Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight deck

The long-awaited Boeing 787 Dreamliner debuts today. If you've been wondering what the flight deck will be like, Boeing tells us that it will be very similar to the Boeing 777 -- at least from an operational standpoint.

...Pilots who fly the 777 will need only five days of training to be ready to fly the 787. Airlines that use "mixed fleet flying," scheduling pilots to fly more than one kind of airplane, will find that the 777 and 787 are effectively configured for such operations.

But "similar" doesn't mean "identical." Check out these features:

The new flight deck features much larger display screens than previously seen in airplanes. The five 12-by-9.1-inch screens offer 546 square inches of display space -- twice that of the Boeing 777 -- allowing pilots access to more information.

Other key features of the new 787 flight deck are the dual head-up displays (HUDs) and dual electronic flight bag. Boeing has offered HUDs and electronic flight bags on other models but with the 787 they are standard features. HUDs display information on clear screens mounted at eye level so the pilots can see flight data while looking out the windows. Electronic flight bags are the digital equivalent of the pilot's flight bag and include maps, charts, manuals and other data.

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The 787 offers new information formats including an airport moving map for safer ground taxi operations and a vertical situation display to give a graphic rendering of approaching terrain profiles.

(And how about those space-age looking seatbacks??)

If you'd like a print of the photo of the B787 Dreamliner flight deck above, you can order one from Boeing -- but you'll have to wait a bit for delivery since it's temporarily out of stock.

Meanwhile, here's another article about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight deck, with a close-up photo to look at.

[Photo Source]