Originally Posted by
Bengerman
The title of the thread is "How safe is (airbus) fbw?
As far as I'm concerned the answer is and has always been "not perfect, but nevertheless as safe as anything else out there".
Thanks for the clarification - as I read you the procedure would naturally be different in a FBW Airbus than it would in a 734, but a difference in procedure between types is not a safety hazard as long as the correct procedure for that type is followed. I suspect you'd find similar behavioural differences and quirks between Boeing and MD/Lockheed types if you'd flown in that era (which you may have done) - the late 411A made a pastime of enumerating the benefits (as he saw them) of the L-1011's characteristics versus Boeing types.
My non-ATPL status aside, can it also not be said that the Airbus system actually provides for a simpler procedure? Because trim is automatic one does not have to worry about it - simply point the nose where you want it to go with the sidestick, select TOGA and everything else is handled by the system.
"Conventional" is not a synonym for "what Boeing do", and neither Boeing, Airbus nor any other manufacturer can successfully lay claim to having engineered the safest flight control system (although, salesmanship being what it is, they all try to make that claim).