Given to fly

Given to fly: "

A great flight with no jet lag. That’s the way one of our pilots described the experience of flying a 787 Dreamliner full-flight simulator.

Now, our customers have begun to experience this for themselves. This week Boeing Flight Services welcomed the first pilots from launch customer ANA to our Seattle training campus to begin official flight training.

Capt. Masayuki Ishii and Capt. Hideaki Hayakawa from ANA prepare for a training session in the 787 full-flight simulator in Seattle.

Ten pilots from ANA began classroom instructions in Tokyo earlier this month before traveling to Seattle for initial flight training on a variety of training devices that you might say are as innovative as the Dreamliner itself.

For 787 flight training we’ve introduced a suite of high-fidelity devices at a global network of training campuses in five countries and three continents. These devices are designed to replicate the actual airplane as closely as possible.

The training begins with what we call desktop or computer-based simulation for initial familiarization with the 787 flight deck environment. Then, pilots move to a flight training device (FTD) which provides flight crews with the same flight management and control systems as the full-flight simulator and helps pilots develop proficiency in all normal procedures as well as familiarity with a number of other basic processes and features of the 787 flight deck.

By the way, these new computer-based technologies make for a virtually paperless training course and also reduce electrical consumption, meaning a more environmentally progressive footprint.

ANA captains posing outside the full-flight simulator with Sherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing Flight Services and Mike Fleming, director, 787 Services and Support.

Finally, pilots move on to the full flight simulator - the ultimate ride - and next best thing to being in an actual Dreamliner. Boeing has installed 8 full-flight simulators at 5 campuses around the world. The initial ANA pilots will train on the two 787 simulators in Seattle. These devices are technological marvels with the capacity to go up-down, left-right and forward-back with day, night and dusk visuals.

Inside a full-flight simulator in Seattle.

In other words, the realism is such that once inside, with full motion on, everything looks, feels, and even sounds as if you are in flight on a 787. Yes, seat belts are required!

To experience what it’s like to sit in a 787 cockpit, check out this video.

Seeing the ANA pilots in Seattle with training underway is a great thrill and a great milestone as we get closer to first delivery to ANA later this year. These pilots and the 787s are indeed given to fly.

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