Wys
In the past you’ve accused me of being biased and opinionated towards Boeing.
I think this thread is showing you are a pot that calls the kettle black ;).
It is obvious you are biased towards the Airbus way of things. I supose that is only natural, it is after all the way you now earn your keep. 🙂

Sorry Sandy, no pot calling the kettle black as my postings are based on factual experience of operating both manufacturers products rather than personal bias. I tried both and one works better than the other. It’s not my fault that the one I prefer to actually operate is not the one that you idolise. Sorry!

I feel it really doesn’t matter weather an aircraft has a side stick or not, it doesn’t make it a better or more technically advanced aircraft. The customer did not want it, period.

The supplier listened to the customer and they said no, simple. Airbus had no customers when it was first launched so it was a gamble that paid off for them. The 777 out performs the A340, a side stick has no role in that equation.

Whoever linked sidesticks to performance??? I only state their benefits to ergonomics. Those that wish to hem themselves behind a control column for a long haul flight when they will inly use said column for 1% of the flight are welcome to that. However, if you actually tried one you might understand…

Bean counters select aircraft nowadays, it’s irreverent if it has a side stick or a column. They probably don’t even know what a side stick is….

They want the best aircraft for the job. 😉

That’s exactly right…but they didn’t when Boeing asked about the 777. The decision makers then were the guys who had built their careers on 707’s and 727’s but it’s not they who live with the results.

Most important in this job not to get too tangled up with the birds..at least not the 6 working in Upper Class or the 9 in Economy!

But Boeing kept the control column because the customers wanted it that way, not Boeing. Now there is talk of the 777 flight deck being used on the 787 for cross crew qualification purposes. 😉

…but that’s what I’m saying…people who had never experienced sidesticks refused change. You could argue that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ but if you live by that motto alone we’re never going to progress like we could do. Was Frank Whittle wrong to invent the jet engine when their was nothing wrong with the piston? No, because he moved the whole industry on.

The sad thing is that the old dinosaurs in TWA, PANAM, Eastern, etc who were probably the ones that forced Boeing down this route are probably now retired from the industry and their ‘but that’s how we’ve always done it’ mentality plagues us for years to come.

BTW – Well done to NASA, the true pioneers of the value of sidesticks and well done to the RRJ team and Bombardier for deciding to ditch the yoke and join the club!

…but the 737 and the 320 are being sold as direct competitors so it is surely a very fair and logical comparison. In fact the latest update of either comes from the US so if anything, they should have the advantage.

With the widebody situation the stakes are much more even and debatable because the 777 is so very good. The combination of that and the 787 will certainly make sales a challenge for Airbus. I’ll be able to lfind out alot more about the 777 this summer as my brother is converting onto the type.