747 engine takeoff power

Gord,
Concerning the weight shift and CG movemnt to get better cruise economy. The
MD-11 has that capability and is used operationaly at Fedex. There have been
some problems with the system. The MD is the most unsafe modern transport
catagory aircraft in history.
We had one make a hard landing and we learned after the crash that the wing is
designed to fail before the landing gear does resulting in the wing coming off
and the plane coming to rest upside down.
There have been some problems with the fly by wire lag in the flight controls
that resulted in PIO during the landing. I don't know anything more about the
specifics on these problms but I guess I will learn when I transition to the
Mad Dog in a few years.
Sparky