Boeing or Airbus??

[Fuzzy!!!]

Which would you rather fly...and why??

Boeing 757's and 767's
or
Airbus 320's and 321's

Please help me out with this, as I have no idea which I would rather get a type rating on!! And its important!! Cheers

[Flap 5]

The three main criteria in job hunting are as follows:

1. Lifestyle
2. Location
3. Aircraft type

In that order.

BA seem to be getting Airbus's at long last and Virgin have them.

Most of the low cost short haul airlines have Boeing 737's.

The charter airlines seem to be going towards Airbus.

It all depends what lifestyle you want.

[qwertyuiop]

Strange question.

Everybody knows Boeing beats Airbus every time. Its only the poor suckers who fly the underpowered strimmer that would argue.

[Knold]

Qwertyuiop
I could not agree with you more! Airbuses are the result of a couple of freaked-out engineers’ passion for automating aircraft. Boeings are much more adapted for pilots no matter what old left seat dinosaurs says about not having the yoke in front of them.
This is my advise to you Fuzzy:
GO FOR THE BOEING!!!

[Gordon]

Oh well, here goes again!!

Please don't rise to it

[Knold]

Flash Gordon is it?
I'm just trying to give the chap some vital guidance.

[Scooby Doo]

Yaaawwwnnn!!

I love this old debate - I've done both (Boeing 757/767 and Airbus A330) and the thing that I want out of life is to work for a decent company that pays me well, takes me to nice places and only flies during the day. Now where did I say that I prefer flying the Boeing or Airbus?

The fact is that you hardly fly the things anyway, in which case I'd rather eat my dinner of a table.

[52049er]

The only interesting thing left about these types of thread is that if you trawl through the hundreds of postings on 'Airbus vs Boeing' it is ALWAYS the Boeing supporters who attack Airbus first, never the other way around. Its almost like they lie in wait on the forum waiting for any thread that gives them the opportunity to leap in.

So come on Boeing lovers - what are you scared of? Perhaps a psycologist might diagnose a severe case of the aviation equivalent of penis envy :) Or maybe the new thread about the number of non-real pilots is the cause.

Yours in (semi) jest and perfectly happy in my choice of penis substitute

52

[Argus Tuft]

I think us Boeingphiles have looked at the multitude of Airbus incidents that, on examination, could NEVER have happened on a Boeing product, and have made our own conclusions.

To be fair, the number of these incidents seems to have thinned out over recent years, but you know what they say about first impressions. Cheers.

[chuck yeager]

Well back when I was a boy and pilots had to actually fly their airplanes...

[52049er]

OK - but equally I'm happy to be flying in a family of aircraft that has no record of rudder hard overs, no history of fuel tank explosions, no problems with ambiguous engine vibration indicator presentation and the many other quality issues that have been been pointed out at the big B recently and in the past.........oh damn but thats then me getting involved in this boring bloody argument again.

Im off to bed to dream about ECAM.....


:)

[Sariah Zub]

I think us Airbusphiles have looked at the multitude of Boeing incidents that, on examination, could NEVER have happened on a Airbus product, and have made our own conclusions.

To be fair, the number of these incidents seems to have increased over recent years, but you know what they say about final conclusions. Cheers

[neil armstrong]

Here we go.
I fly a real Boeing (B727) and i wouldnt trade it in for a Airbus or New Automated Boeing.
It's great to have a dodgy autopilot so you fly the departures/arrivals and the approuches by hand(Thats why i became a pilot).
and every Aircraft should have a flight engineer(and 52049er i prefer not to dream about them when i'm in bed).

Neil

PS
real Aircraft have corrosion and make lots of noise

[Sunshine Express]

Well put by Flap 5. One sensible reply at least - if the question was genuine.

75 & 76 at end of production life. Not part
of Boeing "next generation" familly.
A320 etc still a part of current Airbus
familly. Easy to convert to A330 etc. or fly
aswell.

Best of luck whatever you choose.

[Scooby Doo]

Got home from a trip last night, looked at PPRuNe, saw this thread and thought great, this old chestnut again!

Just got up and had to look as there are always a few laughs to be had when this comes up.

So especially 52049er and Sariah Zub, thank you for making the start of my day so entertaining!

[Bi-planejane]

Isn't it that an Airbus is a programmers aeroplane and a Boeing is a pilot's aeroplane? Better ask the Airtours pilots who seem to spend most their time hitting each other with handbags over this one :)

[Dr. Red]

Here we go again...

I think it should be mandatory for newbies to perform a search about their prospective topic before posting. It would save a lot of time and "useless debate" going over old ground.

