I'll never fly Airbus again, and this is why.....

I've been leary of the products produced by Airbus for years. Having said that, I've travelled quite a bit and flown on their products many times with out crashing to earth in a fireball. But, I've always been aware of when I'm on an Airbus, and my confidence level has always been lower.

I'm in the aviation field, and fly frequently. One of the reasons I've favored Boeing Aircraft is that I understand them, and the company that builds them. Until the development of the Dreamliner, they did most, if not all, of their own construction in-house. Airbus produces it's aircraft from sections built all over Europe, and shipped to assembly plants in France.

The biggest factor, however, has come to light in the aftermath of the Airbus/Air France flight 447 out of Rio de Janeiro last week. There's a fundemental difference in the design philosophy between the two companies, and it's major.

Informationweek has a story HERE that details the difference, but basically it's just this: Airbus trusts the computers onboard, Boeing trusts the pilots. In an Airbus the computer has the last word. In a Boeing Aircraft, the pilot can always overrule the computer. Not so in an Airbus.

Now, I'm a pilot, so I am both biased and know a little about what I'm talking about here. I take the controls of whatever aircraft I'm flying and immediatly accept the responsibility for all of the souls aboard. I'll use whatever tools are provided, and many are invaluable. However, just as people are not perfect, the perfect computer system hasn't been designed yet either.

When the feces strikes the rotating ventilator, I'm going to put my life in either the hands of a highly trained pilot, or the digital-calculations of a computer. Computers have an edge in most areas here. They can process far more data, far quicker. They can monitor hundreds of systems and data points simultaneously. Their reaction times are in the nano-second range, and they will reliably follow thier programs under any circumstances. That last part is key.

Human Pilots however, are a different situation. We can't process as much detail, and we can't react quite as quickly. However, they have not yet devised a computer that has a "will to live". That "survival instinct" is the final detail that is missing in an Airbus, and one that I feel is critical.

The next time you have a chance to fly somewhere, check out what aircraft you'll be flying on. Remember that if you're in a Boeing, the pilot truely is in control. If you're on an Airbus, the computers are actually in charge. Which would you prefer?

Many Airline pilots share a saying: If it's not Boeing, we're not going!. Now you know why.

Happy flying!