Boeing 737 vs Airbus A320 - Pilot Prostective Comparison!

In today’s video, I will make a comparison between these two Aircraft Types! And, at the end of the video, I will tell you which I think is the best.

The Airbus a320 auto trims your inputs, let’s say you are flying with the Autopilot disengaged and you want to climb with a pitch attitude of 10 degrees, you take the side stick, pull it aft until the aircraft symbol on the horizon indicates 10degrees and if you take your hand off of the side stick the aircraft will magically stay at 10 degrees without further inputs required from your side. The same applies to the bank angle, up to 33 degrees of bank you simply need to set the required bank angle to start the turn, and if you release the side stick the aircraft will maintain the altitude and the bank angle set by you.
Basically the less you touch it the better it is!

The Boeing 737 does not auto trim your inputs during the normal flight envelope, this means that you need to constantly use the trim switches in order to release the force on the yoke. For example, If you start a turn, without applying the back pressure on the control and trim, the aircraft will start to descend.
So, if I compare the two aircraft types I would say that the Airbus a320 reduces the Pilot workload substantially because it is extremely easy to fly it manually, while the Boeing 737 requires a higher workload since you need to trim and apply back pressure like a Single Engine Piston aircraft, and this, from my point of view, makes the 737 a more enjoyable and fun aircraft to fly
without Autopilot. At the end of the day, the Boeing 737 is a big Cessna!

Now, let’s compare the two planes during day to day Line Normal Operations:
The Airbus a320 family has been built around the Pilot, it is designed to make everyday
operations as smooth and as comfortable as possible.

The Systems, Equipments, and the Cockpit Layout really reduce the pilot's workload during
normal Operations.

The Airbus a320 systems such as the fly by wire, the FADEC, and so on really assist the pilot during the Flight Operation, and do NOT FORGET! IT HAS A TABLE! :)
Let me give you an example, during the engine start of the Boeing 737 you need to monitor the start sequence, apply fuel when maximum motoring is reached, and be ready to cut the fuel in case of a non-normal start condition occurs.

On the Airbus a320, all this is done automatically, you simply need to set the Engine mode selector to START/IGN, put the Engine master ON, and all the rest is taken care of by the plane.
And this is applicable to many other procedures, and as you can imagine on 4 or 6 sectors days the Airbus a320 will make you less tired.

How about the Non-normal Operations?

The Boeing 737 is a simpler and more direct Aircraft, and that is what you want during a serious malfunction. I have to say however that the Airbus a320 does a great job of keeping a very high situational awareness of the pilot during a system failure or malfunction.

If you lose an Engine in the Airbus a320 the ECAM will show you all the affected systems, the Aircraft landing capability, and the various restrictions, this for sure increase you're situational awareness.

The Boeing 737 is the pilot that should have good system knowledge and check all the related limitations. 737 you have to cut the fuel, apply the relative checklist, motor the engine to clear the fuel, and if you think it is appropriate perform another start attempt.

Do you know what happens if the same thing occurs on an airbus a320? The FADEC will cut off the fuel, motor the engine, and perform another engine start attempt with no crew actions required.

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Disclaimer:
THIS VIDEO IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
NOT FOR REAL-LIFE OPERATIONS.
PLEASE REFER TO THE OFFICIAL MANUAL AND DOCUMENTATION.
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#PILOTCLIMB

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:32 Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 main differences
03:15 Airbus A320 VS Boeing 737 Handling
04:48 Airbus A320 VS Boeing 737 Normal Operations
05:53 Airbus A320 VS Boeing 737 Non-Normal Operations
07:42 Conclusions

[mba]

