BOEING 767-400ER RECEIVES COMMON TYPE RATING FROM FAA

The Boeing 767-400ER (extended range) jetliner has received flight-crew qualification endorsement from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. This endorsement means that the 767-400ER shares the same type rating with existing 767-200 and 767-300 airplanes, and a common type rating with the 757-200 and 757-300.

Pilots qualified to fly the Boeing 767-200, 767-300, 757-200 and 757-300 are now qualified - with minimal instruction - to fly the Boeing 767-400ER. The Boeing 757 and 767 were the first, and still are, the only airplanes to share a common type rating. The common type rating is due, in part, to airplane systems that are designed such that a common set of flight crew operating procedures can be used.

Airlines that operate both the Boeing 757 and 767 have greater flexibility in assigning flight crews and adapting to changing markets. They also benefit from similar maintenance procedures, manuals and inspection requirements and reduced spares inventories. More than 26 airlines around the world operate both 757s and 767s.

The Boeing 767-400ER offers a new 777-style flight deck that makes the airplane easier to maintain and allows operators to tailor the flight-deck equipment to their training needs. The new instrument panel - which features six large liquid-crystal displays in the same arrangement as the Boeing 777 and Next-Generation 737 - consolidates 67 different flight deck parts to 20, simplifying maintenance and improving flight crew efficiency. Commonality of these flight decks can significantly reduce training requirements to transition pilots of other Boeing models to the 767-400ER.

Both Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines take delivery of their first Boeing 767-400ERs this month.