Comments on: Old Dog, New Tricks

By: 757MAX

757MAX — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 17:04:18 +0000

I know I’m writing this several months late but..

Congrats! It’s interesting how you found the A330 more cumbersome despite Airbus’ reputation.

As for the A330’s looks, I also like it and find it fairly sleek and elegant. I like how the nose is sharper (“pointier”) than on the A320 series; the large wing, titled landing gear, and square winglets make it really graceful; and, something that’s really underrated, I like how the rear of the fuselage doesn’t curve downwards, unlike every other widebody (except of course its sister aircraft, the A340, and the 747). Yeah, it’s just another twinjet, but I love the clean straight lines, and it’s elegant in all the right places. The neo’s large engines & raccoon mask make it even more attractive, but the look of the winglets is a significant downgrade IMO.

By: Tod

Tod — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 03:28:10 +0000

Patrick.
I just got a cool surprise while watching Air Crash Investigation on Disney+.
It was great to see you on the JAL episode talking about the 747. However they only had you listed as an aviation blogger

By: K. Williams

K. Williams — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 07:11:01 +0000

Very interesting to read polot views on Airbus-Boeing comparisons.
I am an AME M1/M2 now retired with 36 yrs time on jet acft from corporate to major airline acft. I have enjoyed working with the greatly varied engineering styles of builders. Seeing how they think by being intimately familiar with the machinery. Short DC8’s to A340-500. My favourite is the A330 as its reliability for hard ailine use was hard to beat. Very nice to work on and RR RB211 Trent 700 performed very well and reliably. Swallowed geese and kept full performance for remainder of flight. A maintenace oriented engine and excellent design for internal inspection ànd component access. I am not a licenced pilot but have flown the A330/A320 sim a number of circuits and done vfr and ifr landings. I found them easy to fly and control, although in calm wxr sim conditions. Hats off to you folks who fly in that nasty wxr! I also have years on the Eambraer 175/195. Totally different computer systems design again. Nice reliable aircraft, once we worked out the software bugs. I enjoyed the pressure and responibility of providing our flight crews with airworthy machines. Safe flying to all!

By: Lee Taplinger

Lee Taplinger — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 18:12:40 +0000

Wilson, you got me. How did they do it? Please don’t tell me they threw them out the window.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 15:49:10 +0000

Is there any noticeable difference in the pilot-machine interface between the A330 and the A330-neo?

By: Lee Taplinger

Lee Taplinger — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 04:31:03 +0000

Unless your airline is phasing out the 57 and 67 that’s a big expense in training.

By: wilson

wilson — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 19:12:38 +0000

Do the pilots of the A-330 dispose of empty soft drink cans the same way they did on the DC-8?

By: Jane washington

Jane washington — Thu, 29 May 2025 16:51:28 +0000

I’m a passenger, not a pilot, and I find the Airbus much more comfortable and easy to ride in. I find anything Boeing just…old and dislike flying in them.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Wed, 28 May 2025 22:15:18 +0000

In reply to Mario A Leblanc. That description made me laugh out loud.

By: Mario A Leblanc

Mario A Leblanc — Wed, 28 May 2025 05:28:37 +0000

I know exactly what you mean Patrick. Airbus 310 🙂
¨What does it do when I push/pull a knob?¨
¨”A signature of Airbus autopilot Operation.”

The push/pull operations of the FCU knobs are an ingenious and sophisticated feature exclusive to Airbus airplanes. This revolutionary design has transformed the way pilots interact with the flight instruments, creating an effortless human-machine interface. By simply pushing the knobs, pilots can give control to the autopilot to execute commands using its pre-programmed logic (also known as “Managed guidance mode”). Conversely, a pull operation signifies a manual command input from the pilot, where the autopilot executes the command in the most direct way possible (referred to as “Selected guidance mode”). For instance, when the heading knob is pushed, the autopilot will expertly follow its pre-planned flight path to the destination. Meanwhile, a pull of the same knob will command the autopilot to fly directly towards the heading input and maintain that heading until the pilot issues a new command. However, don’t let the simplicity of this design fool you…¨
https://shop.minicockpit.com/blogs/autopilot-demystified/what-does-it-do-when-i-push-pull-a-knob