Originally Posted by
that_guy
Well, I got a lucky upgrade a few years back on the JFK-LHR route, and the FA asked me whether I would be interested in having a look at the cockpit, and indeed, I got a pilot's-eye view (777).
I was a bit surprised how many bells and whistles there are, and also that you kind of have to be careful to climb over the dials and levers to get out of the seat.
I was impressed by the interior, although admittedly isn't most of the flying done on autopilot?
The 777 cockpit is a little tight with 4 of us up there, but it's pretty easy to get in and out of the seats once you know how.
Most of the flying during cruise is done on autopilot, but that doesn't make it easier, it just eliminates the tedium. It's actually easier to hand fly the airplane for an approach and landing than to set up the autopilot to do it. And even when we do autoland, the autopilot does not manage the airspeed or control the flaps or landing gear.
My question is how many people know immediately which cockpit is shown in the picture?
And to confirm, it's perfectly fine to come into the cockpit, sit in the seat and take pictures, as long as the engines are shut down. It actually happens all the time. If the people don't have a camera with them, I'll take a picture and email it to them.