There are quite a few Airbus projects that will be coming out in the coming months. I'm aware of PMDG, Wilco and I just read about a third one from Peter Wilding. I'd like to buy one, but I wonder how much my simple brain can handle at a time. Are they similar enough that you could fly a Boeing one day, then an Airbus the next? From what little I know, the CDU, MCP and various controls are quite different from one another. Curt

>There are quite a few Airbus projects that will be coming out>in the coming months. I wish - we may even be talking years!

Actual execution at the pilot interface end is, in principle, not that dissimilar - if anything the modern Airbus is simpler.eg Boeing LNAV = PUSH heading nob to 'give' FCU control to fms, aka 'managed' lateral mode.Boeing heading select = PULL heading nob to 'take' pilot direct control of FCU heading, aka 'selected' lateral mode.Similar principle with VNAV and the bus altitude nob.On it goes like this, same principles differently executed - very intuitive and easy to transition for any seasoned Boeing driver - fear not :) - lots of fun in store next year.So do it like rw pilots - learn to fly it - then spend the rest of your life figuring it out :-lolregards,Markhttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/747400.jpgXPHomeSP2/FS9.1/3.2HT/1024mb/X700pro256

After all what I've learned during the last years, the Airbus systems are a heck of a lot more intuitive than anything Boeing produced so far.In addition to that, I guess Airbus is chosen by the airlines because of their simplicity and ease of use:It's like in a modern car. Compared to older ones, they have electronic stability control, ABS, traction control, brake assistants etc. etc. They simply iron out mistakes of the driver to a great extent. This way, even the "Average Joe" can drive fast and secure through narrow curves. Try this with an older car without the fancy toys and you're in for a visit at the local hospital or even the cemetary.Same goes for Airbus airplanes IMHO. Try this with Boeings...So, airlines save money 'cause they don't need these "experts" behind the controls, an average pilot is sufficiant (I don't say Airbus drivers are all nuts, no offense here, it's just that I bet compared to e.g. older Soviet war veterans driving their aged IL's and TU's, they don't play in the same league).Andreas

I've spoken to a few BA pilots who don't like the Airbus. In fact one said it's like comparing a Mini to a Rolls Royce, the Boeing is that much nicer from a pilot's perspective. Sure I guess the computers do most of the work, heck even the engines are true autostart, where's the fun in that. I've flown sim versions of both and much prefer the Boeings. I don't think Pilot wise you need any better pilot to fly a Boeing, after all any modern airliner is more a matter of being a programmer than a pilot anyhow.The one plane I think even an idiot could fly safely is the Cirrus, with it's CAPS it's as safe as it comes. Take off, slave the autopilot to the GPS, let it fly the route, and if you get in really hot water, just slow down to stall and pull the chute, down safe. Sure you'll get a visit from the authorities but hey, you'll be alive.

Well, If you want to be a pilot, fly a Boeing, if you want to be a elevator operator, fly an Airbus. I am very familiar with the Boeing stuff, and find AirBuses counterintuitive, even little things like the scrolling of the page on the PMC seems to go backwards. But, really, that is because I'm very familiar with Boeings. I think it is really just what you are used to.The ERJ FMC was just as puzzling when I first sat down with it.That said, Airbus has patented the interface, so no one else can use it, even if they wanted to.To say that one is better than the other seems silly. Obviously both are competing in a really tough marketplace.On the sim-side, presently there are no good AirBus models out there, at the level of the PMDG & LDS, so not much choice in the sim-world. As you will likely know, PMDG has announced an AirBus, I will likely have another look at that time.* Orest

R/W ATP rated pilots do not alternate between Boeing and Airbus. While many principles are the same the terms and procedures differ between the two. With the often rapid response time there is no opportunity to allow confusion between the two.Generally pilots are type rated within the same family of these complex aircraft. For Boeing that's the 7xx NG series or even including the older 700 series with multiple training. A glass cockpit for the newest Boeing models and the similarities of operations might allow in some cases a single type rating to cover nuances of each model with no or minimal training.The same is true I believe for models in Airbus later models since they went with more glass.It is a case of apples and oranges. I would think maintaining currency on both families would be extremely difficult because of terminology, systems differences, and procedures in pre-flight and in-flight being different.Airbus was I believe the first to have office similarity amoung product families followed soon after by Boeing where minimal training is required to expand your type rating.

The important parts to being an Airbus pilot is you have to be flamingly homosexual, hate Americans, democracy, and freedom, support terrorism, and always be prepared to surrender to anything at any time. At least that's what all my friends at Boeing tell me. It sounds a lot like any other modern office work environment to tell the truth.(sarcasm setting eleven, folks! :()

Actually it was Boeing that was the first to have "office similarity" with the 757/767 family.They wanted to make the 737NG more like the 747/777 family, but the FAA would not give them a common type rating with the ubiquitous 737 classic family, so they rejigged a bit.* Orest

>The important parts to being an Airbus pilot is you have to>be flamingly homosexual, hate Americans, democracy, and>freedom, support terrorism, and always be prepared to>surrender to anything at any time. At least that's what all my>friends at Boeing tell me. It sounds a lot like any other>modern office work environment to tell the truth.>>>>>>>>>>(sarcasm setting eleven, folks! :()]:-lolDaniel P.http://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpgMember of SJU Photography. [A HREF=http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=9004]Click Here[/A] to view my aircraft photos at JetPhotos.Net!The official psychotic AA painter. :)