Comments?

[Knold]

Just because you haven’t posted replies or topics doesn’t equal not having monitored the ongoing debates.

[Dr. Red]

That's true.

But the question posed in this thread is almost identical to other, older threads. Why re-pose the question without any qualifying comments?

All I'm saying is that newbies should be familiar with previous posts before starting a thread. That's fair enough, isn't it?

[I Kid]

Fuzzy, if you ever get the chance to fly the B727 go for it. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

[busdriver330]

Red. The fact that almost 20 people have already replied to this topic proves my point once more: If we only say things that are truly meaningful, and haven't been said before at some point, we would actually be quiet most of the time. It's part of human life to communicate the same old issues over and over again. Besides, the initial question is obviously from a newbie in this business, and I'm (as many of us out there) always happy to help any newbie with answers to his questions.

[Down Three Greens]

Bi-planejane : Lets just highlight a few things. This argument is a gem. Nothing like a bit of friendly banter...but can I give you a friendly piece of advice.

All I am going to say is that don't believe everything that appears in here.

Most of the crew are going to keep very quiet about what happens internally within our company.

Try not to drag airlines into this. We all work in the same industry.


That said, Airbus for me!!! http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/tongue.gif



[This message has been edited by Down Three Greens (edited 21 December 2000).]

[Joystick Wiggler]

To answer the original question and bypass all the other non relevant guff. I've flown both, the answer is it doesn't matter and really who cares? If you really want to be a hands on pilot, go fly in the Alaskan Wilderness. If you want to fly an airliner, despite what everybody says, the most EFFICIENT way to do it is let all the automatic functions do their thing. Then Boeing or Airbus you are manipulating the autopilot for 99% of the time. So there really is no difference. Fly whichever aircraft you are offered, and don't bother wasting your money to get a type rating!

...and best of luck!

[Amos]

Ask anybody who flew on DC3s,F27s,DC9s, Cv440s, B737s..200s/300s/400s and then the A320, what's the best aircraft they've ever flown and the answer is obvious...the A320...it makes all previous flying irrelevant and obsolete! The pilots I feel sorry for are those who have never flown it...the poor sods will never know...and they make up the majority of those who knock the A320!

[AhhhVC813]

Joystickwiggler has it nicely summed up; whatever you "fly" in terms of a modern commercial jetliner, you don't. The days of steely airmen heaving on non assisted controls and flying approaches on twitching ADF needles, are, in the main, gone. If you get your butt on a Boeing or an Airbus, enjoy it, but it matters not a jot; whatever you may hear about the subject.

[SKYYACHT]

HAVING CONDUCTED TRAINING ON THE A320, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, I WOULD SAY THAT IT IS A GOOD, IF SOMETIMES IRRITATING AEROPLANE TO FLY. I AM JUST CONVERTING ONTO THE B777, WHICH APPEARS TO BE JUST AS GOOD, BUT IN A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MANNER. THE TWO COMPANIES HAVE RADICALLY DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHICAL APPROACHES TO WHAT CONSTITUTES "FLYING" THE AEROPLANE. EACH HAS ITS OWN MERITS, BUT I THINK FOR ENTRY LEVEL - GO FOR THE AIRBUS....THERE ARE LOTS ABOUT!

TAILWINDS, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

:)

[Flap 5]

Fuzzy

I still stand by my original answer.

As has been said with commercial airliners you are using the autopilot most of the time. The Airbus is better designed from that point of view.

Boeing is mainly selling old technology. This is fine for the old pilots who are frightened of new technology. But then, in my experience, even the pilots who are averse to computers take to the Airbus very easily - it is just an aircraft after all. You can hand fly them if you want to.

If Boeing pilots complain about the computers and the fly by wire system they should be reminded that you can not fly any of these aircraft without assistance. It is possible to fly the 737 without the hydraulics but it certainly not to be recommended!

[Thesaurus]

Consider the following:

1) Whilst some Boeings may have oodles of performance, Boeing are having to play "catch-up" with Airbus in many different areas.

2) Boeing have a Museum of Flight, contained in which is their belief that "...we are the best". Not so, not any more.

If it's a Boeing, I ain't going!!!

[Herod]

Aaah, deHavilland. Uncle Roger lives OK.

[Bi-planejane]

Down Three Greens
Friendly advice taken, my comment was a caustic observation referring to a much publicised incident in Sanford. Just curious why this is such a heated topic with guys. But then I guess the same debates rage on over Lambourghinis and Ferraris and their performance <sigh>
It's all about personal preferences really once you get to that level of sophisticated aircraft design. One really can't say one is better than the other, unless there IS a safety issue. Heaven forbid we all end up wearing the same clothes driving the same cars flying the same aircraft. Vive la difference!!!

