Fly-by-wire - Boeing v Airbus
Somebody mentioned this today and I think it is worth a thought. Before I start - I like Airbus, I do not dislike Boeing. Had I have trained on Boeings I would have said the converse. BOTH AIRCRAFT ARE FLY BY WIRE IN THIS POST.============================= ================================= HERE IS AN AIRBUS There is a theory that Airbus, brilliant in design, was designed by engineers with perhaps engineers in mind. It is a `system/machine` with monitoring facilities and certain self correcting abilities (protections). To fly it you move the sidestick to your desired aircraft attitude, like a climbing turn say, and at the point where you release the stick, then the attitude will stay there (yet the sidestick will return to the middle/central/neutral position)(provided it is within normal parameters, there are other limits - I won`t bore you with them now or it turns into a groundschool on Airbus) apart from the Flight Controls page on the System Display page, there is no other indication of the position of the flying control surfaces, outside on the airframe.=================== The throttles, are moved to a detent and, if the autothrust (if engaged) changes a power setting then it will do this but the thrust levers will remain in the detent. So we have (in any changing situation with the aeroplane) A sidestick that is centralised and not moving. A thrust lever that is in it`s detent and also stationary.=========================== =================================== HERE IS A BOEING The theory is that it was designed by pilots (as well as engineers) with pilots in mind. It takes `stick and rudder` principles and puts them into a fly-by-wire aircraft. It may have protections, I don`t know anything about Boeings. =========When the Control column / Yoke is moved then the yoke can be seen to move, if the yoke is left in an position it can be instantly seen to be in that position, if the pilot wants to centralise the controls, then s/he would simply centralise the control column/yoke. Not only this but whatever the pilot on the left is doing is replicated by the control column of the pilot on the right - so control column right = same thing both sides of the flightdeck. The throttles are on the central pedestal, they move to the desired thrust position. They move (I believe) in accordance with any power changes from the autothrust system. As power increases thrust levers move forward, etc, etc. So, at all times the pilots can see at a mere glance what the aircraft is doing - instantly, s/he does not have to look at the FMA, to interpret what is happening, in other words it is obvious what is happening, to the position of the flying control surfaces outside, on the airframe. When the proverbial hits the fan then - that is two major concepts taken care of in an instant - ATT and PWR.