I was messing around a few weeks ago with my Feelthere Airbus series adjusting the VC view for the right hight, updating the sounds, and tweaking the FDE a little for better speed brake drag. When I got to the A330 I noticed that the nose was not slightly lowered while sitting on the ground like what I've seen in the real world at KMSP. The real bird sits with a slight nose down attitude on the ground. Anyway I made the contact point adjustment to the Feelthere FS model (during beta testing I didn't get that much time with these birds like I got with other releases). Once back in the VC the difference was interesting with the slightly lowered nose so I went to Airliners.net to compare. Sure enough it looked about right. I had a chance by chance at the airport last weekend when visiting a friend to go in both an A320 cockpit and an A330. I was amazed knowing these both have similar cockpits but the angle of the actual airframe makes a world of difference in how they feel in the cockpit looking straight out. I wish I caught this during testing. So the bottom line is although newer Airbuses in general have the same cockpit formate they have very different feels when sitting in them because of the airframe (sounds like common since right). So all that being said I wonder what pilots who've had time in various airliners think of the A330. Putting all of what I just wrote aside, that's the main question I have. How does flying the A330 compare to the 744 or 767? It's hard to find an answer from a pilot on the internet who's had time in various models. I'm impressed with the climb rate, thrust, and FBW response of the A330 not only from the FS rendition but what the specs say and when I see them in the real world. Seeing them allot out of KMSP lead me to further study the data and make adjustments to my FS model to further represent it's real world counterpart. The slightly lowered nose again was very different than what I thought the feel in the cockpit in these birds was like.

How does flying the A330 compare to the 744 or 767?

I am not a real-world pilot, but I'd read this before I even flew as a passenger on an Airbus A330.

I am not a real-world pilot, but I'd read this before I even flew as a passenger on an Airbus A330.

I knew writing this might bring up mention of Air France 447.

I'm only a civilian pilot and not a commercial one, but I have been involved in producing official documentation for the Airbus A330 in the past (specifically, the Standard Operating Procedures for the A320/321/330 for a number of European airlines). One thing I can tell you, is that the cockpit commonality of the aircraft, whilst good for easing pilot certifications, has also led to a few worries, the chief one being the fact that pilots have to constantly remind themselves which model it is they are flying, especially with the A320 and A321, since their different lengths have caused worries about pilots forgetting which one they are in and over rotating a longer model, potentially risking a tail strike. This was a concern for Boeing with the 737-900NG, which is very much longer than other 737s, and in fact Boeing beefed up and slightly lengthened the undercarriage on the 737-900NG to give it a bit more ground clearance for that reason, amongst others.I know one or two pilots who are not especially enamored with the sidestick controllers, although they do usually admit the view of the instruments and the room for charts and such is better. Nevertheless, more than one pilot has confided that in the P1 slot, they don't like the fact that it is their left hand on the stick, with no option to use their right hand, as you can with a traditional yoke. One Lufthansa pilot told me that he did not like the lack of 'real' feeling from the sidestick controller, saying that on older aircraft with more direct control linkages, he only needed to place his fingers lightly on the yoke to know what the aircraft was doing in the air.Thought you might like this from one of those manuals I produced (this is a real A330 manual, so these figures are the official Airbus numbers), so I scanned it for you:Hope that helps - Al

I am not a real-world pilot, but I'd read this before I even flew as a passenger on an Airbus A330.

I hope you're not going to condemn an otherwise successful airliner type, just because of that one incident, are you? Otherwise you'd best not step into any plane out there...

I hope you're not going to condemn an otherwise successful airliner type, just because of that one incident, are you? Otherwise you'd best not step into any plane out there...

No, I wouldn't. But I would want to be aware of this open investigation before boarding this aircraft as a pilot or passenger, and thought it should be linked in the thread since this is the most comprehensive news story I've seen recently on this ongoing investigation.

Nevertheless, more than one pilot has confided that in the P1 slot, they don't like the fact that it is their left hand on the stick, with no option to use their right hand, as you can with a traditional yoke.

As a non-pilot, I've found this to be the most astounding aspect of sidestick design. The co-pilot flies with his right hand, but must relearn how to fly with his left hand when moving into the P1 seat (or at least that's how it seems to the non-pilot).I guess they manage somehow, but I've never really understood how this ever got off a drawing board.Are naturally left-handed pilots favored in hiring?

