Going to bed in a second, but the basis of what I was saying is that FBW and automation are two very separate and distinct concepts.
The FMS on the A320 is roughly analogous to that available on the 757 and 767 - pretty sophisticated if compared to the old Sperry units in the second generation jetliners, but little to differentiate between them.
FBW as a concept relates to the flight surfaces being electronically actuated and managed as opposed to direct connection by cable or hydraulics. This allows for limits or protections being placed on the inputs, but it is not automation. Automation involves the aircraft's attitude being controlled mechanically or electronically regardless of manual input - FBW involves the flight surface controls being managed electronically regardless of whether the control input comes from a computer or a human pilot.
Airbus pioneered FBW in airliners, but the level of automation in those FBW airliners wasn't a great deal different from other manufacturer's designs of the same vintage (e.g. B757, B767, B737 Classic/NG, MD-11).
Last edited by DozyWannabe; 24th May 2012 at 02:56.