Airbus and Boeing are the two largest producers of commercial jetliners in the world today.
Competition between the European and American manufacturers is fierce. However, many airlines
around the world have mixed fleets and fly both Airbus and Boeing aircraft. But does this mean
that their pilots can interchangeably fly designs from both manufacturers?
Both manufacturers will design aircraft to directly compete with a counterpart from
the other, giving airlines a choice between two high-quality products in most markets.
This rivalry results in airlines picking sides to maintain fleet uniformity.
For example, low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Southwest Airlines usually only operate a
single type of aircraft. In the case of these two airlines, that aircraft is the Boeing 737.
But what about airlines that serve a market with both the corresponding Airbus and
Boeing aircraft – specifically, what does this mean in terms of crew flexibility?
Would a Boeing pilot be able to fly an Airbus at the same airline, or vice versa?
In a word, no. At least, not without completing the necessary conversion training.
The fact of the matter is, while Airbus and Boeing aircraft compete for the same markets,
the way that they are flown is rather different. This may be completely obvious to most people in
the industry - but if you’re new to the world of aviation, there’s your answer in a nutshell.
But let’s dig deeper and examine the key differences.There
is a big difference in the flight control systems between the two manufacturers.
This means that the set of skills needed to fly one design would not be completely transferrable
to the competitor’s counterpart aircraft. Boeing aircraft are controlled by a yoke,
or control column, which allows pilots to directly control the plane’s angles of vertical pitch
and horizontal banking. This is a more direct way of turning an aircraft,
and leaves ultimate control primarily to the pilot.Meanwhile,
Airbus pilots control their aircraft using side sticks. An advantage of this method is
that it gives pilots an unobstructed view of the cockpit’s center multi-function display panel.
It also frees up one of the pilot’s hands if they need to simultaneously fulfill another task.
This side stick is a ‘fly-by-wire’ system, which transmits electrical signals from
the stick to the control surfaces to turn the plane. As such, some might argue that
operating an Airbus aircraft does not give a pilot the same sense of quote “being at one with the
plane” in the same way that they might with the yoke system in a Boeing. With that being said,
certain Boeing yokes are also fly-by-wire systems, such as those on the 777 and 787.
An Airbus pilot would need to obtain the type rating for the Boeing model in question
and perform several similar flights to become current in that model.
The same would apply for a conversion going the other way, of course.This
certification and training applies between aircraft from the same manufacturer too-
when they have different type ratings. This means that, for example,
while the 737 and 747 are both Boeing aircraft,
pilots cannot simply jump between the two without obtaining the necessary type rating.
In conclusion, at face value, Airbus and Boeing pilots cannot legally fly each other’s aircraft.
However, if the opportunity arises, and they are willing to complete the prerequisite steps,
then a conversion may indeed be possible in the longer-term.Have any of our pilot viewers
out there flown both Boeing and Airbus jets? Is there a preference between yoke or sidestick?
And if you’re not a pilot, comment anyways and tell us which system you think is superior.