure in most airplanes is around 9 psi (pounds per square inch).  So there is a tremendous amount of pressure holding the door to its seals.  The only way to open the door in flight is to fully depressurize the airplane
cabin pressure to zero differential pressure.  In fact, this is automatically achieved when the aircraft lands.  The reduction in pressure is so gradual that you hardly feel it unless you have a cold and your ears are blocked!

Your questions are not silly and I am sure many passengers are just as curious as you are ! :-)

Regards,

Capt Kay

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6.   Many questions about flying and the pilot...

Hi Capt Kay,

Your Website is fantastic! I  have some questions for you:-

(1)   I was wondering how you cope with pressure of having a wife and children when you are away at most times?

(2)  What would be the most terrifying experience you have in the air?

(3)  Could a 777 pilot fly a 747? If the pilot needs to go through a conversion course, how long does it take?

(4)  Why have a 777-300 when a 747-400 could carry more people and is cheaper?

(5)  With Sept 11, I assume that no passengers are allowed to the cockpit? How safe is the reinforced door? What happens when you need to go to toilet? Do you agree pilots should be armed? (I do). Have you experience unruly and aggressive passengers?

(6)  What sort of food is served to you on board? I heard that your food is different from passengers just in case there is sabotage ….is that true?

(7)  During a long haul flight, where do you relax/sleep when you are off duty? Does that mean that there are 2 sets of pilots? What’s the maximum hours you are allowed to work per flight sector?

(8)  What is the top speed you have achieved with favorable tail wind? I have flown Qantas 747 back to Melbourne from Singapore and it was cruising at 1,075kms at 43,000 feet. Isn’t that almost the speed of sound?

Lastly, I have also flown Airbuses and MacDonald Douglas airplanes. There is absolutely no comparison to Boeing. In fact,  I always insisted on Boeing 747 on all flights above 4 hours. Now I know better ...future flights has to be the Boeing 777!

Please take your time to answer my questions. I know you are a busy man. Safe flight always. 

God bless you.

Regards,

Andrew.

Hi Andrew,

 

Sorry, I was really very busy lately but here are the replies to your questions:-

 

1.   There are no family problems caused as a result of being away from home quite often as they get adjusted to it after some times.  In life, you got to accept the reality of certain professions.  You got to learn to cope with many variables and if you can do that, you need not have to worry.  There are very few perfect jobs but you make it perfect yourself.

 

2.   I have not experienced any terrifying moments in my flying yet (touch wood!) but if they ever happened, I hope I am adequately prepared for them because we have been trained to handle such eventualities from day one.

 

3.   A Boeing 777 pilot cannot legally fly a Boeing 747-400 unless he has completed a full conversion of the appropriate aircraft type. The duration of such a conversion course varies between 3 to 5 months.

 

4.   The Boeing manufacturer would be able to answer this question better than I do.  However, a Boeing 777-300 is an extended version of a Boeing 777-200.  It is longer than a Boeing 747-400.  The difference is that a Boeing 777-300 has only 2 engines whereas a Boeing 747-400 has four and so maintenance cost may be lower.

 

5.   After Sep 11, the reinforced door is definitely stronger and safer than before.  The pilot can still visit the toilet.  In my opinion, pilots should be armed but this is a matter of choice.  Some flight crew are uncomfortable with this idea.  I am lucky because I did have to deal with very unruly or aggressive passengers so far.  I have a few minor incidents but they were all safely handled. 

 

6.   It is true that pilots' meals are different from those served to the passengers. 

 

7.    During long haul flight, pilots take a rest either in the Cabin seats or sleep in a special bunk.  There are two sets of crew on such flights. For example, on a 12 hours flight, it would be shared equally.  Each set would fly for 6 hours.  Whilst one set is on duty, the other would rest or sleep at the back. The maximum hours each set of crew is allowed to fly per day is dependent on many factors, such as the commencement of flying duties, the number of time zones crossing, etc.  However, 8 hours per flight sector would be a general guide.

 

8.    If you have a very strong tail wind, it is possible for the airplane to cruise at almost the speed of sound but I have yet to reach that speed.  I know the jet streams in Australia can be very strong and they can shave off more than an hour to the duration of your flight if you are lucky on that day!

