PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Airbus trepidation... convince me otherwise!
Old 12th Jan 2012, 11:07
  #96 (permalink)  
Chunky Monkey
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: UK
Age: 63
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Cool A320 v 777

I have limited experience on Boeing and Airbus (B737-200,300,400, 747-100,200, B777 - A391,320,321 - 22 years in all) and test flew the airbus for a short time some years ago, and would just like to put your mind at rest.

1. The sidestick and flight control system on the bus can take ages to get used to - sometimes as much as 7 or 8 seconds.

2. You never need to manually take control of pitch trim, as the stick is basically an attitude selector - so forget about trim (excepting when in degraded modes without it, when it will tell you to trim, and this is then easy).

3. If you want something to worry about, worry about the manuals - they are a pain when learning the type, and the new acronyms take some getting used to.

4. If you want something else to worry about, worry about ECAM which also takes some getting used to.

That said, it is the most fantastic, comfortable, enjoyable, able aircraft it has ever been my pleasure to fly, and for the last 6 years on the 777 I've been missing an FMA that works properly, a FMC that can do a descent properly, and a flight deck that isn't cack-brown!
Chunky Monkey is offline