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Great sidestick view of A320 landing - right seat
I love it when the general public says, "these things land themselves pilots are just system managers" This video shows the amazing abilties and skill of what REAL pilots do every day... (www.youtube.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
spatr is spot on with his comments.
This isn't black science and with an experienced hand, the Airbus can transition from a crab to a slip in a crosswind as simply as a Cub on grass. The computers and flight control laws add layers that must be understood, but in some circumstances, such as a steady state crosswind, they can work to your advantage.
Specific to this video, the gent is more active than what is usually seen, but we do not know the environment. Before being critical, consider three things;
1)If you filmed your hands during landing, you would probably be surprised at how much they move (film a Stearman pilot's feet, now that is movement!)
2)The Airbus stick physically moves thru a wide range. This is a large transport and responds more lazily due to the mass you are commanding. This isn't an F-16 that relies on stick force.
3)The A320 is the more demanding variant during landing. Fully loaded, the A320 loses handling points because of it's more aft CG condition (you can see this in takeoff MAC settings). This results in a bit of pitch instability in the landing flare. You ask for a small change and you get more (pitch) than you anticipated.
Compared to the A319 or A321 and there is a noticable difference. The A319 can be like landing a potato chip when light, but it's always nicely balanced. The A321, with a high wing loading is a veritable rock on final. With it's soft gear the A321 is the easiest to land, though the mass works against you when trying to stop.
I could go on, but that's enough for this discussion. I've flown the A319/A320/A321 since 1999 and have 10,000 PIC over that time. Boeing & Douglas are all wonderful machines, but I cringe at the thought of flying an airliner with a wheel again.
This isn't black science and with an experienced hand, the Airbus can transition from a crab to a slip in a crosswind as simply as a Cub on grass. The computers and flight control laws add layers that must be understood, but in some circumstances, such as a steady state crosswind, they can work to your advantage.
Specific to this video, the gent is more active than what is usually seen, but we do not know the environment. Before being critical, consider three things;
1)If you filmed your hands during landing, you would probably be surprised at how much they move (film a Stearman pilot's feet, now that is movement!)
2)The Airbus stick physically moves thru a wide range. This is a large transport and responds more lazily due to the mass you are commanding. This isn't an F-16 that relies on stick force.
3)The A320 is the more demanding variant during landing. Fully loaded, the A320 loses handling points because of it's more aft CG condition (you can see this in takeoff MAC settings). This results in a bit of pitch instability in the landing flare. You ask for a small change and you get more (pitch) than you anticipated.
Compared to the A319 or A321 and there is a noticable difference. The A319 can be like landing a potato chip when light, but it's always nicely balanced. The A321, with a high wing loading is a veritable rock on final. With it's soft gear the A321 is the easiest to land, though the mass works against you when trying to stop.
I could go on, but that's enough for this discussion. I've flown the A319/A320/A321 since 1999 and have 10,000 PIC over that time. Boeing & Douglas are all wonderful machines, but I cringe at the thought of flying an airliner with a wheel again.
Great stuff zoso.. I admire the JetBlue crews
Thx, US Airways are good guys too :-).
I just wish he had covered the boils/crud on his arm. Gross.
Great stuff. Some skill
In calmer conditions, like in golf, you want "quiet hands" and a relatively loose grip. And then just fingertip inputs to keep it on the glidepath and centerline. If you "choke the chicken" you will have to work too hard.
One thing I see when pilots come over from the Boeing is the tendency to pump the stick (in pitch) like they pumped the yoke (in pitch) in the Boeing during the flare. They forget that one of the things the Airbus does starting at 50 feet RA is it starts to slowly trim nose down. This will get the pilot to start to hold just a bit of nose up stick to get a nice flare. But you don't really see a great pitch change. Maybe a degree or so. But those who pump the stick defeat this and generally have sloppy landings.
And on a final note, I think the Airbus (at least the 319/320/321) is the easiest to land in a crosswind. I had flown the 727, 737, and 757 prior to going to the 'bus. I flew it for about 2000 hours as an FO. A Check Airmen showed me how to do it one gusty night in Las Vegas. I then used the same technique when I went to the left seat of the 737. But I have now been back in the left seat of the 320 series for 10+ years and can say in a crosswind it lands and handles the best.
25000TT/11000Airbus