Boeing pilots can't fly Airbus jets unless they're retrained

As a passenger, you might not think there’s much difference between a Boeing and an Airbus, but that’s certainly not the case for pilots.

Although they look similar, it turns out that there’s actually a big difference between a Boeing and an Airbus, all the way down to the steering controls.

Each aircraft type requires a type rating, which means pilots can’t just hop from one to the other.

In fact, pilots can’t switch unless they’ve undergone intensive training.

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Boeing pilots can’t fly Airbus jets unless they’re retrained

Although to a casual viewer, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between a Boeing airplane and an Airbus jet, that’s not the case.

Even down to something as basic as the steering controls, the two are almost polar opposites.

Boeing uses a traditional ‘yoke’, whereas Airbus uses a joystick-style side-stick in many models.

Airbus aircraft are built around ‘fly-by-wire’ systems with built-in protections and limits with the computer helping to guide or even restrict certain pilot inputs.

Boeing, on the other hand, also has strong automation, but there’s more scope for the pilot to override or interact with the plane more manually.

Just these physical differences mean that even if a pilot has been flying for years, they can’t hop between Airbus and Boeing.

But there are more reasons why pilots can’t switch between planes at will.

The intricacies of different flight ratings

Each aircraft type, like a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320, has a required type rating, and getting a type rating includes simulator time, ground school, system knowledge, and emergency procedures.

This means that instead of a quick refresher, it’s not a case of learning ‘where the buttons are’, it’s a full training conversion.

Turns out every airplane is different, and you can’t just hop into any old cockpit as a pilot, despite what passengers might think.