Full Motion Flight Simulators

Full Motion Experience offers you the chance to experience two simulators, the B737 NG and the Airbus A320.

Those with a keen interest in aviation may already know exactly which simulator they want to fly. For those that do not … please peruse the information below to allow you to make an informed decision.

When looking at the flight deck there are a few obvious differences between the two aircraft.

The Airbus 320 has a wider and longer flight deck with far more space than the B737 NG. When you sit in the seats the B737 NG has a large control yolk (which you may expect to see) which is used to steer the aircraft.

The Airbus A320 on the other hand has no such way to control the aircraft. In fact, this area is filled with a collapsible table which pilots use for their paperwork. So how do they steer the aircraft? The A320 is controlled by a sidestick which is located on the outer side of each pilot.

When it comes to flying the aircraft you’ll notice that in the B737 NG, when the auto thrust is engaged, the thrust levers move as aircraft trust requirements change. However, on the airbus, the thrust levers don’t move with auto thrust engaged.

The biggest difference happens behind the scenes though and is to do with the aircrafts’ automation. The Airbus has automation at its core with the autopilot and hard limitations at the centre of its design. It provides full flight envelope protection which means it will not allow the pilots to exceed certain parameters. For example, it will prevent the pilot from stalling the aircraft or exceeding certain pitch or roll parameters.

Boeing, however, give the pilots far more control – they have full authority at all times. This means that at any point, they can simply disconnect the autopilot and fly any manoeuvre required at any given time.

Both aircraft philosophies have benefits and drawbacks. An ever present aspect of aviation accidents would be human error. The automated approach the airbus had is not perfect though and requires complex systems that can (and do) go wrong also leading to accidents.

We are sure you may have further questions about the differences between the two aircraft but the above should be enough to allow you to make a choice. Any other questions can be aimed at the instructor on the day.