This article was written for USA Today by an Amercian B777 captain, currently flying for United Airlines. The author, Meryl Getline, has over 30 years aviation experience, including having been a DC-10 captain for several years as well. She is also married to a United Airlines B747-400 captain.
Basically, Ms. Getline agrees in full with the FAA's initial ruling for a variety or reasons. Makes an interesting read and no doubt will spark more debate here, but oh well.
If nothing else, this article illustrates a different perspective on B747 capability and performance.
Here is the link for the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/colum...-captain_x.htm