THE ACR FLC OF A B777 STARTS A DSCNT WHILE STILL IN THE FLAP RETRACTION PHASE OF THE CLBOUT. THE GPWS AND THE INTL RELIEF PLT ALERT THEM TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE APCHING THE GND AND THE FLC RECOVERS. THE FLC REMARK ON THE UNUSUAL PITCH TRIM CHARACTERISTICS ON THE B777.

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DURING CLB OUT OF IAD; FLAPS WERE CALLED FOR UP BY PF (CAPT). AT THIS TIME I REALIZED WE WERE GOING INTO THE CLOUD BASE AND DECIDED TO ACTIVATE THE RADAR. THE FO WAS HEAD DOWN IN THE COCKPIT CHANGING FREQS; SO I TURNED ON WX RADAR MYSELF; ALSO GOING HEADS DOWN. WHILE ADJUSTING RADAR; I NOTICED FLAPS STILL IN 1 DEG POS AND WAITED UNTIL FO WAS OFF RADIO AND AGAIN ASKED FOR FLAPS UP. AT THIS TIME THE RELIEF FO CALLED ACFT NOSE DOWN. I BEGAN A GENTLE RECOVERY AND WAS SOON JOLTED BY A WHOOP WHOOP PULL UP TERRAIN MESSAGE. 15 DEG NOSE UP ATTITUDE AND FULL THROTTLE WERE INITIATED AND RECOVERY MADE AT ABOUT 1000 FT RADIO ALT. FACTORS IN CONSIDERATION WERE A MAINT DELAY IN WHICH ACFT WAS TAKEN OUT OF ETOPS STATUS AND A NEW FLT PLAN WAS ADOPTED; RESULTING IN LAST MIN RUSH WHERE USE OF WX RADAR WAS OVERLOOKED ON PRE-TKOF BRIEFING. A FURTHER RE-CLRNC WAS ISSUED BY ATC DURING TAXI WHICH PUSHED ANY THOUGHTS OF RADAR USE OUT OF MY MIND. TKOF WAS MADE TO THE NW (RWY 30) WHERE THE RISING TERRAIN OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS CONTRIBUTED TO THE WARNING. LESSONS LEARNED -- USE OF AUTOPLT ON 2 PLT ACFT IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED WHEN WORKLOAD HIGH. ALSO; IN THIS CASE; NO USE OF RELIEF PLT MADE. I HAD LOWERED NOSE BELOW ATTITUDE BAR TO INCREASE ACCELERATION THROUGH FLAP SPDS -- NO MORE. ACFT WAS B777 WHICH HAS PITCH NEUTRAL TRIM. AS I LOOKED AWAY FROM THE FLT DISPLAY; I THOUGHT (AS IN OTHER ACFT) THAT I WAS TRIMMING NOSE UP. IN FACT I DID NOTHING AS THE YOKE WAS NEUTRAL AT THE TIME. LASTLY; THIS WAS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR COMPLACENCY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A FAIRLY NEW CAPT ON THE B777-200 AND HE SAID THAT HE WAS AWARE OF THE PITCH NEUTRAL TRIM SYS; AT LEAST FROM AN ACADEMIC STANDPOINT. HOWEVER; HE ADMITTED THAT HE HAD SIMPLY ACTIVATED THE TRIM SWITCH WITHOUT APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE CTL COLUMN AND THEREFORE; THE STABILIZER DID NOT MOVE. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE HAD LOWERED THE NOSE OF THE ACFT IN ORDER TO ACCELERATE FASTER THAN USUAL BECAUSE HE WANTED THE FO TO RETRACT THE FLAPS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE; BUT DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE NOSE WAS THAT FAR BELOW THE HORIZON. HE SAID THAT HE SIMPLY LOST SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND THE THIRD PLT AND THE GPWS SURPRISED HIM WITH THEIR WARNINGS. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE SHOULD HAVE ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO TURN ON AND ADJUST THE RADAR. THE AUTOPLT WOULD HAVE CONTINUED THE CLB PROFILE AT THE TIME OF ENGAGEMENT AND USE OF THE AUTOPLT IN THIS PHASE OF FLT IS STANDARD. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE WANTED TO ALERT OTHERS ABOUT THE UNUSUAL TRIM SYS IN AN ACFT THAT; OTHERWISE; APPEARS TO BE SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS ACFT FROM THE SAME COMPANY AND WHOSE SYS; AS FAR AS THE FLC IS CONCERNED; APPEAR TO FUNCTION THE SAME AS IN PREVIOUS MODELS. THE RPTR FEELS THAT THE TRIM SYS WILL SURPRISE OTHER PLTS IN THE FUTURE.