A320 - landing with manual thrust?

[Check Airman]

Originally Posted by Vessbot

Flash 604

02:44:00 FO Autopilot in command sir
02:44:01 CA: Exclamation remark
02:44:02 : Sound of A/P disengage warning
02:44:05 CA: Heading select
02:44:05 MSR227: Straight in approach runway zero four lrft, one zero one, next call full establish Egypt air two two seven
02:44:07 FO: Heading select
02:44:18 CA: See what the aircraft did!
02:44:27 FO: Turning right sir
02:44:30 CA: What?
02:44:31 FO: Aircraft is turning right
02:44:32 CA: AH
02:44:35 CA: Turning right?
02:44:37 CA: How turning right
02:44:41 CA: Ok come out
02:44:41 FO: Over bank
02:44:41 CA: Autopilot
02:44:43 CA: Autopilot
02:44:44 FO: Autopilot in command
02:44:46 CA: Autopilot
02:44:48 FO Over bank, over bank, over bank
02:44:50 CA: OK
02:44:52 FO: Over bank
02:44:53 CA: OK, come out
02:44:56 FO: No autopilot commander
02:44:58 CA: Autopilot
02:44:58 EC1: Retard power, retard power, retard power
02:45:01 CA: Retard power
02:45:02 : Sound similar to overspeed clacker
02:45:04 CA: Come out
02:35:05 FO: No god except...
02:35:05 SV: "whoop" sound similar to ground proximity warning
02:45:06 END OF RECORDING

Thanks. A prime example of automation dependency, and 2 decades later, we’re still discussing whether or not we need to fly more.

[CVividasku]

When I was flying medium haul, I used to disconnect everything at every approach (except when told not to by captain) in order to develop sharp raw data skills.
When first arriving on a new long haul aircraft, I was worried that with the much smaller amount of landings that we get, captains would be more reluctant to allow raw data approaches, even for A/T off. They're not.
So I'm starting to do all of them A/T off, and sometime soon I will do all of them FD off too (except when told not to). The boeing FDs are somewhat sh***y anyway. I already have to fly more cleverly than them in order to avoid overshooting the LOC and large glide corrections. They're only good at giving averages.

[Sim King]

I agree Hans, but remember only a small proportion of our clientel are pilots looking to get a getting a TR or just want to experience multi-crew. The majority are Dad's40th or Son's 18th birthday presents.

[India Four Two]

Originally Posted by Uplinker

* I did have to train myself to use the side-stick properly though; since instructors were very confusing about how to use it, and none of them explained it very well.
.

I’m a private pilot, who through well-placed connections, flew an hour in an A380* simulator a few years ago.

I would be interested in more details about using the side-stick.

I found the side-stick very intuitive. The only difficulty I had was manual trimming in Basic Law. Because there was no out-of-trim force on the stick, I found it very difficult and just flew with a load on the stick.

* I was going to fly the A330, but the day before, I had a phone call - “The A330 sim is AOG, how would you like to fly the A380?”

[172_driver]

Originally Posted by India Four Two

I found the side-stick very intuitive. The only difficulty I had was manual trimming in Basic Law. Because there was no out-of-trim force on the stick, I found it very difficult and just flew with a load on the stick.

It works just like a Cessna, as in: you trim out the stick forces. The force was there, you probably did not feel it as you were used to

[Meikleour]

Originally Posted by 172_driver

It works just like a Cessna, as in: you trim out the stick forces. The force was there, you probably did not feel it as you were used to

The only stick forces are from the spring in the side-stick!

[Uplinker]

@ India Four Two; If you found the side-stick intuitive, then it seems that you "got it" and understood how to use it .

My type rating and line instructors were not very forthcoming, back in the day, and there were unhelpful comments such as 'only hold it at the top', 'only hold it at the base', don't hold it, and so on. You should of course hold it normally, but the crucial thing is to return it to neutral between every correction or change that you need to make. The FBW will effectively "stay where you put it", (within certain limits), so once you have the attitude you need, return the side-stick to neutral.
The FBW will also return the aircraft attitude to where it was, (within certain limits) after small-to-medium upsets, so you don't need to stir the side-stick too much. As you might have discovered, you do not need to pull back in pitch in banked turns either, so just roll on the required bank and return it to neutral until you want to roll out.

As for trimming in Direct Law, if you follow SOPs and are lucky, you will only be flying in Direct Law during finals after the gear has been lowered, so not much trimming to be done before landing.
Or while flying roughly straight and level, while your PM goes through reseting the FBW computers. I haven't flown Direct Law myself for long enough to give any useful trimming advice, but just use the manual trim wheels to get the side-stick back to neutral in pitch. The spring pressure has no feedback so trimming will not change the spring pressure. Just observe the PFD and trim until you can release your side-stick at neutral.

By following SOPs, your PM will be able to reset at least one of the five FBW computers, unless something truly catastrophic has happened.

[172_driver]

The only stick forces are from the spring in the side-stick!

Yes, but if you're out of trim and have to compensate with elevator there will be a stick force (from the spring). That's at least how I read India Four Two's observation about trimming and "not feeling it". He called it Basic Law, but I presume he meant "Direct Law".