Flying a modified 747SP with a large telescope sticking out the back!

08-01-2016 11:37AM #1

This maybe of interested to some of you. It two Omega Tau podcast covering the conversion and flying of SOFIA, which is a NASA owned Boeing 747SP modified to carry a 2.7m infrared telescope in the back of the fuselage.

Lots of technical details and talking to the pilots, one of whom used to fly NASAs Shuttle carrying 747. Some of part one covers the telescope, but most of the rest is about the aircraft and flight procedures etc.

http://omegataupodcast.net/2015/11/189-sofia-part-1-basics/
http://omegataupodcast.net/2015/12/190-sofia-part-2-the-flights/

smurfjed · 08-01-2016 11:52AM

Nice to see that they upgraded the avionics to a glass cockpit

:)

08-01-2016 12:18PM

During the podcast he asked several people about the glass cockpit upgrade and never seems to get a clear answer about why it was done. At a number of points the project was running out of money, but it appears to be a NASA/Civil Service attitude of 'We now have a budget, we must spend it'. It is a totally custom install (two years ago?) just for them. So not a cheap upgrade.

smurfjed · 08-01-2016 01:54PM

It is a totally custom install (two years ago?) just for them. So not a cheap upgrade.

There are a number of -SP's with either semi or full glass cockpit so the STC exists and therefore it most likely wasn't a custom install.

08-01-2016 04:52PM

I think it is one of the pilots who says is custom and they are the only one. They also say that any pilot rated to fly a 747 can fly her, so I assume if it is custom it is not too different from a normal one.

smurfjed · 08-01-2016 06:58PM

Its not the only one as I can tell you of 3 more, the 747 is a common type rating for all 747 Classic aircraft, so once rated a pilot could fly the SP/100/200/300 but not the 400/-8
However, depending on their local FAA office, and because there is no simulator available to represent that cockpit, the crew would have to do special training and quite likely get restricted to only flying that model of 747 Classic.

Flying a modified 747SP with a large telescope sticking out the back!

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