Originally Posted by
Alex909
Thanks, Azj, really appreciate the response. I am not particularly biased against Airbus. The newer Boeing products also have issues with fly-by-wire automation, even though their FBW design seems more conservative than Airbus. For example, the B777 "FLCH mode" trap encountered by the Asiana Pilot when approaching SFO - he clearly did not understand what the automation in his plane was doing until it was too late.
How much hand flying the typical HAL pilot gets in their A330? Does HAL explicitly encourage pilots to hand fly when appropriate?
I am asking this, because the automation provided by fly-by-wire systems comes at the cost of requiring the pilot to know how to fly the aircraft when the FBW reconfigures/drops away in case of sensor failures, software problems etc.
I would say the average 330 pilot hand flies LESS than their 767 and 717 counterparts. HAL does indeed encourage hand flying when appropriate and I would imagine most pilots take advantage of this opportunity. After all, they are pilots.
I think those who have flown the 330 longer and therefore are more comfortable are more willing to hand fly. All takeoffs and nearly every landing are hand flown. That's true for all types of planes, however. The more you get comfortable, the more you are willing to hand fly the plane. Again, 330 pilots get trained on how to handle the plane in its "reconfigured" situations. In essence, the plane becomes like a non fly by wire plane, when degraded.