Lemurian,
merely pointing out that , unwittingly, the pitch trim is "almost used " as a primary flying contol on the 737 (I.E. it is used when manually flying simultaneously/almost as an aid to, the elevators.) The same I am sure is happening in the A320.
My point is , because of the auto-trim (which I believe is active to maintain a "stick-neutral" feel even when flying manually in the Airbus - at least in normal law ? ? ) you don't develop/maintain the same habit of having to use the trim manually to supplement the elevators, which in the 737 is of course permanently there as a constant reminder that the elevators are chicken-feed in comparison to the stabiliser (even with the A/P engaged you can hardly fail to be aware of the activity of this stone-age wheel clanking around next to your thigh ) something that might have saved the XL crew if they had been mindful of this fact ?
In terms of Easy/THY. . . what to say. THY, perhaps another point for the anti-automation brigade ? No, for me just a reminder that whatever you fly you have to know what it is (or isn't ) doing on your behalf, unfortunately they seemed to be oblivious to the tactile cues that were there
And Easy? phew, some very similar lessons here in the test -flight sphere.
No1 - Altitude is your best friend No2 - Expect the unexpected No3 - Large excursions/control forces reflect the mass of the vehicle you are manipulating, not your own mass.
Mistakes can & will be made with both Boeing & Airbus, it is my feeling that the Boeing one's should perhaps be easier to identify & rectify, but someone will always find a way not to.
