Great post Goldfish85,
Exactly the real-world insight I was trying to tease out with my remarks. Direct experience, not just as line pilot, but emergency pull-up with a A320 test pilot from the manufacturer.
So if I understand the scenario correctly,
this ridge-targeted-pull-up contest was done with level wings level?
The reason I ask, is that if you were in constant altitude 60 degree bank, you are already pulling two g's, right? If you "snap back" full aft stick in the 60 degree bank what will the A320 FBW give you? Point two G's over level? (0.2 g?)
Now try this in a stone age 737. Sure, it's likely to momentarily reach critical angle of attack. But you might be able to recover from stall after you clear the ridge. Even if you don't clear the ridge or recover from stall, you might survive a full stall impact, whereas you have no chance with one way above shaker that's stopped your FBW pull up due to an operational g limit. So I'm still not convinced of the superiority of FBW in this case.
In other words, I am still under the impression that a hard, for example, operational 2.2 g "snapback" limit will not prevent missing a rock outcrop that requires say 3.5 g's to clear it.
How can GPWS escape maneuvres come in to play after we have avoided terrain? Sorry to state the obvious but GPWS maneuvres are FOR avoiding CFIT.
@ 320 driver,
My traditional perception of true CFIT means that there is nothing wrong with the airplane, that it hits the first rock outcropping with the crew and aircraft in control and unaware they or ATC screwed up until it is too late. GPWS escape maneuvers mostly came out AFTER the CFIT term was coined (FTL flight 66). Once a GPWS escape maneuver is commenced, the crew is really out of control, in my opinion, as they are uncertain of their navigational position and/or safe altitude and are engrossed in an unexpected emergency "Hail-Mary" that may or may not turn out well.
I was discussing a scenario in which the objective is missing the very first rock outcrop only; whereby once accomplished, the rest of the escape maneuver to miss secondary high obstacles is a different subject (in which airbus alpha mode would be superior if you live to see it.) I was trying to focus on the very first lethal ridge and whether or not FBW can out-G conventional controls.
I am sorry if I was not being clear.
CC