MSFS 2024 · Airliner

PMDG 747-400 Startup Checklist

PMDG 747-400 Startup Notes

Unlike the 777, the 747-400 has no autostart, so all four engines are on you. Get both APU generators connected, enter your position and give the IRS units the roughly ten minutes they need to align, and configure the fuel pumps for your load. For each start, pull the start switch, let N2 rise to maximum motoring, then move the fuel control switch to RUN while watching EGT. The airplane has enough duct pressure to spin two starters, so starting in pairs is normal.

Most botched starts come from rushing the fuel. Introducing fuel at low N2 gives a hot, slow start, and with four engines you get four chances to do it wrong. Leaving the packs running starves the starters of bleed air, so check duct pressure before pulling the switch. Electrical setup catches people too: the APU drives two generators and both need to be connected, and an IRS alignment skipped or entered with the wrong position will ruin the flight before taxi.

Common mistakes

  • Introducing fuel before N2 reaches maximum motoring speed
  • Connecting only one of the two APU generators
  • Leaving packs on and starving the starters of duct pressure

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