Flying both the Airbus and the Boeing

[Azman]

Hi All,

I really enjoy flying online using FSX and currently fly the PMDG 737-800.

I also have the Wilco Airbus installed and was just wondering if i can remember how to fly it as i have have not flown it in a while.
I am sure once i load it up it will be fine, however I was wondering how this works for RW pilots.

Is it known to work many weeks or days in a Boeing and the next in a Airbus or vice versa, and is this the same where you may need a little time to become familar with the aircraft.

Thanks as always

Azman

[Load Toad]

- Yeah - that bumpy stuff - turbulence they call it - that's really when they (the pilot) like crash the gears because they can't remember to use the clutch properly. Flying a real plane in that respect only is totally unlike flight simulators on computers.

[foxmoth]

Is it known to work many weeks or days in a Boeing and the next in a Airbus or vice versa, and is this the same where you may need a little time to become familar with the aircraft.

In the RW you are not normally allowed to have more than one large type at a time current, there are exceptions to this, but it is very rare.

[Azman]

That's interesting, I didn't know that. Thanks Foxmoth

[Rob Courtney]

In the RW you are not normally allowed to have more than one large type at a time current, there are exceptions to this, but it is very rare

If I remember correctly you could have a 757 and a 767 rating as the cockpits were designed to be identical even though one was a wide body the other narrow!

[Dave Clarke Fife]

CCQ'd (cross crew qualification) in the Airbus world allows you to fly A330/340 or A330/319,320,321.

[Denti]

EU OPS allows to have two active typeratings. However if the types are as different as boeing and airbus are you need to do all checks in each one, which means 8 training/check events per year, 2 line checks. Additionally one cannot fly both types in one duty period (working day).

And then there are some special cases. One is a "common typerating", which is the way boeing makes it easier to fly different types. 757/767 is one example, the other one is 777 and 787. The typerating entry lists both types, however one need a conversion training to be allowed to fly both.

The other one is Mixed Fleet Flying (MFF), which can be both used on boeing types and airbus, however is more likely to be experienced on airbus types. For example A320 family and A330, or A330/A340, A340/A380 although the latter one isn't used yet as far as i know. On the boeing side it isn't really used, however there is a (european) approval for 737/757 and 737/767 MFF. Boeing works on 737/787 MFF, but that isn't approved yet. The training from the first to the second type is called Cross Crew Qualification (CCQ) and is usually an abbreviated training as a full type rating is not needed.

On business jet types it is quite normal to fly several types, however one usually needs a full type rating for each.

[Azman]

Thank you very much for your reply Denti, you learn something new everyday!

[ImPlaneCrazy]

I believe some of the VS guys are currently going on B777 courses (I would guess in preparation for the 787 from your post Denti?)...

[Booglebox]

It's also worth noting that all the major manufacturers deliberately design their products to be as compatible with each other as possible, to increase crew commonality; which has several benefits including increasing crewing efficiency (greater pool of pilots for given fleet), reducing training costs, etc.
The Airbus A320 family and A330/A340 family in particular are both designed to be as similar to the other aircraft in the family, handling-wise, as possible - I'm fairly sure that the flight control laws are modified for each type accordingly. This reduces the differences between flying an A318 and A321 for example to things like remembering not to rotate too much on the A321, and takeoff / landing at lower speeds on the A318.
As has already been mentioned, Boeing's recent efforts for the 787 are designed to facilitate training of pilots used to the 777 and 737NG flight decks, combined with, as far as I know, sympathetic / forgiving fly-by-wire flight controls. The 747-8 however is a hybrid of the 777 and 747-400 flight deck technologies.