Thanks bjones4. That photo is very obviously a -400 (unless they are keeping the mechanical standbys for the -8
).
More interestingly though, is the caption and the article:
The 747-8's flightdeck will be almost identical to the -400's
So they're obviously not planning any major physical upgrades:
The 747-8 flightdeck will be virtually indistinguishable from that of the -400 on the surface, says Townsend. "The key consideration was to make this have a common pilot rating with today's 747. There are 10,000 pilots currently certified to fly the 747, and yet at the same time we are creating an aircraft with similar capabilities to the 787," she adds.
The -8 will therefore retain the DU-7001 display system, but it will be upgraded to include advanced features found on the Boeing 777 such as an electronic checklist with cursor control panel, navigation performance scales and vertical situation displays. Similarly, GPS landing system capability will be added to the autopilot and navigation systems. The aircraft will also feature the latest derivative of the same WXR-2100 MultiScan radar that will be common to the 787 and which has been developed to provide clutter-free weather detection out to over 590km (320nm).
I'll be interested to see how they fit the vertical sit display onto the DU7001 PFD screen... (if indeed it is going on the PFD).
Martin