747 V1 Cut Advice
Hi,
This is a bit embarrassing, but I am in the process of being trained on the 747-400 and find myself struggling a bit on V1 cuts.
Does anyone have any tips on how to handle the airplane, or more specifically the simulator, during this maneuver? It is my company's practice to always do the V1 cuts at 500 feet RVR with a 15 knot direct crosswind and 300,000 kilograms gross weight. It's always the upwind engine that will be failed in a "seizing" manner (not a gradual spooldown), so at least it's predictable.
I find that the trouble comes not in maintaining runway centerline immediately after the engine failure, but in that period of time immediately after rotation during which you can no longer see the runway, yet are still on the ground. Obviously an immediate transition to instruments is necessary upon rotation. However, I too often find myself in an uncoordinated condition and not tracking runway centerline properly after rotation. With that said, my V1 cuts are survivable, just not up to standard. I have attempted about 6 so far and only 2 have been done well.
Perhaps I need to rotate the airplane more quickly. The plane almost seems to need a "double flare" due to decreasing pitch response once 5-7 degrees is reached. This can lead to extended time in the aforementioned zone where the runway is not visible, yet the airplane is still on the ground.
I am transitioning from a small jet airplane with fuselage mounted engines. Needless to say, the difference in engine out handling is quite drastic.
I look forward to the responses.