Gallery: Tour the Cockpit of ANA's Boeing 787 Dreamliner
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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is officially in service. All Nippon Airways carried its first load of paying passengers on a special flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong on Wednesday. There was plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding the flight, and the passengers — including some who paid many thousands of dollars to be on the first flight — were all enthusiastic about flying on the composite airliner. As much fun as it might be to ride in the back of the new Dreamliner, we thought it would be more fun to look up front for a detailed look at where the pilots sit. So here is the tour of the newest airline cockpit around. The photos were taken in one of the two 787 Dreamliners delivered to All Nippon Airways this month. The Japanese airline expects to have seven by the end of the year. Everything in the cockpit seen above is part of the normal 787 airplane except the small panel on top of the glare shield which is used during flight testing.
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Like all Boeing airliners, a yoke is front and center for both the captain in left seat and the first officer in right seat. The control column contrasts to Airbus which uses a small side stick located on the left armrest for the captain and right armrest for the first officer. One of the big goals in developing the 787 from the perspective of the pilots was to create a familiar cockpit for those who currently fly Boeing airplanes. An airline pilot flying the 777 can be [transitioned](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2011/09/787-flight-training/?pid=1318) to the 787 in just a few days. The two large switches on the top of the left side of the yoke are the horizontal stabilizer trim switches. Pushing the buttons up or down causes the horizontal part of the tail to be changed in very small increments and is used during climb and descent to reduce the force needed on the control column. Other buttons include the autopilot disconnect and a push-to-talk button used to communicate on the radio.
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The center console between the pilots is dominated by the power levers near the top of the photo. The two white, round handles are at the top of the levers that control the power of the engines. Though with autothrottles, it is possible to perform most of the flight without actually physically moving the levers. Just in front of the power levers are the thrust reverse levers that are used to help slow down the 787 after landing by redirecting the thrust out the back of the engines forward. To the left of the levers is another large handle for the speed brakes, also used during descent and landing. Most of the buttons and screens on the center panel are related to navigation and communication. The large glass panel display in front of the power levers can be used to display just about anything related to the flight — as can the other four large displays — but the center display is most often going to have systems information and communication information displayed. The smaller screens display radio frequencies or satellite phone information or text messages. Most of the buttons are related to programming the communication inputs or simply choosing the communication or navigation information.
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Other important items located with the power levers include the flap lever on the right (usually controlled by the first officer), fuel switches in the center and the stabilizer cutout switches on the left. The flap lever controls the large movable surfaces on the inboard trailing edge of the wings. The flaps are moved part way down before takeoff to add to the lift generated by the wing, and partially to all the way down (30 degrees at 170 knots or slower) during landing to add drag and help slow the down airplane. When the first officer moves this lever, passengers often hear the sound of an electric motor as the flaps are lowered on the wing. The large fuel control switches located in the middle are used when an engine must be shut down after a flight is over or during an in-flight emergency. This might occur if there is a fire or if an engine is malfunctioning and the captain wants to prevent any further damage. The switch is pulled out and simply moved to the cutoff position and the engine is [shut down](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2011/09/787-flight-training/?pid=1313) as we discovered during our visit to the 787 simulator. The switches on the left protected by the red guards cut the trim power to the horizontal stabilizers. This is typically only used during a 'runaway trim' situation. Normally when the pilot moves the trim switches on the yoke, it is only done in small increments. If the switch or some part of the trim system were to fail, the stabilizer could continue moving without the pilot input. This could be particularly dangerous during take off and lead to the airplane entering a very steep climb and most likely an even more steep descent would follow. If the pilots detect a runaway trim situation they simply lift the red guards and flip the switch(es) from normal to cutout and the stabilizer will be disconnected from the trim power source.
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In addition to the numerous buttons that can be used to input information into the glass panel display, pilots also have a track pad to navigate the screen.
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A closer look at the power levers in charge of the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines on the ANA 787.
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At the bottom of the photo, which shows the area to the left of the left seat, is a small storage area with a simple clip to hold paper on top of the access door. A small side table can also be unfolded. The black, triangle-shaped handle is the tiller which is used to steer the airplane on the ground at slower speeds. Most smaller airplanes are steered on the ground using rudder pedals, but larger jets typically have a tiller that is used until takeoff. The screen next to the tiller is the display for the electronic flight bag that displays charts and information such as takeoff weights and speeds.
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The 787 comes standard with dual heads up displays. Here the HUD is seen in the stowed position. When the HUD is used it is moved down and is in the pilot's line of vision. All of the important flight information [is projected](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/2011/09/787-flight-training/?pid=1310) on the glass screen and pilots can read the information while continuing to look outside the cockpit.
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This photo taken from the floor, looking straight up to the overhead panel, shows both HUDs and the myriad of switches and knobs on the overhead panel. Switches lower — toward the front of the cockpit — include controls for the lights, alerts for passengers ('ding,' please fasten seatbelts) and even the windshield wipers. Toward the middle and back of the overhead panel the switches and buttons control everything from electrical, hydraulic and fuel systems, as well as cargo and passenger cabin temperatures and even the on/off switch for the primary flight computers. At the bottom of the picture is a simple, old-fashioned, liquid-filled compass.
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Icing is always a big problem for airplanes. Ice on the wings, engines or sensors has caused many accidents over the years. These switches can get frequent use any time a 787 flies through the clouds.
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The 787 Dreamliner has been touted as one of the most technologically advanced airplanes ever made. But when it comes time to get out of the cockpit in an emergency, it might simply come down to putting on the gloves and breaking your way out with the axe. The axe and fire extinguisher are located directly behind the left seat, in case you've been called to the cockpit to land the airplane and want to know.
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Another rather simple part of the cockpit of the 787 is the rudder pedals. Not a whole lot of fancy technology here. Just simple pedals. Though they are connected to the fly-by-wire system so your feet are really just telling the computer that you would like to move the rudder.
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The autopilot controls are located on the glare shield panel above the glass panel displays. The knob in the middle selects which system will be active for input from the pilot. The 'A/T' switches are for arming the autothrottles, the 'F/D' for the flight director and the small display shows the pilot has selected a speed of 136 knots (indicated air speed).
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More of the autopilot control panel and proof that even test pilots need a simple reminder of what airplane they are flying when talking on the radio. These photos were taken when this ANA 787 was still undergoing production flight tests last month.