It wouldn't actually make sense to single out lefties for flying. For one thing, they are statistically fewer in number, but more importantly, you often find the co-pilot gets a fair bit of stick time too, especially when a P1 is the type who prefers to 'manage' the aircraft rather than simply drive it, so to favour left-handers would be 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' so to speak. Much of the time the thing is on auto anyway these days, so it's probably not a major issue.Oddly enough though, many Huey pilots in Vietnam preferred to fly from the left seat, which unlike in a fixed-wing aircraft, is the P2 seat in a chopper. This was because the panel is smaller on the co-pilot side of a Huey cockpit, since it doesn't fully duplicate the P1 pilot's instruments, and they'd consequently have a better view forwards and down through the chin window from the P2 seat. Of course the controls are the same on either side, but it is nevertheless an instance of the P1 pilot choosing to fly from the P2 position.Al

Nevertheless, more than one pilot has confided that in the P1 slot, they don't like the fact that it is their left hand on the stick, with no option to use their right hand, as you can with a traditional yoke. Hope that helps - Al

This is interesting Chock as I see no other way to fly an airplane especially from the captains seat. :( Even in my Cessna 172 you fly constantly with your left hand on the yoke and your right hand on the throttle. It's the opposite in the co-pilot's seat. Even on takeoff one had is on the throttle and the other holding the yoke. I've never had need to place my right hand on the yoke unless I just wanted to from the left seat. Landing, again has the right hand on the throttle and the left on the yoke. A side stick shouldn't be that much different in technique outside of getting used to the sterile FBW characteristics.Thanks for sharing the charts you created...

Well, one thing that might explain that opinion I've had from some commercial pilots, is that more than one of them who expressed that opinion was a keen glider pilot, which is fairly common among commercial pilots, and one or two had flown old warbirds as well. In gliders, you almost always fly with the right hand on the stick and the left hand operating the trim, ballast, spoiler and flap controls, as they are generally mounted on the left side of the cockpit rim just below the canopy, which is a bit like old WW1 and WW2 fighter planes, with the throttle on the left side of the cockpit, that probably being something those old warbird pilots would doubtless have preferred. I've only very rarely flown in old warbirds, since there are not that many two seater ones, and nobody is going to trust me in their single seater pride and joy LOL, but I will say when I have been in stuff like that, I liked the throttle being on the left.Al

Even in my Cessna 172 you fly constantly with your left hand on the yoke and your right hand on the throttle

Exactly, Less! I've never understood all the hypo about 'Airbus captains having to fly with their left hand'. I have also plioted only GA aircraft myself but using a left or right hand iz zero problems for me (even though I started my aviation adventure as a glider student). I talked to a guy who is an A320 captain (WizzAir) and he had no problems with that either.However, I guess that....

he did not like the lack of 'real' feeling from the sidestick controller, saying that on older aircraft with more direct control linkages, he only needed to place his fingers lightly on the yoke to know what the aircraft was doing in the air

... indeed might be a problem for some.Anyway it's a question of getting used. We must follow technological progress.I remember changing my cars when the new one had power steering. My first feeling was it is not intuitive and I won't feel the car right.That has passed after a few days and now I couldn't get on without it. :(

That is probably true, in any case, for a lot of pilots who get in the A320 as FOs, it could be their first jet airliner, and that being the case, the control is for their right hand, so it's probably a gentle introduction to matters.To be honest though, I actually think it is a slight advantage to use your left hand if you can on a yoke (which unfortunately I often cannot on a glider), I think one is more inclined to hold the control lightly with one's 'second hand', and I suspect that's what Airbus might have been thinking about. For those who don't fly for real, you might be interested to know it is quite a common problem amongst student pilots to hold the control column in a vice like grip, which is generally not necessary unless you happen to be dogfighting a Spitfire in your Messerschmitt and pulling seven gees in the thing.Al

I am not a real-world pilot, but I'd read this before I even flew as a passenger on an Airbus A330.

As a non-pilot (...)

Typical.

I've found this to be the most astounding aspect of sidestick design. The co-pilot flies with his right hand, but must relearn how to fly with his left hand when moving into the P1 seat (or at least that's how it seems to the non-pilot).

That is probably true, in any case, for a lot of pilots who get in the A320 as FOs, it could be their first jet airliner, and that being the case, the control is for their right hand, so it's probably a gentle introduction to matters.

As with any other commercial 2-pilot aircraft...Every pilot starts (normally) in the right hand seat, after learning to fly on the left side, so actually one would have to "relearn" to fly from the right. Is not only in Airbus, it's in every freakin airplane.

Are naturally left-handed pilots favored in hiring?

Please tell me you are joking...

As with any other commercial 2-pilot aircraft...Every pilot starts (normally) in the right hand seat, after learning to fly on the left side, so actually one would have to "relearn" to fly from the right. Is not only in Airbus, it's in every freakin airplane.

That is true, but in all but a few aircraft, Airbus models after the A300 are pretty much the only ones that absolutely require a fundamentally different method to hold the yoke depending on which side you are sitting.Al

That is true, but in all but a few aircraft, Airbus models after the A300 are pretty much the only ones that absolutely require a fundamentally different method to hold the yoke depending on which side you are sitting.Al

Can I request a further explanation? It seems pretty much the same as other aircraft to me: Copilot holds the yoke (or sidestick) with their right hand and the throttles with their left hand. Captain holds the yoke or sidestick with their left hand and the throttles with the right.