I recently purchased the B777 as I am training on the actual airplane. Here are a few questions I would like to ask.
1. What is the best view mode for flying the airplane whereby you have access to the MCP, and to be able to see the PFD, ND well enough for some hand flying (along with auto flight), along with the Upper Center Display and easy access to the CDU.
2. The Overhead is very dark in the day time. I have turned on the storm lite, and Master Brightness etc all the way up.
3. I can't seem to start the engines. Have tried both auto start and manual. I get rotation, but no light off. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Any other types on flying this airplane would be helpful as I intend to use it as a training device for my Type Rating which I'll be getting in about a month.
Thank you.
David

Hi David.

1. What is the best view mode for flying the airplane whereby you have access to the MCP, and to be able to see the PFD, ND well enough for some hand flying (along with auto flight), along with the Upper Center Display and easy access to the CDU.
There isn't really a single position that will give you a view where you see all those things AND to be looking forward through the window. I resized some of the 2D gauges (DSP, EFIS, CDU, MCP and RADIO STACK) so they don't fill up the scereen when open. So what I do is have the SimIcon 2D Panel open, then I select the items I need to view, when I need to view them, then close them again.

2. The Overhead is very dark in the day time. I have turned on the storm lite, and Master Brightness etc all the way up.
Mine is fine during the day. It is only hard to see during the transition from day to night and night to day, so I'm not sure why yours would be hard to see during the day.

3. I can't seem to start the engines. Have tried both auto start and manual. I get rotation, but no light off. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Press CTRL+SHIFT+F4 (the default Mixture (full rich) keyboard command).
OR.
On your default flight for FSX, make sure that the mixture lever(s) is set to 100%.
Either of those should enable the engine to start.

Thanks Mark. The start solution worked. Just haven't found in my training materials the mixture control. Do you know where the carb heat is located? ;)

Do you know how to select TOGA?

The autothrottle doesn't seem to actual control speed, and on take off it never went to climb mode. Is that function not working?

It seems like a pretty good product. I am used to flying another company 767-300. I'm sure the plane will improve with time. Thanks for your help.
Regards,
David

Do you know where the carb heat is located?
There are no Carb Heaters in the 777. If you look above the NAV, Beacon, Logo & Wing light switches, there are three ANTI ICE switches with the positions of OFF/AUTO/ON, having these on AUTO or ON, they would normally work, but do not. Therefore, using the SHIFT+H combo is the only way to prevent the pitot tubes from freezing up, which causes (1) the speed indicator to drop, (2) the A/T to push the throttles fully forward, and (3) the actually speed to increase way beyond the VNE (Never Exceed speed).

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv58/Markoz958/CS777_ANTI_ICE_Switches_zps5dcfda4a.jpg~original
The Anti Ice Switches in the red box, the NAV, Beacon, Logo and Wing light switches in the yellow box.

Do you know how to select TOGA?
Pressing CTRL+SHIFT+G. Or. Click on the circled area of the throttle quadrant in this image:

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv58/Markoz958/CS777_TOGA_Switches_zps533f83ca.jpg~original
In the larger view, I have put red boxes around the TOGA Switches.
In the smaller view, I have placed an arrow on the area to click on and activate TOGA when you turn the view in the VC so you are looking at the throttle quadrant.
It's fairly easy to find if you have Cockpit Tooltips turned on

The autothrottle doesn't seem to actual control speed, and on take off it never went to climb mode. Is that function not working?
It works for me.

Are you programming the FMC? On the TAKEOFF page, are selecting the V1, VR & V2 speeds?

It seems like a pretty good product. I am used to flying other 767-300. I'm sure the plane will improve with time.
Update v1.2 will, hopefully, be released soon. That should improve it some more. ;)

Thanks for your help.
You're welcome. ;D

David,

Boeing switched the position of the Go Around switch on the 777.

Either button will send the plane into G/A
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8651/777ga.png

Same with the 767/757, either paddle will send the plane into G/A
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1686/757767ga.png

As for the brightness of the overhead panel.... I tried all different combinations of day, dusk, night and various settings for the lights and I find the panel is very easy to see and read. I don't use a computer monitor, instead I use a wide screen LCD T.V. and it does a fine job on the view.

Mark's suggestion about using the SimIcons is a good one. I usually just select the sub-panel I want and re-size it and put it some where out of the way.

You say you are being trained on the 777? Which operator? If you do get the rating you could be the 777 expert soon!  8-)

Lou

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Thank you both for the response. To answer Lou's question, I'm with Omni Air. We are a ACMI US based company with 2 777-200ER's.

Regards,
David