777 and 787 Response Comparison
Jumpjim - thanks for sharing your 777 experiences. I have heard many pilots speak highly of TAC. I think the major short-coming of that system on the 777 is its availability. Because it is based on engine data to compute left and right thrust estimates, it is somewhat vulnerable to an engine failure that takes out the associated sensors. Just when TAC is most needed, it may not be available. For that reason 777 pilots must go through engine out training without TAC just in case. On the 787 the equivalent of TAC is provided without such heavy reliance on engine data such that it is no longer necessary to train for an engine-out during takoff without the ITAC (inertial sensor based TAC).
As SLF it is music to my ears that with the 777 you have found an airplane that is a pleasure to fly manually and thus you do so often. The additional and ongoing exposure to manual flying that you are providing yourself has to translate into you being better prepared in the event that you are forced to get in the loop some day. When you hand fly, do you go with manual throttles as well, or do you tend to use the autothrottles while manually controlling the flight path?
We will all be interested to hear your comments comparing the 777 and 787. The designer's intent is that you will have a hard time telling the difference with regard to handling qualities (particually in pitch - roll and yaw should be more consistent on 787 vs. 777).