Reply To: Boeing 737 Max

Their is a big difference between Airbus and Boeing. Airbus uses fly-by-wire, in which everything is controlled by wires. When the pilot moves the stick , a computer tells the ailerons and elevator how much to move. This enables Airbus to use the side-stick, which takes up very little space.
Boeing only uses hydraulics. When a pilot moves the yoke (not a stick), he is directly controlling the ailerons and elevators. This does take up more space, as there is a yoke in front of the pilot.
Most pilots who have flown both Airbus’s and Boeing’s say they prefer Boeing because they feel more in control. Everything is predictable, and they don’t have to worry about any electrical failures, as there are many backup hydraulic systems in case one breaks.

So when Boeing installed MCAS into the Max, it was the first fly-by-wire piece to be used in one of their planes. They decided not to tell pilots because they felt it was not necessary. If the MCAS would malfunction, it would do the same thing that an electric trim malfunction would do, force the nose down. All pilots have to do is the same thing that they do if the electrical trim malfunctions, which is, to simply turn off the electric trim.

Captain™