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AUTOMATION.
There is an amazing level of automation built into this aircraft. The A320 contains hundreds of computers which "communicate" with each other in order to fly the aircraft on the planned route, control cabin pressure and many other crucial functions of the airplane. Despite this automation, manual control for almost any aspect of the planes functions is available to the flight crew at any time.
Many people who don't fly the Airbus A320 think that this level of automation requires little or no pilot input and believe that control of the aircraft is taken away from the pilot. "Nothing could be further from the truth!" explains America West pilot Scott .
Germain. He went on to explain that the pilot is responsible for monitoring the aircraft's performance throughout its flight and be ready to take over control in an emergency at a moment's notice. "With less tasks to do, we have more time devoted towards monitoring the aircraft's performance and should a problem arise within the aircraft, we would be able to take care of it quickly and efficiently," quoted Mark Hays, pilot for British Airways. Critics continue to argue that the pilots are not alert as they should be, as the A320 quite literally "flies itself".
Many of us have heard the term fly-by-wire, but what exactly is fly-by wire? .
Fly- by wire, is the name given to Airbus" electronically managed flight control system. It comprises of computers which make the aircraft easier to handle, thus enhancing safety. Pilots control the LNAV and VNAV (lateral and vertical navigation) of the aircraft using flight control surfaces (movable parts) located on the aircraft's wings and tail. What the fly-by-wire system does is to replaces the traditional mechanical connection between the flight deck controls and the moveable surfaces with much lighter electrical wires. Hence the name of the system, fly-by-wire. If the pilot moves a control in the cockpit, his movements or inputs are converted into electrical signals or impulses which are then in turn delivered to the flight control surfaces.
