Originally Posted by
nitpicker330
Boeing build Aeroplanes for Pilots.
Airbus just build computers for nerds, over complicated.
Actually, from a software standpoint, the code used to control the back-driven yokes and thrust levers on the T7 and B787 is more complex than the A320's flight control code in its entirety. The B737 - even the NG models - are required to use old technology in the flight deck to retain type compatibility, but it's definitely a double-edged sword.
ECAM may initially appear to be fiddly, but it's very reliable - if you want an example of how working through ECAM may have helped save lives, I recommend Capt. de Crespigny's book on QF72.
Originally Posted by
TSIO540
The airbus is just a series of computers that the pilot can occasionally have influence over - I.e. when flying with the side stick and using selected modes on the autopilot.
When autoflight is clicked off, the pilot has *complete and constant* authority over the flight control computers, which - to all intents and purposes - simply act as a relay from the sidesticks to the control surfaces. The only exception to this state of affairs is if you trigger the envelope protection limits, and even then the aircraft will comply with what you're doing as long as you don't exceed 2.5G.
Regarding the manuals - Airbus has a policy of writing them in French and translating them directly, word-for-word, into other languages in order to avoid any potential technical discrepancy arising from phrasing. I wonder how Boeing's manuals read to a native French speaker?
