Mikkel:You know, before you ASSUME things, maybe you should sit and listen and let the big folk talk.First off, sim-wise, I fly the Airbus A320 (IFDG with PSS panel) for 100% of my sim flights because I like to mimic UAL and TED operations on that aircraft. So, I don't care Boeing or Airbus.Secondly, Mikkel, I was a 737-300/500 line pilot for Continental for six years. (EMP # 67364 in case you wish to check). When I was flying back in 1991, Continental drew up a contract to replace their Boeings with Airbuses. It never materialized because CAL filed for chapter 11 shortly thereafter. However, on contract were A320s, A330s and A340s believe it or not. I would have been senior enough to hold a F/O position on the A320s and at that time Continental was drawing up SOP for the pilots AND the flight attendants. Part of that SOP was to utilize the FULL AUTOMATION CAPABILITIES of the A320. That means: once you have selected FLEX or TOGA throttle setting and climbed to 500 feet, you engage the AP and let the aircraft fly until touchdown. Period. I am NOT a egomaniac so I didn't feel necessarily bad at the lack of throttle and stick interaction, but many pilots did.Third, and I can only speak from what I know at Continental, the SOP was to disconnect the AP at no less than 500 feet on the 737-300/500 and hand fly it from there, it was also RECOMMENDED that the AT remain engaged, but that is a PIC choice. Most pilots including myself hand flew the approach 85% of the time and left the decent to the AP. However, after a 4 day trip and 4 legs per day, most just let if fly down to 500 feet and flew it from there out of sheer exhaustion.And as far as A320 ops goes, well, let's see. My wife Jeannie is a flight attendant for UAL based out of IAD, my brother in law Jerome (Jerry) is a A320 captain out of IAD and my father-in-law just retired as a A320 check-airman out of KORD. I don't have to speculate, I just have to pick up the phone and ask. Also, Jack and Jerry frequently sit with me here on my sim and fly the A320 (mostly complain about flight dynamic inaccuracies and etc.). I've got a UAL A320 POM sitting here on my desk and a model of a TED A320 on my curio cabinet, so I would be the last person you'd want to accuse of being "Boeing Biased."As for me. I don't care, Boeing or Airbus but MY FAVORITE aircraft is the B737-700-800-900 and I actually prefer Boeings if I had to truly choose.SO, Mikkel, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride, but please, observe the NO FOOT IN MOUTH sign or we'll have to have the Air Marshals put you in restraints. :-lolAs for "speaking for the whole community", I guess you missed the end of my post that said, "just my 2 cents...". So your derivitive and trite comment would be sophomoric at best and down right low-browed blathering at its finest. And as far as "plain dumb and ignorant", are you just as willing to point that mirror introspectively...scary relection isn't it! :-lolGood Day,Mike T.

Okay, which is it going to be, do I despise Boeings or do I despise Airbuses? You guys are confusing me. :-rollYes, agreed, Airbuses are easy to hand fly because that is inherent to the FBW design. The computers interperate control inputs very well and the autotrim is simply an extention of that paradigm. Never having flown one myself, my in-laws, both A320 jockies, swear by them. But my point was that in the case of the Boeings, save the 777 (which by the way happens to be one of my favorite aircraft) unless you engage the CWS, you are flying stick and rudder without the benefit of triple redunant computers to "translate" your intention.As for autoflight procedures, I can only comment on what I know. Each airline has its on SOP and I will not argue their merits or lack there-of. I believe just about every airline RECOMMENDS that pilots utilize every automation feature at their disposal regardless of aircraft of course, there is great latitude for the pilots to make their own decision."Someday, airplanes will be flown by one pilot and a dog. The pilot will be there to monitor the instruments and the dog will be there to make sure heshe doesn't touch anything." :-lolRegards,Mike T.

I just did.Regards,Mike T.

Okay, okay. Any other real world avaitors...:)

Okay, okay. Any other real world avaitors...:)

That means: once you have selected FLEX or TOGA throttle setting and climbed to 500 feet, you engage the AP and let the aircraft fly until touchdown. Period.Which is exactly what can be done to perfection in the PSS Panel. So I really don't get what all the anti-PSS talk is about.

Pete,Pretty sweeping statement from a licenced pilot - whatever happened to "informed comment"??Kev

And because of PSS, Airbus now sucks...I can see how that makes sense. :-roll Please don't make this into an Airbus vs. Boeing thread, it's not meant to be that.I would tend to disagree with the statement that if someone made an A320 it wouldn't sell as much as a Boeing, just because it's an Airbus. I think that a quality product will sell dispite being A or B.Like I said before, I guess I'm just surprised that no one has announced a new model. With all the new features and options made available in other products, one would think that a designer would pick up the torch and implement some of these into an Airbus. I'm talking about smooth LCD gauges, fully working FMC and fully working systems.

Pete, what rubbish there is nothing wrong with PSS products including the busses. Try the Vulcan but of course I remember you are the bloke who cannot land anything without an ILS and cannot fly manually. You say you have a Pilots licence. I would like to see it.

Any aircraft that can be modelled good in FS I like. FBW can be done, maybe not exactly like the real deal but as PMDG's CWS shows it is possible to an extent that PSSs busses do not have...Best Wishes,[h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4]http://www.rawbw.com/~bdoolin/shinault/southparkcartmad.gif[h3]I WANT MY 747![/h3]Caution! Not a real pilot, but do play one on TV ;-)

I got to thinking, seeing as PMDG is coming out with their 747, LDS is making a 767 and a lot of other guys making new long haul planes. Why is it that no one is making an Airbus 330/340 in the same quality as these two. I know PSS made one, but I wouldn't consider them in the same league, and I was more wondering why no one else would make such a plane? I think there would be a tremendous amount of interest in a plane like this.

I don't care if you are this or the other, but I really take offence for being talked to in a disrespectful way like that, and I urge you to reconsider before talking to other people that way again...

Mikkel:It was YOUR "dumb and ignorant" comment as well as your spurious ideologue towards my post that spurred my rebutt. To get respect on this forum, one must earn it and refrain from off-the-cuff comments.If you don't want others to rebuke your comments in a manner in which YOU will take exception, then YOU should refrain from using words to wit YOU would not like directed at you.My comments stand, without regret.Good Day,Mike T.

The dumb and ignorant comment was a reply to you saying that the pilot switches on the seatbelt sign and so forth and that is all...how is that not a dumb comment?Tell me why you even posted in this thread in the first place...you bring nothing to the discussion, as my question was why no one would make a payware airbus, how does your reply answer my question?

If you reread my comments you will find that I comment on the parts of your post that were in my eyes strange...like you speaking for the entire sim community, even though you say it's only your 2 cents. How about these quotes then "the vast majority of virtual pilots here takegreat pride on hand-flying their aircraft" and this "the majority here want to fly the aircraft rather than be flown by the aircraft"...that to me looks like you speak for everyone here, no?I then told you a friend of mine which flies the 737 does things differently, why can't you accept that, how did I antogonize you in that?I then said unless you know otherwise how would you know what airliners do, and clearly you do know what continental and some others do, but does that mean every airline does it?edit...I just wanted to add, if you want to discuss this further you can contact me through email or the message system as this has gone off track enough, thanks.