Airbus

Airbus Stick Technique

By Dave English

I normally write about ideas that apply to flying any aircraft. But today is different. This is Airbus specific. Very specific! Recently read a couple of peer-reviewed scientific research papers that do a great job parsing Airbus stick skills and fine-grain aircraft control. I’ve learnt some new things, confirmed some suspicions, but still have questions. The four topics are: Where to hold the side stick? Separate up/down and left/right inputs, or move the stick in 2-D? Aim for perfectly centered or smoothly tracking? What else did the researchers learn? The main research paper is Stirring the Pot: Comparing Stick Input … Continue reading Airbus Stick Technique

Your ​​job is

By Dave English

“If you want to fly as [traditional pilots] say they do, then go fly gliders, become test pilots, for all I care go to the moon. But flying for the airlines is not supposed to be an adventure. From takeoff to landing, the autopilots handle the controls. This is routine. In a Boeing as much as an Airbus. And they make better work of it than any pilot can. You’re not supposed to be the blue-eyed hero here. Your job is to make decisions, to stay awake, and to know which buttons to push and when. Your job is to … Continue reading Your ​​job is

The problem with pilots

By Dave English

Finished reading an amazing book that was published last year— The Problem with Pilots: How Physicians, Engineers, and Airpower Enthusiasts Redefined Flight, by former USAF U2 instructor pilot and dean of their school of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Colonel Timothy P. Schultz, PhD. It covers the history of automation in aircraft, the replacement and extension of piloting skills into faster, higher, more precise aerial machines. It’s a must-read for people interested in aviation history, human factors engineering, or understanding the history of automated flying. Full of original research, fully referenced, deeply academic yet written in easy flowing English. And … Continue reading The problem with pilots