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DreamFleet Flies The Legend
By Louis J. Betti
 I was always fond of TWA's "twin globe" paint scheme, and like the 707, it remains a favorite. |
recall many a morning waking up from a light sleep, and raising the
window shade to gaze out upon a gray wing, studded with twin rows of
vortex generators, while below, the French Alps slipped beneath us.
My ears were filled with the loud roar of JT-3D power, and if I
pressed my face to the window, and turned my head at a somewhat
unnatural angle, I could just make out the start of the vapor trails
behind the horizontal stabilizer.It was the 1960's, and my family and I were on our way to Milan, Italy, for our month-long Italian holiday; my father's annual ritual, and one that I could hardly complain about!
We'd touch down at what was then a relatively sparse and simple Malpensa airport, exit the aircraft on the open tarmack, and walk into the terminal. Despite my tired state, and the burden of my carry on bags, I would always turn around to look at the thoroughbred that had transported us in comfort through a dark and frigid night, in the rarefied air over the north Atlantic.
There were no jet ways to block the view; just turn around, and there she was in all her glory. In my opinion, the most beautiful jet airliner ever built, and one of the most beautiful aircraft of all time. Like the trans-Atlantic ocean liners she replaced, she became a conveyance for presidents, kings, and ordinary people like my family and I. As an American built "ship" she could perhaps truly lay claim to being our first "plane of state" in the jet age. An instant legend on the day she entered service, she remains one to this day. Perhaps more so than any other aircraft designation, no three numbers contain the "magic" within them, as do the numbers 707.
Many years have passed since those flights to Italy, and I dare say that most, if not all, of those trusty TWA 707s that we flew on are now nothing more than abandoned hulks in a western desert. While 707s still fly today, they have become a rare sight. Unless you are in the
 The night before: We were out late, at the hotel's "JU-52" bar, where our first meal in Germany turned out to be pizza! |
As part of DreamFleet's design work, we always fly whatever aircraft we are planning to design, and in the case of jet airliners, this means renting a simulator of the real thing.
During my recent DreamFleet business trip to Germany, where I was conducting research, and obtaining additional photographs for our next project, the opportunity presented itself to fly Lufthansa's 707 simulator. It should be no surprise that DreamFleet plans to model the 707 some day, so we might as well be efficient, "kill two birds with one stone", and fly the 707 simulator and get the photographs that we need.
Lufthansa's 707 simulator is located in their training facility, at Frankfurt-Main Airport, and along with their other simulators is used by their "ProFlight" division, which provides such simulator sessions for non-training, or entertainment purposes.
Lufthansa's facilities at their Frankfurt-Main hub are extensive, and include executive, training, technical (maintenance) and pre-flight facilities for their departing flights. Aside from flight simulators, there are large cabin simulators used to train the flight attendants and, yes, they have motion also, and can simulate up to several Gs of impact forces.
We arrived at Lufthansa's reception building for check in and security clearance on a Friday morning. Along for the flight was Tom Main, from Flight One Software, with Hans Hartmann, Marcel Felde, and myself, from DreamFleet. Tom and I were still tired from our trans-Atlantic flight the day before, and a late night out following it, but we were hopeful we would not fall asleep at the controls!
 Tom and I outside the Lufthansa reception building. That's my camera case that I am holding. |
We had over an hour for pre-flight briefing, during which time we familiarized ourselves with charts for the area, relevant speeds, and put together a basic plan for what we wanted to do during our two hour session in the "box". I had already reviewed my 707 manual before departing for Frankfurt.
We planned on 1.5 hours to fly the sim, and 30 minutes to photograph the cockpit. The flying would involve a takeoff from Frankfurt, with a short flight to Cologne, where we would shoot ILS approaches.
The simulator was manufactured by Rediffusion Simulation Ltd., and entered service in 1971. If you think the simulators for more modern aircraft, such as the 777, and A320 are huge, this simulator is a sight to behold!
Located in a massive 3-story room, all to itself, it featured more hydraulics and other mechanical paraphernalia than any two modern simulators put together. However, all of this would serve its purpose in providing a very realistic experience, with the only thing lacking being a complete 180-degree visual system. On this 707, the video is strictly on the two front windscreens, nothing more.
Over the years, 707s came in many different versions, with the last models often sporting cockpits and automation similar to the earlier versions of the 747. Even the autopilot was eventually moved up to the glare shield, replacing the four fire handles, a trademark of the 707. However, Lufthansa's 707 simulator, for the model 330C, is of the classic pre-1967 707 style. This cockpit is representative of the vast majority of 707s that were and are flying for the major airlines. In fact, after our simulator session, NATO had booked the
 In the briefing room with our instructor, Klaus, Tom tells a story from his KC-135 days. |
Stepping inside the simulator was like stepping into a time capsule. The instructor's station was huge; no touch screens or computer keyboards for the instructor, everything was large lighted buttons, a classic, just like the rest of the cockpit. We were in heaven!
Tom Main had spent several years in the Air Force, as a boom operator ("boomer") on KC-135s, and part of his training included flying the KC. While the 707 cockpit is somewhat different than that in the KC, Tom felt right at home as he slipped into the right seat, and he talked me through my oxygen mask check. Yes, even the oxygen mask blew simulated oxygen (ordinary air).
While not as expensive as the newer simulators, at $475 per hour one does not waste their time once in the box. Just getting seated, fastening your harness, and adjusting your seats can cost $12! It should come as no surprise that we dispensed with the engine start procedures, which alone contain some 20 check list items. Klaus pushed some buttons, and the engines were running, and we were on the ramp at Frankfurt-Main.
On the KC-135s that Tom flew on, the autopilot was located on the overhead panel, but on the 707, it is in the center stand, the "aft electronics panel", along with the radios.
"See, Tom, there's the autopilot, just where I told you it would be".
We both looked at the large black box, and that was the last we saw of it. We had no plans on using the autopilot, or the flight director, or anything that resembled automation. We wanted to fly the 707, not have it fly us!
To quote a paragraph in my 707 manual: "The integrated flight
 Hans and I review the charts for the flight, while both he and Klaus point out exactly where they don't want me to crash the plane, and that's on the runway at Cologne! |
It is readily apparent that in the days of the 707 it was the pilot's "brain" that was an essential computer used in the operation of the aircraft!
In all fairness, the 707 is not a 777. There's no FMC, no autobrake, no vertical speed hold, no EFIS, moving map, GPWS, TCAS, or anything of the kind. The autopilot has no readouts on it whatsoever, and trans-oceanic navigation, in later years, was accomplished using the two Litton INS units that were installed. There was also a sextant mounted in the ceiling.
The ASI has nothing more than a needle, a barber pole, and a single, manually adjustable speed bug. No digital readouts here.
If you want to "arm" the spoilers on the 707, you reach over with your "arm" and deploy them upon landing. While later models did have an auto throttle, this was not the norm, and with this 707, speed is controlled the old fashioned way, by pitch / power. TOGA? What's that? Our throttles had no buttons on them.
Does the 707 have autoland? Indeed, you must "automatically" land the plane yourself, manually, unless you want to make a big hole in the ground!
Yes, we did have some modern conveniences installed, such as an altitude alert unit; dial in your desired altitude, and it alerts you when within 700' of it. However, it is not coupled to the autopilot.
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