 

Regards,

 

Capt Kay.

 

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7.   Pilot's schedule in a day.

Hey,

My dream is to be a Captain in a major Airlines and I have a few questions:-

 

1. What is a pilot's schedule like?  Do you leave home for a few days or do you work a certain number of hours and then return home on the same day ?

 

2. How many hours a day do pilots usually work?

 

3. Which Flying School would you recommend for a full pilots license (Private to Commercial and ATP)?

Tuane J Greiner

Hi Tuane,

 

Here are the answers to your questions:

 

1.   A pilot's schedule is dependent on what fleet (airplane) he is flying and whether he operates on International or domestic routes.  If he flies domestically, then he is unlikely to be away from home very often.  Sometimes, he is home on the same day if he flies on daily shuttles or to nearer destinations.  If he is on International flights, he may be away from home longer than usual.

 

2.   Again, this would be based on whether he is flying internationally or domestically.  On an average, a pilot can fly as short as 2 hours to as long as 8 hours a day, depending on how long is the duration of the journey.  There are many rules governing flying times, such as when you start your flying duties, whether in the early hours of the mornings or on a comfortable office-hours timing, etc.

 

3.   I cannot really recommend any flying schools to you to acquire a PPL, CPL or ATP license because I do not know where you are from.  You can get a better recommendation on which school to go to from the Civil Aviation Department in your country.

 

Regards,

 

Capt Kay

 

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8.  Some Boeing 777 technical questions

Hi Captain Kay,

(1)   I recently watched the "Boeing 777, The 21st Century Airliner" in the Discovery Channel. It was a fantastic! There was one guy who mentioned that the systems in the flight deck are smart enough to tell you if a bulb some where is burnt out!

My question is, "Where is such information available?  Is it on the MFD Electrics Page?

(2)   As you mentioned in my previous FAQs, if a fuel leak did occur, the following possible indications are :

a.   excessive engine fuel flow
b.   total fuel quantity decreasing at an abnormal rate
c.   FUEL IMBALANCE warning message on 
d.   FUEL QUANTITY LOW warning message on 
e.   FUEL DISAGREE message on the Computer scratchpad
f.    INSUFFICIENT FUEL message on the Computer scratchpad
g.   visual observation of fuel spray from engine

Now, a & b should be observed by the pilots... (imagine they are very busy with ATC!). d & f would come on only when you have lost all the fuel! (so what is the use?). The warnings which help pilots to detect the fuel leak is FUEL IMBALANCE and FUEL DISAGREE.

Could you please explain the actions taken when you get these warnings?

(3)  FMS (Flight Management System) gives the Distance, Time and FOB (Fuel on board) for the TO waypoint which is displayed in the ND (Navigation Panel). Now how accurate is this prediction?

Lets say, you are now in CRZ (Cruise) and intercepting a waypoint,  say "WLR" which is 60 NM (nautical miles) away. Note the EFOB (estimated fuel on board) at WLR. When  you intercept WLR and check the fuel remaining. What would be the differences?

( 4) As a big fan of Boeing 777,  there are hundreds of questions which come to my  mind.
Instead of asking all these questions, I feel I should make a thorough study and then ask.  Operating of the B777 would be fully dealt in the Manuals which you refer to like the Operations Manual, Technical Manual, QRH, etc. Is there any way one could get access to them?  As you have advised, I have contacted Boeing through the mails, but they don't seem to be responding.

In many web sites and books, there are some bits and pieces of information, like how control laws are built, etc. They do not give me a full understanding of the airplane. Can you recommend where I can get the Airplane Manuals?

Kindly let me know.

Thanking you,
Srihari J

Hi Srihari,

Sorry, I was very busy to answer your questions earlier.  At the moment, I am stopping overnight at Mumbai (Le Royal Meridien) and finally, I have some time to answer your FAQs:-

1.   If a light is burnt out it would not be annunciated in the MFD (Multi-Function Display) Electric page otherwise this page would be very cluttered with minor faults.  It is not very accurate to say that any burnt out lights would be detected in the Flight Deck.  Sometimes you have to physically check it outside the airplane. Perhaps some of the defects could be detected after checking the MAT, (Maintenance Access Terminal ) in the Cockpit.  Since this is a minor defect, it would not be the flight crew's duty to change any burnt out lights in flight.

