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Back in the days when you could go into the cockpit for a chat, the pilots turned the engines of our 747 off (well, idle) over the middle of the Atlantic to sho
by ChoHag 3y ago
Back in the days when you could go into the cockpit for a chat, the pilots turned the engines of our 747 off (well, idle) over the middle of the Atlantic to show my brother and I how the autopilot worked.
- hn8305823 3y ago747's have an interesting feature called "drive disconnect", which mechanically disconnects the engine accessories like electrical generators and hydraulic pumps. If you're APU isn't running and you hit the disconnect on all four engines you have no electrical or hydraulic power and there is no way to fix it in the air! https://www.angelfire.com/ct3/ctenning/electrical_essays/747dash400elec/747dash400elec.html https://www.angelfire.com/ct3/ctenning/electrical_essays/747... > The pilots control module for the electrical power generation system is in the pilots overhead panel (P5, Figure 3). There are four drive disconnect switches at the bottom of the module. These are guarded switches. Lifting the guard and pressing the switch will cause the IDG shaft to mechanically disconnect from the engine gearbox. This would only be done in the event of an overheated IDG or low IDG oil pressure. Once disconnected, the IDG cannot be reconnected in flight.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 3y agoYou can't get the IDG's back but couldn't you still start the APU using battery power? Also, the disconnect seems to be only for the IDG's, wouldn't that still leave you with bleed air and hydraulics?
- hn8305823 3y agoAlso a quirk of the 747: you cannot start the APU in flight!