[busdriver330]

Several interesting and true replies to the original question have been posted so far. I have flown Boeing, McDonnel Douglas, and Airbus products, in addition to an assortment of turboprops.

It's not a question of which is the better aircraft. I currently fly an A330, but would stick with the B777 if I had my pick. Boeing's might use some old technology, but that's not always a disadvantage. According to my experience Airbus builds very smart airplanes for very smart pilots; while Boeing builds quite smart airplanes for quite dumb pilots. I consider myself an above average stick & brain, though far from flawless. I have found myself mentally in row 45, though I was physically strapped into my pilot seat. In those cases it has been an advantage to be able to easier (i.e. less demanding on the old noodle) transfer through manual control to full automation with a complete awareness of the situation and the systems.

Therefore, I think the Boeing line of products are superior to Airbus, ONLY because it's more of a pilot's airplane than a system operator's airplane. I am absolutely not talking about actually handflying the airplane. I'm talking about autopilot control, systems integration, and flight control computer programming issues. A side stick is perfectly fine, and ALL big airplanes are "fly by wire" anyway. All you do in any big airplane is hydraulics actuation anyway. Also, even Boeing would have used a side stick if United's design team hadn't intervened. After all, a stick is the most natural way you can think of to control an airplane.

However, the question is most likely in regards to what type rating a jet newbie should look for. Here's what I think:

Avoid paying for a type rating if you can. There are many companies who employ guys with only turboprop experience. If you are trying to jump ahead of the game, you might be fooling yourself. Companies like Southwest Airlines (in the U.S.) employ only pilots with 1000 hours P.I.C. Turbine. That means that for some jobs it might be better to stay with a regional airline and make Captain, and then transfer to jets. It'll also help when you are transferring to the left seat in a jet.

If you still want to get a type rating, here's the skinny. Get the rating that will make you desireable for as many companies as possible. Sit down and look in JP Airline Fleet to see who flies what type of airplane. Big operators will not care what rating you have since they're going to type you anyway. Look for small, upstart type carriers. They're the ones most likely to give you a chance if you have a rating in your pocket. If most of them fly Boeing, get a B rating; but if most of them fly Airbus, get an A rating. That simple.

Good luck.

------------------
"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

[Anthony2107]

Take whatever is offered.

And for the people who have flown these magnificent machines,I envy you..... A lot.
Wish I had the same opportunity.

A2107

[Frederic]

What is the coolest flying aircraft in the world? Answer : the F-16. What type of flight control system does it have? Answer: Fly By Wire! I rest my case...

[Frederic]

No, really come on guys and galls! What's better, tall girls or small girls, blond or brown? The best airliner in the world hasn't been build yet! If we would change our attitudes and be more willing to learn from each other it would heve been! I have litlle experience in both types but I've flown the sims. I love em both. If I had my way I would install 2 fighter cockpits in every airliner. They're way ahead in ergonomy and man-machine interface. Fighter cockpits are high tech environments where the pilot is nontheless central and involved in the flying. I repaet: the F-16 gives me a b&*ner!

[airforcenone]

Having tried both, the Scarebus is an efficient way of getting from A to B, (bit like a Vauxhall), but I prefer the hands on approach. I know a 737 is hardly a fast-jet but it was certainly more fun.

PS: Tall girls (blond)

[This message has been edited by airforcenone (edited 09 January 2001).]

[Jurassic Jet Man]

Remember that the bean counters decide while birds an airline flies!

Airbus planes definitely seem to capture the accountant's attention.

Two engines, whether Boeing or Airbus, seem to be the way many are going these days.

United CFO not along was quoted saying that if he could wave a magic wand, we would only have 320/19's and 777's on the property.

[StressFree]

Gentlemen,
Boeing or Airbus? Who cares when you can fly a Gulfstream.

:)

------------------
'Keep the stress down'

[Knold]

Well, there is always a better choice.
http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif

[con-pilot]

Falcon 900EX, lets really get this going!

[Knold]

Have you seen the pictures from the new GV-SP?
Man that’s something I’d like to fly.

[Juliet November]

Bombardier Global Express ! Beats a G any time, any day.

Hard hat deployed ....

[Knold]

Yeah well maybe if it actually got of the runway

[StressFree]

Excellent the debate has successfully been moved away from the totally tedious b*llocks of Boeing/Airbus.

;)

:)

------------------
'Keep the stress down'