2.   The list of warnings of fuel leaks given by the Boeing 777 QRHs (Quick Reference Handbooks) are some of the scenarios that are possible.  Not all the warnings would appear at the same time in real life! As regards to the actions as to how the pilots would react, it would be according to his common sense.  A pilot is paid to make reasonable and safe decisions.  Not every actions can be spelt out clearly but the QRH's guide is general and adequate for the safe diagnosis of most of the problems.

3.   The FMS and the computer's prediction of the distance to go, time and the fuel on board to the Waypoint is very accurate PROVIDED the LNAV and not the raw mode is selected.  If you are cruising and intercepting a track to 'WLR' on HDG or TRK SEL mode, with LNAV engaged, (must be on correct intercept track!), then your data of the distance to go or fuel remaining at PROGRESS or LEGS page would be accurate. 

4.   I am still not sure as to your interest in the technical details of the Boeing 777.  If it is for the purpose of enhancing your knowledge in order to do your job, then you must not rely on my explanations as I am not the authority on the Boeing 777 in this aspect.  In fact, you should persuade your Company to purchase all the Boeing 777 Manuals for your commercial work from Boeing, the airplane manufacturer!  All pilots and engineers are supplied with the Manuals related to the Boeing 777 and if you don't belong to these categories, I suppose you have to write to Boeing Publications officially to purchase them.  The address is as follows:

The Senior Manager
Flight Technical Publications
Customer Services Division
Boeing Commercial Airplane Group
P.O. Box 3707, M/S 20-89
Seattle, Washington 98124-2207
USA.

Regards,

Capt Kay

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9.  Airbus 340 versus Boeing 777

Dear Mr. Lim,

I am a confessed fearful flyer and thus found your website quite helpful and informative.  I concur with your theory that knowledge is the best way to combat fear, particularly fear of flying that I feel is irrational on my part but overpowering nonetheless.  Unless compelled to fly, I avoid air travel at all costs.

A few months ago, I had to travel to Seoul from San Francisco on business. I deliberately chose Singapore Airlines because of their excellent reputation in terms of safety and service.  The experience was quite pleasant, although it did not permanently allay my fears of flying.  I noted at the time I flew on this route, Singapore was operating A340s.  

However, as I was browsing Singapore Airlines  website, I discovered that they are now operating 777s on this route.  Given Singapore's pronounced commitment to operating a modern fleet, I wonder if their example indicates that 777s are finding acceptance in the commercial aviation community?  

Do you find that fellow pilots embrace the 777 over other commercial jetliners?  Is it fair to say that the 777 represents the "cutting edge" of aircraft engineering, and therefore, one can safely presume that it is the safest aircraft in operation?

Thank you for your help, and your website is truly a valuable resource.

Regards,
James

Hi James,

I am glad you found benefit in browsing through my Website.

I am not aware of Singapore Airlines' rationale to change from Airbus 340 to
Boeing 777 on the Seoul to San Francisco route.  As I have mentioned many
times before in my FAQs on this topic, amongst other advantages, the Boeing 777 is more comfortable when you are caught in air turbulence.

As regards to whether fellow pilots embrace the Boeing 777 to other Commercial jetliners because of its 'cutting-edge' technology, it is very subjective.  Who doesn't want to drive the latest brand new model of Mercedes anyway?

Regarding the safety of the Boeing 777, the comparative statistics (see my topic on this subject) speak for themselves.

Regards,

Capt Kay

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10. Flight Attendant was sucked out of cabin during rapid depressurization.

Dear Captain Kay,

Your site is amazing. The information that you provided very much helps. I have a question about the guy who apparently got sucked out of the cabin due to the rapid depressurization.

What would have happened to that person? Will he be lost in space forever without falling onto the earth? or would he eventually fall off sometime? If so, how long it takes?

