View Poll Results: Should the Speed Tape be inverted
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Voters: 2. This poll is closed
A320 Speed tape on PFD
Nightbird: Thanks for the response. The other comments from y'all are also interesting to read and arouse my curiosity about the 320 etc. Years ago one of our 757s had autothrottles on MEL, and a Captain offered me two extra legs to fly due to this! It was fairly easy to find power settings on approach-maybe the seat of the pants reacted to the thrust from those powerful fans (it is 75% giant turboprop).
The fly-by-wire Airbus must be a trickier plane with which to find power settings on such an MEL, compared to the Boeings with FMC etc? We hand flew the 757 often to FL 180, even to FL 240. Do most Airbus pilots, whether in the US or overseas, not enjoy hand-flying and feeling like a pilot? The other pilot can punch some of the buttons...let them help earn their paychecks. It is still not nearly the work of a DC-9 crew
, at least after IOE and several more trips.
If our guys/gals find hand-flying the bus welcome in that fleet, then the change would be something which I would look forward to. Foir now, I still prefer "steam-gauge" planes, with straight-forward systems, i.e. hydraulic, elec, fuel-even the fairly primitive pressurization and airfoil anti-ice. As with the very old US show, "The Outer Limits": "we will control the vertical, we will control the horizontal", and the throttles, with our bare hands.
"We don't need no stinkin 'thrust mode control panel!", and are steam-gauge and not ashamed.
The fly-by-wire Airbus must be a trickier plane with which to find power settings on such an MEL, compared to the Boeings with FMC etc? We hand flew the 757 often to FL 180, even to FL 240. Do most Airbus pilots, whether in the US or overseas, not enjoy hand-flying and feeling like a pilot? The other pilot can punch some of the buttons...let them help earn their paychecks. It is still not nearly the work of a DC-9 crew
, at least after IOE and several more trips.If our guys/gals find hand-flying the bus welcome in that fleet, then the change would be something which I would look forward to. Foir now, I still prefer "steam-gauge" planes, with straight-forward systems, i.e. hydraulic, elec, fuel-even the fairly primitive pressurization and airfoil anti-ice. As with the very old US show, "The Outer Limits": "we will control the vertical, we will control the horizontal", and the throttles, with our bare hands.
"We don't need no stinkin 'thrust mode control panel!", and are steam-gauge and not ashamed.
Last edited by Ignition Override; 9th Oct 2002 at 06:21.
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Thanks Full_Wings
Hi Full_Wings
thanks so much for sharing your insight about the shortcomings of present day EFIS,and its possible evolution into something much better.
i was begining to feel that i was just making too much noise about something not worth bothering about.
i see from your profile that besides flying 777s you are a soaring person.
Must be something about "the feel of the wind beneath your wings" which helps one to grasp the "big-picture".
Wish there were more such folks in professional flying.
Too many around who think that the designer/manufacturer is God,and any talk of change borders on blasphemy!
Happy Landings
nightbird
thanks so much for sharing your insight about the shortcomings of present day EFIS,and its possible evolution into something much better.
i was begining to feel that i was just making too much noise about something not worth bothering about.
i see from your profile that besides flying 777s you are a soaring person.
Must be something about "the feel of the wind beneath your wings" which helps one to grasp the "big-picture".
Wish there were more such folks in professional flying.
Too many around who think that the designer/manufacturer is God,and any talk of change borders on blasphemy!
Happy Landings
nightbird
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Ignition Override- The A320 can despatch with the autothrust u/s, but the reliability of the system means it rarely has to. When it is necessary then the aircraft is not particularly difficult to fly and power settings are relatively easy to find if you've spent a little time looking at the gauges previously to know some ball-park figures. Manual thrust control during the approach is a complete doddle and in my experience about 30-40% of approaches are flown fully manually. It really isn't difficult to fly manually and technically should be no different to fly from any other jet which doesn't have self-moving thrust levers, apart from the absence of the trim wheel or the pitch/power couple. I've actually known crews fly 1hr sectors without autothrust, autopilot or flight directors just for fun!
Having flown the Airbus FBW for 9 years now, i feel suitably qualified to comment on this thread.
Lets face it go-arounds are a rare event, and occasions when you can expect them you can prepare yourself for way in advance of the approach. However those rare occasions when its a clear night, ATC or you screw the approach and you are hot and high for example, are the most often badly executed missed approaches. However, good practice of these manueuvres during proficiency checks can help reduce these problems.
There are however a few gotchas on the early 320's without the pop-up flight directors, on a visual or non-precision approach. When using the "bird" you must always call "Kill the bird" (FPV director) otherwise you can get confused with the correct pitch setting for a go-around. The more modern pop-up flight directors can be fitted in the older aircraft however.
The bottom line however, is its is still an aeroplane, and can be flown just using pitch, approx 15 degrees on 2 engines, until you are heading away from terra firma.
Also as soon as you are climbing away safely you can reduce power to the climb gate, you don't have to keep TOGA power selected. This will keep things under control, and less frantic. We certainly used to do this on the 737-300, especially the B2 variety.
The Gulf Air accident was no matter how you look at it, was a complete and utter screw up by the crew. There was a large gap in character between the two pilots. The Captain had scraped through his command training, the co-pilot had very littel experience. Also the Captain was well known as being a very confident character, despite being not that well regarded by his peers. The co-pilot was probably dominated by the Captain, and was not confident enough to speak up, a great shame.
I know its never an easy thing to speak up when the skipper make a large booboo, but as a Captain, i ALWAYS respect an F/O pointing out something i've got wrong when important.
Lets face it go-arounds are a rare event, and occasions when you can expect them you can prepare yourself for way in advance of the approach. However those rare occasions when its a clear night, ATC or you screw the approach and you are hot and high for example, are the most often badly executed missed approaches. However, good practice of these manueuvres during proficiency checks can help reduce these problems.
There are however a few gotchas on the early 320's without the pop-up flight directors, on a visual or non-precision approach. When using the "bird" you must always call "Kill the bird" (FPV director) otherwise you can get confused with the correct pitch setting for a go-around. The more modern pop-up flight directors can be fitted in the older aircraft however.
The bottom line however, is its is still an aeroplane, and can be flown just using pitch, approx 15 degrees on 2 engines, until you are heading away from terra firma.
Also as soon as you are climbing away safely you can reduce power to the climb gate, you don't have to keep TOGA power selected. This will keep things under control, and less frantic. We certainly used to do this on the 737-300, especially the B2 variety.
The Gulf Air accident was no matter how you look at it, was a complete and utter screw up by the crew. There was a large gap in character between the two pilots. The Captain had scraped through his command training, the co-pilot had very littel experience. Also the Captain was well known as being a very confident character, despite being not that well regarded by his peers. The co-pilot was probably dominated by the Captain, and was not confident enough to speak up, a great shame.
I know its never an easy thing to speak up when the skipper make a large booboo, but as a Captain, i ALWAYS respect an F/O pointing out something i've got wrong when important.
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Just converted from 757 to A320 earlier this year. Both are easy to fly with manual thrust, especially on approach. The lack of pitch couple on the 320 is balanced by the larger quadrant on the 757, which made it easier to set an accurate power setting and make small changes.
Flew 757s with and without speed tape, and can't say it made a major difference either way, though I'm still trying to get a feel for the speed trend arrow on the airbus.
Regards
Victor Mike
Flew 757s with and without speed tape, and can't say it made a major difference either way, though I'm still trying to get a feel for the speed trend arrow on the airbus.
Regards
Victor Mike
