Just learned that Airbuses have stick controllers...
Posted 09-29-2008 at 08:42 PM by beefers1
...instead of yokes. Personally, I wouldn't be too comfortable flying such big aircraft with a little flimsy stick, and would feel much better with a conventional yoke as in most other airliners.
Total Comments 6
Comments
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Surely they're fly-by-wire now anyway(making them stable rather than flimsy clumsy things) and the point in the direction you want to go stick method makes sence?Posted 10-03-2008 at 05:10 PM by jamiemac2005
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but surely most airline pilots would be used to flying with a yoke? and: the old way's not flimsy at all. speaking of fly by wire, is there a way to manually override these things just in case electrical systems fail?Posted 10-03-2008 at 08:51 PM by beefers1
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Fly-by-wire is a system or collection of systems by which the system (or collection of systems) may compensate for imbalances either inherent in the design (as in F-16s) or caused by external factors (such as loss of an aerilon or engine). If the electrical systems fail, you'd better hope the rest of the craft is intact.
The flight stick is a much more agile and elegant way of flying, and is usually used when precision and accuracy are paramount, such as fighter craft. The yoke is old-fashioned, cumbersome, and obsolete with (relatively) recent advances in technology. The yoke is a physical steering mechanism rather than electrical, relying on hydraulics to transfer the pilot's commands to the aerilons and engines.
Jamey: Get a copy of Lock On: Modern Air Combat and you'll see how a stick operates. If you point the stick straight out, you'll be dead in ten seconds or less.Posted 10-26-2008 at 02:26 AM by dm01
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i like yokes BECAUSE they're traditional. they've worked on 747s for decades and i have no doubt they'll continue to work in the future.Posted 10-26-2008 at 11:46 AM by beefers1
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Look at it this way (Warning: Logical Proof Ahead):
Most commercial pilots come from the air force (true)
Most air force aerocraft use the stick controller (true)
All air force pilots are familiar with the stick controller (true)
Therefore, I present to you:
Using stick controller in commercial aerocraft when ex-air-force pilots are operating said aerocraft makes sense.
QEDPosted 10-27-2008 at 08:45 PM by dm01
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http://www.gaservingamerica.org/pilo...ning/pilot.htmQuote:Many people think that the majority of airline pilots come from the military. That was true years ago, but today, 90% of new airline pilots are trained by private flight schools and universities located in the United States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AviatorQuote:With the increasing popularity of European-style airline training schools in the USA and the fact that military training and flying, while rigorous, is fundamentally different in many ways from civilian piloting, it seems likely that the percentage of ex-military pilots flying for the airlines will continue to decrease.
While I understand your argument, I still think people would be more comfortable with the familiarity of yokes.
Also: in the Air Force generally only combat aircraft have stick controllers. The vast number of people flying non-combat craft would generally use the yoke, as it's still the predominant form of control on most planes.Posted 10-27-2008 at 09:38 PM by beefers1
Updated 10-27-2008 at 09:40 PM by beefers1