Thanks,

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

As regards to the guy who was sucked out of the cabin due to the rapid depressurization in Aloha Airlines Flight 243, I believed he did not survive the misfortune. Apparently, he was declared as lost in flight because a sea search was unsuccessful in recovering the body. He was in fact a flight attendant and was standing in the cabin of a Boeing 737 whereas the passengers were all secured by their seat belts.  According to the passengers on board, the flight attendant was immediately swept out of the cabin through a hole in the left side of the airplane fuselage.

He would have certainly fallen off to the earth (and not lost in space forever!).  During the fall, the body would have reached a terminal velocity of about 125 miles per hour or about 11,000 feet per minute. As the aircraft was at 24,000 feet when the depressurization occurred, it would have taken about 2 minutes and 15 seconds to reach the ground.

The effect of the impact would be like driving a car at 125 mph and crashing it into a solid wall!

Regards,

Capt Kay

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11.  Where can a Boeing 777 land between San Francisco and Honolulu?

Hi Capt Kay,

I am so glad to find your very informative website.  It helps me tremendously in alleviating some of my fears. 

I have just booked a family vacation from San Francisco to Hawaii 2 week from now and purposely chose Boeing 777 because of safety reason.  According to the flight schedule, the flight time will be approximately 5 hours.  However, I am very nervous when I see on the map that there is no single island or airport between San Francisco and Honolulu.  

What happen when the 777 has to land during emergency?  And what kind of options the pilot has in this type of flight over the ocean (returning to originating airport, ditching to the ocean)? Please kindly explain.

Thank you very much for your time,

Steve

Hi Steve,

In my earlier FAQs concerning a similar topic, I have mentioned that there is nothing to worry about.   The Boeing 777 has been certified to fly on one engine for more than three hours.  In the beginning, when 2-engined  commercial airplanes were introduced, most of them were restricted to fly not more than one hour away from an emergency airport.  

Today with very reliable engines, the Boeing 777 has been approved by the FAA (Federal Aviation Agency) to fly across the Pacific Ocean provided they are within 3 hours away from any suitable airports.  Since Honolulu is only 5 hours flight from San Francisco, assuming that there are no suitable airports or islands between them, at mid-point, a Boeing 777 is never more than two and a half hours away to return to the original, or proceed to the destination airport  for a safe landing during an emergency.

Regards,

Capt Kay.

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12.   Whether the Boeing 777 is affected by the recent fuel pumps problems?

Dear Capt Lim,

Recently Boeing announced that about 3,000 of its planes had fuel pump problems and that it had instructed all the relevant airlines to have the pumps replaced. 

Is the Boeing 777 among those planes which have been identified with the fuel pump problems ?

Would be grateful for your clarification on the above query.

Best regards,

R. A. Rashid

Hi Rashid,

The Boeing 777's are not among those airplanes which have been experiencing fuel pumps problems..  The aircraft involved are Boeing 737, 747 and 757s and it is thought a total of 1800 planes are affected. Around
1400 of the aircraft are operated by the US Airlines.

Regards,

KH Lim.

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13.  Has any Boeing 777 ever crashed? 

If so, was it military or commercial? Was the plane itself at fault?

I anticipate riding one for the first time in December and I am actually looking forward to it! (this is not normal for me when it comes to commercial flight. But really..... this is the 777 we're talking about here....I've heard of them through the AFA (Air Force Association) and it sounds like it will be an experience to remember....)

I am also curious to know whether or not it's still the largest (commercial) airplane currently in use? If not, what is?

Thanks for listening!
Donna W.

Hi Donna,

 

The answer to your similar question is found in my Website FAQs in http://www.geocities.com/khlim777_my/asmorefaqs.htm#Boeing 777 - crash statistics and fragility of windows. Anyway, as far as I know, no Boeing 777 has ever crashed since it was first produced and I hope it will remain so,

 

The Boeing 777 is not the largest commercial airplane currently in use.  The largest is the Boeing 747 in terms of capacity but the Boeing 777-300 is longer in length.  Soon, the Airbus 380 would be larger than the Boeing 747.

 

Regards,

 

KH Lim

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Is this information sufficient for your knowledge?