On 2/25/04 7:23 AM, in article , "Keith
Willshaw" wrote:


"Doug "Woody" and Erin Beal" wrote in message
...
On 2/25/04 3:32 AM, in article , "Keith
Willshaw" wrote:



Nope, and admittedly I'm telling tales out of school because I haven't
flown
one nor studied up on it, but it does have some funky engine failure
throttle automation (which I don't understand).


So you are criticising a system without knowing anything about it.
Autothrottles are scarcely a rarity and the installation on the A-300
can be turned off so the crew has full authority, just as on Boeing
aircraft.


I've got time in lots of jets with autothrottles, so spare me the preaching
to the choir. I bring up the autothrottle issue on the Airbus because of
their famous mishap with a jet that turned out to be the "world's most
expensive chainsaw" a few years back. That same throttle automation was
responsible for a Russian Airbus doing a wingover about 10 years ago too.

To me, the no-greater-than-60-degrees-AOB feature on the A320 is disturbing.
The pre-supposition by the folks at Airbus seems to be that the pilot needs
to be kept in a box because he's incapable of staying there on his own.

As I said before, my opinions are based on ready room chat with a few pilots
I know who fly the Airbus. The knowledge I have is on a macro level (i.e.
not from a standpoint of having been formally schooled on it), but it's
certainly enough to allow me to form a rational and reasonable opinion.

I've also taken the honest road and admitted my short-comings on the issue.

It's Airbus' approach to automation that I object to... perhaps slightly
out
of ignorance.


Indeed

So add some intellectual meat to the discussion. If you have time in an
Airbus or knowledge to the contrary and you'd like to lend an opposing view,
feel free. All things being equal, I like Boeing's approach to the issue
better.

--Woody