A B777 IS SLOW TO CLIMB WHILE FLYING IN AUTOMATIC MODE.

Narrative

WHILE BEING VECTORED AROUND TSTMS IN THE NEWARK AREA AT 6000 FT WE WERE TOLD TO CLB TO 7000 FT. I WAS FLYING A B777 WITH AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLE ENGAGED. I PUSHED THE ALT BUTTON AFTER THE FO HAD PUT 7000 FT IN THE WINDOW AND ACKNOWLEDGED CLRNC TO 7000 FT TO GAR A TSTM. WE DID NOT BEGIN TO CLB AND I TOOK ABOUT 15-20 SECONDS TO REALIZE THAT WE WERE NOT CLBING. THE CTLR ASKED OUR ALT AND WE SAID WE WERE TRYING TO CLB TO 7000 FT BUT STILL AT 6000 FT. I PUSHED THE ALT BUTTON AT LEAST 3 MORE TIMES WITH NO RESULTS OF A CLB. WE WERE AT 210 KIAS AND 1 DEG FLAP. THEN I PUSHED THE THROTTLES UP MANUALLY AND DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT TO START A CLB TO 7000 FT. UPON ARR AT 7000 FT WE ACCELERATED TO 250 KIAS BEFORE I NOTICED OUR SPD. I THEN PULLED THE THROTTLES BACK TO SLOW TO 210 KIAS AGAIN BUT DSNDED TO 6600 FT BEFORE NOTICING MY ALT. ATC ASKED OUR ALT AGAIN AND WE ANSWERED CLBING TO 7000 FT AT 6600 FT NOW. I THEN REENGAGED THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLES. I DO NOT RECALL DISENGAGING THE AUTOTHROTTLES; BUT THE INITIAL CLB WAS STARTED AFTER DISENGAGING THE AUTOPLT; THIS LEFT ME BEHIND WHAT THE ACFT WAS DOING; TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY THE ACFT HAD NOT CLBED BEFORE. WE THEN WERE VECTORED TO NEWARK RWY 4R TO AN ILS AND LNDG. WE; THE TWO FO'S AND MYSELF DISCUSSED WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND DECIDED THAT THE AUTOPLT BEING DISENGAGED HAD LED TO SOME OF THE PROBS; BUT WE COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHY THE AUTOTHROTTLES DISENGAGED. I HAVE BEEN ON THE B747-400 FOR 6 YRS AND NOW ON THE B777 FOR 6 MONTHS AND BELIEVE MY SCAN WITHOUT THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLE IS VERY SLOW! I DO NOT KNOW OF A SOLUTION FOR THE PROB IN TODAY'S GLASS ACFT AND ENVIRONMENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 347138: DURING RADAR VECTORS FOR APCH INTO EWR FOR RWY 4R WE HAD TO DEVIATE FOR THE WX. CAPT HAND FLEW THE AIRPLANE TO 7000 FT. AUTOTHROTTLES SOMEHOW GOT DISCONNECTED SO THEY WERE MOVED MANUALLY FOR THE CLB. OUR SPD WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 210 KTS; BUT AT 7000 FT SPD WENT UP TO 240 KTS; WHILE CTLING ALT; SPD; HDG; AND TRYING TO AVOID THE CELL.