Old Fella, (btw, that's not what George Carlin called us...);
I'm an old fella too but have flown all the electric 'bus types since '92. It has its quirks but so do all the others. Quirks are not a problem if one knows one's airplane.
I'm surprised it wasn't DC-ATE, but I knew someone here would pick up this notion about "control" and use my contribution against the Airbus but I have to tell you that from experience, that the airplane works as well as any other design and I've flown old Douglases, Boeings and Lockheeds as well.
All this old argument needs is a single counter-example, but there are plenty.
An arcing windshield isn't limited to the bus, nor are other strange sources of ignition and subsequent fire. The B767 had a serious problem with cargo fires some time back. As the report says, in this case there wasn't even a cb to pull. A TSB Report can be found
here. There have been at least three windshield fires on the B757. SW111...all these aircraft used standard cb's. Need we say more?
I understand what you're saying, but often pulling the cb, just like a computer shutting off a component, is done when it's too late and nearby bits and pieces start burning and there is nothing to do but fight the fire and land asap. That was the nature of the B767 cargo fire at Toronto...and that one didn't have a cb.
If one flies the Airbus and knows the type well, a good dialogue about the airplane and it's characteristics can be engaged. The notions about computers and airplanes have been demonstrated time and again here as outdated or mis-informed. The Airbus has some faults but in making those observations I think you first have to know the airplane well enough to be able to find them and talk about them.
That does not mean there isn't a few very serious problems concerning automated flight. But almost all those problems stem from not knowing one's airplane, not following (or worse, not knowing) the SOPs or from other standard human factors issues, (such as incorrect entry of weights...happens on all types).
Anyway...cheers, I still liked the sound of Conways starting up...
PJ2