Great responses, thank you.
The ridiculous comments regarding the Airbus design is the reason I, and I suspect a number of other former contributors, have lost interest in this thread.
The fact that the Airbus has accumulated millions of hours of successful, accident-free flight and that there is a similar fatal accident rate between Boeing and Airbus types has not helped deeper understanding especially among some aviators here means this is not about learning, it is about prejudice and for that there is no point in discussion.
As always, the criticisms come from those who don't fly or who've never flown the type so they regurgitate the prejudices they've read from others who similarly either don't fly at all or don't fly the Airbus. Sadly, there is nothing that can be said that will alter perceptions or understanding in such an atmosphere.
As a retired airline pilot who flew only Boeings, the DC-9, and the L1011 I asked a very good friend who is currently a management pilot for a major carrier, and who is, or was, qualified on several models of the AB as well as Boeings.
He likes both the AB models and the Boeings. I asked him the "trick question," which is, "What if the captain had walked back onto the flight deck of AF447 in an aircraft that had conventional control columns, thus seeing them pulled full back?"
His response, "That difference may have very well saved the flight."