[Flight Deck | Flight Deck Innovations | Fly By Wire System]

Flight Deck Innovations:

The principal flight, navigation and engine information for the new Boeing 777 is presented on six large display screens (seen below). Although the new display screens on the new Boeing 777 resemble those present on previous airplanes, these displays are no longer conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) screens. Instead, these screens have been designed with advanced liquid-crystal display technology, which provides many benefits. These screens not only require less space because their depth is almost half that of the CRTs, they are lighter and require less power. As a result, these screens generate less heat, which means the heavy, complex air conditioning apparatuses needed to cool equipment on current flight decks are no longer needed. In addition, the readability has been greatly improved in all conditions, even direct sunlight.

Installed in the center console of the flight deck are three multipurpose control display units (CDUs) which provide data display and entry capabilities for flight management functions (shown below). This system gives pilots a primary interface with an integrated Airplane Information Management System (AIMS) which provides flight and maintenance crews all the pertinent information concerning the overall condition of the airplane, its maintenance requirements, and its key operating functions, including flight, thrust and communications management. In response to market preferences Boeing 777 designers have added color coding to this system which allows pilots to assimilate the information more quickly.

As a result of their innovative flight deck design, the Boeing 777 received accolades from the Industrial Designers Society of America in 1993. For the second year in a row, the 777 also recieved the society's Industrial Design Excellence Award for its flight deck design.

Flight Deck Instruments:

These are some of the numerous tools pilots use when flying a Boeing 777 airplane.

Flight Deck Tour:

Click on this picture to take a tour of a real Boeing 777 Flight Deck!