United 777-200

Flight Journal, Oct 2002 by Farmer, James H

United 777-200

Available from Just Planes Videos, (617) 539-3226; www.worldairroutes.com. DVD; $25.

Just Planes Videos offers some 20 titles in its remarkable World Air Routes series. The subject of this review is titled simply "United 777-200," and it follows United flight 928 from Chicago's O'Hare to London's Heathrow Airport. For an old transatlantic passenger such as me, this two-- hour DVD is a thoroughly enjoyable revelation as it explores the behind-the-- scenes procedures performed by the United staff during a deceptively routine overseas trek. At one point, as the flight-deck crew charts out its over-water route, the issues of extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) and the closest alternate emergency landing sites are passed over quickly. It is an interesting moment because back in 1995, Boeing heavily lobbied the FAA to gain permission to operate its new twin-engine 777 over ocean bodies beyond traditional limits. In the end, the proven reliability of the 777's new engines-- and indeed, the reliability of the new Boeing jetliner itself-has since won the day many times over!

The viewer is greeted from the opening moments of the video by the flight's senior captain, Craig Eldridge, who leads us through the preflight preparations at United's flight-- operations facilities, the preflight walk-- around and cockpit checks. Here it would have been instructive for Eldridge to have mentioned, if only in passing, the key role United actually played in the development of the truly remarkable 777.

Once airborne and comfortably into the flight, Eldridge takes the viewer through a thorough and generally informative survey of the 777's computerized flight systems. Day turns to night as navigation checks and United dispatches continue to feed into the cockpit; then, night gives way to dawn over London. We look over the pilot's shoulder on final approach into Heathrow and during the taxi trip to the ramp. By the time the viewer has been returned to the United States, some two hours later, the feeling of having endured a trip of some significance is

unavoidable-richer still by the one-on-one time we've been privileged to share with the consummately professional crew.

The downside: the video and audio presentations at times fall off the radar screen. This is particularly true when the copilot performs the preflight walk-around. The second officer's running narrative is often lost in the flight ramp's background noise, and his visual points of interest on the aircraft's exterior are too often lost in shadow. There are similar visual issues in the cockpit, when the exterior light streams through the flight-deck windows and renders the various subject control panels indistinguishable.

Despite the occasional humps in the road, Just Planes Videos' DVD of "United 777-200" is a rare, thoroughly rewarding trip that is not to be missed!