Here's a cool flash thing that shows a panoramic view of the cockpit of an Airbus 380 and all the instrument panels. It's pretty cool - smaller than I would have expected and simpler - but I guess they rely on computers a lot more heavily now so can fit more stuff into less instrument panels?

(egads, flash actually useful for something)

i love the switches on the roof
so that chewie can make the jump to hyperspace

f*** that looks cool

Looks good.

Too bad we don't get to see the view from the sky these days.

I bet that's easy to fly.

Psssssssssst.

i bet most of those buttons dont even do anything. they are there just for show.

which one turns on the stereo?

The laptop is obviously used for making macros that fly the plane.

They get pretty huge side windows in that cockpit... must make flying on a sunday nice and chillax :P

Cup holders!

The cockpit is supposed to resemble (if not more simplistic than) the usual 747 so that there isn't much new stuff pilots have to learn to fly it. The first pilots to fly it said they were surprised how much like a 747 it was while flying it.

Pretty crazy amount of switches :p
Compare flying one of those auto-pilot things to a helicopter though. Would be a walk in the park almost :)

freakin sweet

where are pilot's controls?

i see the joy stick on either side but i don't think that is it. it would require you to use different hands to control the plane depending on where you sit.

terrorists take note

Not as sweet as ya mum's cockpit.

ara: That's the controls, all the new Airbus have the joystick style.

At about head level 90 degrees to the co-pilot's right and the pilot's left there is....................... "escape rope"?
O.O

the 747 is made by boeing, the standardisation of the cockpit is to make it the same as all the other flying buses i think the a340 etc?

haha what kappa said :p

also that's a f***ing lot of controls, a bird at my work, her bloke is training at the moment to be a pilot in flying 747's etc, said it's mental the amount of switches/controls etc and they need to know every single one! (you'd hope so I guess :p)

its massive. well im use to seeing 737 cockpits and they are tiny. i dont think they need to look out the windows much. the side windows are big because they open up. engineers sit on them to clean the windscreen and when they are on the ground they pass up stuff to the captain thru there. i have no idea really thats all i see them do at work.

That's cool how pilots are given Ataris to play while flying.