Apparently Boeing aircraft do not use the rudder when autopilot is engaged to turn/yaw.

Airbus on the other hand does. 

 

Why the difference? 

 

Should one be engaging the rudder pedals when making bank turns (30 degrees) when autopilot is turned off? Or is this dependent on company SOP?

 

Thank you.

Not an answer to your question, but damn you should be happy that the autopilot do not use rudder. In the Tu-154 it does and it's not very smooth and occasionally the rudder might slam due it's constantly adjusted. This is why tight turns usually done manually... Airbus and Boeing probably knew of this consequence.

Why the difference? 

Because Airbus and Boeing are very different in many aspects of autopilot and flight controls operations.

This a bit like asking why vanilla ice cream is different than chocolate.

In Boeing yaw damper takes care of steering the rudder unless there is asymmetric thrust problem.

 

 

 

Should one be engaging the rudder pedals when making bank turns (30 degrees) when autopilot is turned off?

No, as long as yaw damper is engaged you don't have to use your feet.

 

BTW, even some 4 seater, piston powered airplanes come these days with a similar yaw damper.

The airbus doesn't have a yaw damper? 

 

Thanks.

It does.

Omni,

 

Both Airbus & Boeing use the yaw damper during turns, both also use the rudder directly during autolands. You should never touch the rudder inflight except for decrabing and asymmetric flight whilst you trim the rudder.

 

Also, saying 'Boeing or Airbus' is generalizing a bit too much, the 777,787 rudder does not behave the same as the  737-200 or 757,767  nor does a A300 behave the same as an A320. 

Omni,

 

Both Airbus & Boeing use the yaw damper during turns, both also use the rudder directly during autolands. You should never touch the rudder inflight except for decrabing and asymmetric flight whilst you trim the rudder.

 

Also, saying 'Boeing or Airbus' is generalizing a bit too much, the 777,787 rudder does not behave the same as the  737-200 or 757,767  nor does a A300 behave the same as an A320. 

You're not supposed to use the rudder, but I do remember a certain A300 which made too much force moving the rudder back and forth so it suddenly snapped and crashed into new york.

 

Rudders however, even if they snap shouldn't crash the plane. It has happened on other aircraft and they suddenly didn't dive to the ground.

 

EDIT: Other aircraft simply lost the steering rudder, not it's vertical fin.

Rudders however, even if they snap shouldn't crash the plane. It has happened on other aircraft and they suddenly didn't dive to the ground.

 

I think you'll find with the Jamaica bay A300 accident the entire vertical stabilizer came off.  Slightly different to a partial loss of rudder  

Thank you for clearing that up. 

 

Cheers