Thank you for your considered views Gabrielle. I think after you get used to the A320 you might change your mind which is more fun to fly..practice flying with AP and AT disconnected.Even then you do not have to worry about stalling the plane! I trained on A320 in the past but never flew it and Embraer which I currently fly and have flown the 737NG and have found the workload on the 737 the highest. I do not fancy too much control play at low speeds on 737 either and is a more difficult plane to make a smooth landing am told.I did not not have difficulties pulling a soft landing the first time on its simulator but it was harder work that it was on my first Airbus or Embraer.You are right in your overall assessment but not sure to agree with you on which is more fun.I would not have liked the fun with MCAS on the 73Max before Boeing sorted it out and lost a friend who was Captain on its last crash. A320 is more chill and with a desk you can enjoy a meal or office desk! It feels less cramped than 737 and I like its blue hue colours and its informatic displays and Avionics and systems controls are more intelligent and more push buttons than iron knuckle switches. Yes it is an easier plane to fly during its "Normal ' flight control law but can also make you a lazier pilot. With increased situational awareness and free mental capacity plus the invaluable supervision of ECAM advisories it provides better opportunity for crew coordination, CRM and better decision making.It also can be overwhelming to learn at first due to bombardment with too much info.Because there is no trimming work (unless in mechanical back up law) and because there is no feel of the side stick(something you get on Boeing and on Embraer plus conventional yokes) it is important to pay attention to the PFD as well as ECAM and exercise more switched on Airmanship when things go wrong to prevent subtle incapacitation that could led to the tragic accidents like Air France 447 over the Atlantic and Air Asia A320 in China Sea due to confusion. Not a sort of situation you can expect to encounter in conventional technology like 737 (aside from MCAS anomaly)or even more modern Embraer which I would classify as in between Airbus and Boeing. For me it is by rank of intelligent technology Airbus320, Embraer, Boeing737.Sports Performance 737, A320, Embraer. Pilot Handling" fun" 737, Embraer, A320.Handling ease and safety protection A320, Embraer, B737. What would I choose to fly ? A320. What do I intend to fly next? A321XLR! what do I dream to fly? A 380 and A 350!!! Boeing requires more muscle. Airbus requires more mindfulness. More likely to get an unexplained abnormality on Airbus than on Boeing however...bear that in mind.That is where the free mental capacity on Airbus will enable you to think of solutions easier.JUST DONT GO TO SLEEP ON AIRBUS!

[rockerkunal]

your videos helped a lot for my 737 simulator, passed all my sim checks on the 737, however after much thought I've decided to take a position on the a320. I hope you make the classic pilotclimb style videos now for the airbus!

[drseven]

Nice Video Captain! Many thanks for your effort 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[bobhatcher]

I hope you make some A320 videos. I love your teaching!

[peterlazuric]

I have viewed a lot of flight tutorials on both the B 737-800 and A-321 and enjoyed learning about both. Now if you want a plane that is a real challenge to learn, and no pun intended, is the Challenger 650. You might want to check it out. There is a flight sim called Hot Start Challenger 650.

[steffenleo]

Good Day Capt Gabriele, nice and Happy to See your New Video... Happy Easter and have a nice weekend... 👍👍

[federico]

ciao gabriele! happy to see you back here on the tube! great video! where will you be based? wish you a happy easter! see you soon hopefully!!!

[frysimulation]

Over the past several months I have started my journey learning the Airbus A321 from Tollis on X-Plane. Glad to see you are expanding beyond the Boeing. I have watched a video made by Airline2Sim and V1-Simulation, who has flown the AIRBUS for many years. My understanding from all of these is you can still have direct control of the flight surfaces by using the various laws that are provided in the Airbus. I enjoy your videos, and hope you think about creating a series of tutorials using the Simulator and the Airbus knowledge you have. Glad your back.

[najeejohnson]

I like both to be honest. Both are great. But yes flying that B737 is a great kick. It’s very fun and flexible.

[stevecooper]

Boeing 737. Fly by cable is excellent for emergency situations.

[joaoguimaraes]

Hello! Thank you for your very nice content!

[Obi-KenBone-Me]

Could you cover how to read the charts for standardised vfr procedures?

[VPERBATZ]

How do you get into it? I’m in the uk and it’s saying it’s 100k?? Only a few hundred people are year get scholarships for free I think? I’ve always been interested and watch plane crash/incident investigation videos on YouTube.

[jibeneyto]

The best aircraft is the aircraft that keeps food on the table and the wife happy!

[tzampini]

Gabriele welcome back! This was an interesting video. I am a simmer using XPlane, and right now I'm concentrating on learning the Zibo 737. Maybe someday I will buy an Airbus for XPlane and try it. I do have a quick question for you. Does the Airbus have rudder pedals, or is the rudder controlled somehow with the joystick? Thanks!

[mba]

We shall look forward to your videos on the Airbus Capitan! Title of this video is prospective may be?

[steffenleo]

Good Day Capt Gabriele, when we stand on runway with parking Brake engaged and suddenly we have a strong/heavy headwind let say example 50 knots. Will we be able to See this speed 50 knots on PFD speed tape or on Navigation Display @TAS on Boeing 737 aircraft.
Have a nice weekend... 👍👍

[nataliadworniak]

@pilotclimb isn't boeing fly by wire as well?

[steffenleo]

Good Day Capt Gabriele, hope you are doing always great. During approach and landing if Wind not parallel to runway or side/cross Wind occurs we always try as possible to fly with airplane nose in winddirection(some Times it called sideslip), is IT to keep Lift vector on both wings balanced?...Have a nice weekend... 👍👍

[Sepolden]

I’m guessing this is not a NEO v Max comparison?