AirRabbit
Intruder, not to pick on your 747 sim session, but there are two issues that jump out at me. First, you sound like you’re a pretty good-sized chap and therefore probably able to “man-handle” (is there such a word as “foot-handle?”) the brakes and the rudder without too much trouble. Unfortunately, many of us are, shall I say, physically challenged in the height (and maybe not so challenged in the weight – I remember that I do have toes; saw them in the mirror just last week) department – but you know what I mean. Second, in your practice session, I would presume (yes, I know what happens when I do that, but…what the heck) that you were probably not at a runway/gross weight/pressure altitude that put you in a balanced field circumstance, and with a V1 speed of 149, rejecting at 120+ is attention getting – but not riveting. Jack up the weight, use a shorter runway, run up the temperature, and have the world disintegrate at V1 – 2 knots. Throw a reasonable crosswind in from the failed engine side and remove the “I’m-only-in-the-simulator” comfort factor and it just may be that you, too, would become a believer.
I know that my rantings are likely not going to change a career’s worth of habit patterns, but I honestly don’t know why anyone would presume that if you put your entire foot on the rudder pedal that you would be any more prone to mis-apply the brakes when making a rudder pedal input, than you would be to bank when pulling back on the yoke to rotate. You learn to not do that.
AR:
I'm 6' and 175 -- probably fleet average. My left foot is an honest 11, but the right is at least a half size smaller...
I failed to mention that the wind was 90 deg adverse at 20 knots in the sim; "they" ALWAYS do that! FWIW, I've "landed" the sim in 50 kt crosswinds just to see what it would look like (VERY extreme in the 747!). I saw 40 for real in the 744 a few years ago going into Prestwick. The Check Airman in the left seat let me fly it -- very exciting!
As for the height-challenged, they only need to move back the rudder pedals and/or move up the seat. My colleagues run the gamut of seat height and leg length...
I'm sure we could discuss the V1-2 kt situation ad nauseum, especially if the reversers failed as well. I suppose the individual technique depends as much on the Pilot's prior experience as well as his current airplane (recognizing that SOME habits must be unlearned). But for me, after gliders and taildraggers with heel brakes and aircraft-carrier-based jets and a few others, the heels-on-deck method works for me. Since some airplanes demanded it and none prohibited it, it became my habit. For others, the "cocked and locked" pose with toes ready to attack the brake pedals may work as well.
OTOH, I've seen blown tires on the catapult as well as on the trap from those who tried the heels-up pose on the boat...