Originally Posted by flyingnewbie10
How do pilots know (if they know) what is the actual thrust they get from the engines ?
Largely guessing here, flyingnewbie10, from being allowed to occupy the righthand seat on jets for a while (on a strictly non-playing basis). On a Boeing I gathered that the N1 gauge was the best guide in normal conditions - that shows actual engine power being delivered in 'real time' as a percentage. Because the throttle levers are servo-ed (i.e. moving), that reading will be the same whether the aeroplane is in auto or manual control.
Never sat up front in an Airbus - in fact, never FLOWN in an Airbus, there aren't many in service in Australia - but as far as I know N1 remains the normal guide. The only difference is that the non-moving throttle lever positions will not of course match the auto power settings. I believe, from talking to pilots, that that problem is solved by having lights (known as 'donuts') on the N1 gauge, one showing the autothrust setting and the other the lever position.
I gather that normal procedure on an Airbus is to move the appropriate (lever position) 'donut' to match the auto one before disengaging autothrust; this avoids any risk of a 'thrust bump' because the lever position doesn't match the auto setting.
Pro pilots, if I'm wrong in any of that, please put me right?