I smell a

Hi Bill,Let us know when you start pond-hopping. I live a couple of hours down the road from Schiphol, and Amsterdam being party-town number 1 in Northern Europe, I quite often start up the Mini Cooper and head there for the week-end. Could be fun to share a brew or 10 at a suitable watering-hole. Guess you've been to AMS before, if not I'll show you some of the more "interesting" sights :)Airbus-Bashers,Give it a rest boys, it's just another piece of very expensive metal designed to carry you and I from here to there in comfort. I've paxed on all Boeing products, except the 777, and I've also paxed on all Airbus products, except the A310. The difference is minimal. I appreciate that for pilots there is much to learn if moving from an analog Boeing to a digital Airbus, but aerodynamic laws remains the same as does gravity, meteorology etc. Mate of mine is flying the A330/A340 for SAS, having moved from the 767. He was reluctant at first, being a die-hard Boeing fan and all, but having been on the Airbus for a few months he doesn't ever want to go back. Best thing (for a pilot) about an Airbus? The foldable table, allowing for a more human way of eating than resting a tray on your lap and fighting for the space with an intrusive control column. So there :)Merry X-Mas and a Happy New Year everyone. I'm off to CPH for the holidays, jumpseating on a 757SF sunday. I'll bring a digicam and post a few snappies. Flying with our chief pilot, a very nice chap who doesn't mind a mere PPL'er having a go at the controls if circumstances allows for it. And belive you me, the circumstances will defo allow for it on sunday :) :) :)

Do you think the crosswind is wise Mike? C'mon, I mean didn't we have to scrape the remnants of 856 off the side of the mountain last time?;)

Too bad you have not flown in an A310, it has a lot less platsic and a much more solid 'feel' ...probably the best effort Airbus evern had IMHO ;-)

HI Mike,Thanks for the kind words and sound advice, I'll make sure my seat belt is on for the turbulent times and the drinks are never spilled.She who must be obeyed is very understanding of my chronic PIC-addiction and she has finally given up trying to pry me away from the computer. I am actualy trying to show her some basic PNF duties so she can help me...'push that button there when I command you too, sweetie' ...I get a real ego saying things like that and it's good practice for when the lights are off...'pull that lever hard please, sweetie'.It's all good mate!I'll try hard to get on-line tonight and Saturday night at some point. I may even get an hour Sunday morning...then 11 days without my 767, bad things may happen, never gone that long before ;-) I'll stay numb in the pub, that'll help.Rob.

"Airbus-Bashers,Give it a rest boys"Fair enough TopHeavy, a rest it shall be. It's all just in fun anyway.

Wow, I step away from the forum for a few days and this comes up. Good luck Rob!You aren't seriously considering popping the question in an Airbus, are you?!?Lee Hetherington (KBED)

Rob,I'm speechless (will never happen again, trust me).Great news - best of luck, now go and get her.Have a great holiday and we shall see you when you come back.Ian Elchitz CYWG

Lee, Ian, thanks....Yes, after careful consideration, I have decided to pop the question on the flight to UK...as for the Airbus, it was a very tough comprimise I had to make...this is ONLY because the best opportunity for us to be upgraded to 1st class was on ACA862 which, unfortunatley, is an Airbus 330. I had originally booked my flight on ACA868 (a Boeing 767-300), but my buddy at ACA talked me in to flying on the later flight so I could be upgraded. Without the upgrade to first class, there would be no proposal of marriage in economy ;-)ACA856 is either a 747-400 or A330, but the thought of proposing on ACA856 had crossed my mind.On the way back, I am on a 767-300...you know I will be all over that one with my digital camera.My family thinks I am nuts, what do they know, eh?Rob.

now you're making me wonder how one dcan sense 'the pilot feeeling of flight' when one is in the pax-seats...so WHO says airbus doesn't fly like a true airplane?...do we actually have bus-pilots here??i can agree it ain't the same as flying any boeing, yet then again it ain't right to compare apples with oranges....lolRob, have a great time in the 330, you'll love it i'm sure... :)cheers

"It's all just in fun anyway."Agreed Mike. I know there is not one us ("us" being those who only fly virtually) who, if offered the chance to fly the Airbus for a living, would say "No thanks, I don't like Airbuses, I'll just keep flying my 767PIC panel on this computer."And if one of you truly would not pilot a

Mike & others,I know it's just a joke. Wait till you here me go off on MD-11's :) :)I haven't flown anything heavy "for real". Got a few hours in 757/767 and A300 Level-D sims, about 1/2 hour in a A320 ditto plus a few minutes flying a 727, 75 and A300 en route. On that basis I obviously can't talk from an airline pilots point of view. But I've talked to a lot of guys who have flown both digital Airbuses and analog Boeings, and at the end of the day an aircraft is an aircraft. Switch off all the automatics in a digital Airbus, and it'll behave just like any other analog aircraft. It's only with the automatics on an Airbus is different, and with all the automation some say reduce the crew from pilots to operators. Some argue that Airbuses keeps pilots out of the loop and that could be dangerous, others say Airbuses protects the crew from doing something stupid, and that enhances safety. I'm leaning towards the Airbus point of view, in all but the most extreme and unlikely scenarios (like, if rolling the aircraft 120 degree might safe the day (BA 747 over Africa with violent pax in cockpit)).Boeing does indeed provide a product with the same level of automation as an Airbus; it's the 777. Project Yellowstone will undoubtedly continue and further develop that line. So bashing Airbus and promoting Boeing on that basis seems just a little daft.And before I leave; the schedueled 757SF that was supposed to fly me home has been replaced by a 727 from an outside operator. No flying for me today then :( but can start early on the beers though :)Merry X-Mas and Happy New Year all, see ya next year.

Bill, dies this mean that you'll be doing NW37/38 again? they might even have terminal E finished by then.TimLiving at KTAN, under the ORW3 arrival into Boston

Hey guys,Yeah, the 'ol "Boeing vs. Airbus" thing, eh? You can just imagine what it's like in one of our "crew rooms". We routinely are scheduled to fly into a hub airport, then sit around for two or three hours, then head off to the next destination. This leaves plenty of time for us to "#####" about all the wonders of the job....the Boeing/Airbus thing is a given..-"if it don't say Boeing, then I ain't going..."-"oh, you fly the boomerang (Airbus)? It leaves the gate, but always comes back..."they go on and on :D(personally, I'd rather debate blondes vs. brunettes vs. redheads....LOL)Tim,Don't really know what routes they'll be using the A330 on yet. I would guess that one of the first "international" routes would be Detroit to Amsterdam...but then, the airline "wizards" over at the World Headquarters never call me to ask my opinion...:DMerry Christmas all...BBall-------------------Capt. William "BBall" BallBoeing 757, Northwest AirlinesSenior Editorwww.frugalsworld.com

Capt. BBall,If you are going to get trained in the A330, will you have to go back to the right seat? BrianKPHX