Airbus Hate?

[Degrees]

After being in the industry the short time that I have, I'm sensing a lot of hate specifically from pilots for the Airbus. As someone who's training as an engineer, I view the Airbus family of aircraft to be engineering marvels; but this is no surprise because I say the same thing about just about everything that flies.

 

The use of advanced composites, fly by wire and the highly integrated autoflight system make then a very high-tech aeroplane. Yet I'm trying to understand why my instructors refer to them as the "Scarebus". I’ve wasted a lot of time messing with the a320 on flight simulator. It's one of my favourite aeroplanes and one of the many heaps of metal that I dream of commanding one day.But just from that I can see how fly-by-wire can **** people off; the aeroplane has a mind of it's own. But I'm guessing it's more like "You can't like both Boeing and Airbus, you have to choose."

 

Anyway, that’s just my thoughts. Discuss.

 

Just realised I posted in the wrong section, move to commercial aviation if you wish.

 

*Moved to Commercial Aviation - Glenn*

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Well I don't really hate the French things, but I am a Boeing man.

 

 

[Guest Darren Masters]

Peronally I am an Airbus fan. Speaking to the pilots at work, they love the Airbus. General feeling is the fear of flying the machine due to it being so different from say the Boeing. They have told me once you start flying the Airbus you don't look back. As for they have a mind of their own, yes, they do have certain characteristics that other aircraft do not. In saying that, you are less likely to get into a sticky situation with the Airbus. It will not let you. It has behaviours that prevent it doing certain things that may jeopardise safe flight.

 

 

[Degrees]

I thought that might be the case. People seem to fear things that are "too different".

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

I thought that might be the case. People seem to fear things that are "too different".

ummm yea, know the feeling lol

 

 

[Uncle Chop Chop]

Peronally I am an Airbus fan. Speaking to the pilots at work, they love the Airbus. General feeling is the fear of flying the machine due to it being so different from say the Boeing. They have told me once you start flying the Airbus you don't look back. As for they have a mind of their own, yes, they do have certain characteristics that other aircraft do not. In saying that, you are less likely to get into a sticky situation with the Airbus. It will not let you. It has behaviours that prevent it doing certain things that may jeopardise safe flight.

But what about the 2 seperate A330 incidents that have occurred in the last few years?

 

Did anyone see the Sunday Night special on the Scarebus? Very Interesting.

 

 

[Guest 757GB]

Nice topic. I'm a Boeing fan myself, but it seems the A vs. B debacle is endless.

 

Something that seems to be at the root of it is that Airbus tends to give final authority to the computer, while Boeing tends to give it to the pilot.

 

That is not to say that an Airbus cannot be flown on pilot's authority or that a Boeing cannot be heavily automated. But it's a very significant difference between the two.

 

Folks from the A camp will usually say that the computer will avoid more accidents than pilots could, and from the B camp they will tell you about the accidents when the computer did not allow the pilot to save the airplane because it "assumed" something.

 

In my opinion reality is somewhere in the middle and it goes both ways.

 

I very much like Airbus planes. Now the Airbus (company) attitude sometimes rubs me the wrong way. I never found the picture again (they probably got rid of it) but I remember that for the delivery of the first A380 to Singapore Airlines part of the ceremony was to cut a 747 model in half. That got me mad :mad:. It has nothing to do with the quality of the planes, I just wonder if anyone here remembers that picture...

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Airbus, Boeing - they all fly so who really cares. I don't have a preference for either. I love anything that flies.

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

... I love anything that flies.

Even 'bugsmashers' ?

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Yes. I would love one of my own