Airbus v. Boeing

[SennaP1]

Hey Everybody,
I'm always defending the Airbus among my CFI friends, they all seem to be Anti-Airbus. Yes, we all have seen the Air France A320, the soft-limits, the weird noises (whatever that means), yada yada yada. I thought I'd take it to a higher audience what do you guys/gals think and why. Airbus or Boeing?

My vote is Airbus

 

[ShawnC]

They both suck!

Cessna, Piper, and Beechcraft all the way.

 

[RJlifer]

My only beef with Airbus is the fact that there is absolutely NO manual reversion available if somehow every single computer on board were to take a dump. There is only so much faith I can put in the slide rule set. (Engineers) Famous engineer quote. "Don't worry, that will never happen." Yeah, and God couldn't sink the Titanic either, remember? Other than that, I think Airbus makes some pretty cool airplanes. Come to think of it, I don't know if I'd like the airplane calling me a retard every time I'm flaring for landing.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Definitely Boeing. I'm not keen on airplanes that can override my decisions.

I like the A300 and A310, but the 320, 330, and 340 are little more than computers with airframes attached. It's almost as if the French decided European pilots aren't bright enough to deal with complex operations--which I don't believe for a second--so they tried to make the airplane as autonomous as possible.

I'm also not a big fan of controls that do eight different things depending on what mode they're in. It's an accident waiting to happen...again.

Like the line in The Right Stuff goes, "I don't hold with it."

 

[Rush Limbaugh]

I can't argue against an airplane with a side stick controller. The side stick is the way God intended for us to control airplanes.

 

[Typhoon1244]

I can't argue against an airplane with a side stick controller.

You can't argue with it, either. Once a 320's made up its mind what it's going to do, you're out of the loop...and there's no ejection seat.

The side stick is the way God intended for us to control airplanes.

If God had meant for man to use a side stick, He wouldn't have given us elbows.

 

[metrofo]

lets just say that ive never met an airbus pilot who didnt love the airplane. Thats not to say that airbus would win the contest, but that once you have flown the bus, you are not as much of a hard core boeing-only fan. I know people give the airbus a hard time because of all of the automation that takes away much of the control from the pilots. but lets face it, many of the accidents out there are caused by us doing the wrong thing at the exact wrong time. The American crash in Cali would never have happened if they were flying an A320 or something. I believe the jury is still out on this whole debate. Boeing has a much longer track record and it will take many years of trouble free safe service for airbus to have as loyal a following as boeing. I will say one thing though, the best part about a boeing is it seems the aircraft are just plain overengineered. Time will tell if composite airframe components are a positive development for transport category aircraft.

 

[JimNtexas]

...lets face it, many of the accidents out there are caused by us doing the wrong thing at the exact wrong time. The American crash in Cali would never have happened if they were flying an A320 or something. I

Really? Did the Airbus airplanes have "refuse to crash" logic in 1995?

Jim

 

[SennaP1]

I hear crosswind landings are a bit to get used to, as the sidestick provides rate of roll and not bank. I wonder what thats like? Maybe in the next Flight Sim they'll have a Airbus, with all its "logics" I think that will be as close as I get to Airbus controls as I get for a couple of years. As far as the "weird noises" I think they are referring to the "buzzsaw"sound the engines make, although I've noticed all RR-powered commercial airliners make that noise, even the RR-engined 757s AA owns. Is it true that noise comes from the fan blades going close to supersonic at the tips? Thats what I've been told.

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

I prefer something "Made in the USA". The French are a bunch of limp wristed communists.