PILOT SCHEME
Pilot reveals the type of plane that is ‘easier to fly’ – and the one that is more comfortable
The Airbus is more difficult to learn but pays more and is comfortable
AN AIRLINE pilot has revealed the plane that is "easier to fly"; and more comfortable.
He has even revealed that some pilots refuse to transition to one type of aircraft because it is so difficult to learn.
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, a former airline pilot, took to Quora to expose the realities of a flying career and answer many burning questions from online users.
He claims that the vast majority of pilots would opt for a Boeing model over an Airbus for a number of reasons.
John said: "The pilots I know are split on this. But I think the majority favor Boeing because their aircraft can be flown without a computer.
"In my airline, many pilots refused to transition to the Airbus from the Boeing because it was so different and difficult to learn… even though the Airbus trips were more desirable and paid more.
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"Once learned, it is a great aircraft, but its learning curve is steep and challenging.
"For me I liked to fly the Boeing, but I preferred to ‘work’ in the Airbus, especially since it had better “creature comforts” for long hauls."
John also explained how the "average, unfamiliar pilot" could take off and land "much easier" in the Boeing.
A captain for American Airlines with 12,000 hours under his belt confirmed this on the site too.
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James Carson Scott wrote: "It’s a matter of simulator training and then getting rated.
"Heck, if you can fly any heavy iron, the fundamentals are the same although the Airbus is fly-by-wire vs most Boeings which have an actual yoke instead of a joystick to control the thing."
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Comfort is not the only factor getting in the way of some pilots and their choice of travel, with John going on to explain whether an Airbus pilot could fly a Boeing plane.
He continued: "Well yes, of course they can. However moving from one to the other – as in any significantly different aircraft – requires some serious ground school and simulator training to learn the differences.
"Having several thousand hours flying both, I can tell you they are quite different aircraft, with much different systems and especially different nomenclature.
"I went from the Boeing to the Airbus, and I suspect that transition is probably more difficult than transitioning from the Airbus to Boeing.
"However if your question is: “Can a pilot jump from one to the other without any differences training?” the answer is a definite no! Their differences are vast and can be overwhelming to the uninitiated and untrained pilot in those two, extremely different aircraft."
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