Boofhead, I doubt there is any pilot in this country who knows more about the 744 than CJ. He did my groundschool last year, truly encyclopaedic! And because something isn't stated in the manuals doesn't necessarily mean it should or shouldn't be done. The manuals were written with lawyers sitting on the authors shoulder - a quick read of the Boeing disclaimer in the leading pages stating to the effect that it is assumed the pilot of a Boeing is expected to have a sound level of knowledge and skill and use his judgement accordingly tells you that.
My company's last 5 744s delivered have a 'Max Land Weight' selection on the dump selector. No maths involved - a brilliant idea.
As for the manuals being scetchy, a good example of this is the omission of the fact the VHF radios can have the squelch facility overidden by pressing down and holding the select switch on the relevant RTP - useful in areas of weak VHF transmissions.
. .Dan W. A member of the Cornish Jack fan club <img src="smile.gif" border="0">