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Approved: American Airlines captain becomes the first FAA-certified A350 XWB pilot
It was all smiles for American Airlines’ John Dudley, as he became the first airline pilot certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Airbus’ all-new A350 XWB jetliner. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for eight years,” Dudley said at the Airbus training centre in Toulouse, France. “Being an A350 XWB captain is a dream come true, and being the first airline captain to receive FAA Type Rating for the aircraft is a special honour.” (www.airbus.com) Ещё...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Interesting. I normally go to Planespotters website for fleet details and they do not show AAL with A350s in their fleet or on order. AB state that they have 22 on order and I do not doubt it. Any suggestions for an alternate site for detailed fleet information. Thanks
Congratulations John!
Congratulations John!
Now Capt. Dudley needs to wait patiently while some FOs also get type-rated so he has someone to fly with.
Really. It took all that to just say congrats Capt. Glad I don't have to sit beside you for a 9 hour drone.
Actually John is awesome and fun to fly with
Having flown both Boeing and Airbus, as well as Bombardier, Embraer and others, I sadly find that the irrational, anti-Airbus, apoplectic vitriol sounds like something out of American politics in general – bluster over substance, knee-jerk xenophobia, opinion not informed by fact, and isolationist to the point of scoring own goals without even realising it.
To those who imagine American or Delta unpatriotic in their economic selection of the A350XWB, no doubt from the same crowd who'd embellish the nuanced differences between market capitalism and social democracy, would you prefer that American purchased only Boeing products absent any genuine competition and reflect that in consumer prices? Would American's domestic customers benefit from British Airways or Lufthansa purchasing only Airbus aircraft uncompetitively? And what should Japan Airlines, longtime Boeing customer but obligated to tender competitively, do to facilitate the desired trade war? Or state-owned, Chinese airlines, in the world's largest and fastest growing aviation market, equally comfortable with Airbus and Boeing technology and boasting an Airbus assembly facility?
To the aircraft itself, what is it about Airbus technology that engenders a nationalistic response? Is it the fly-by-wire (FBW) technology and flight envelope protections, essentially similar to the Boeing 777 FBW computer suite (having flown both), or the even greater reliance on such systems aboard the B787?
If nationalism rather than cost, performance or equivalent safety is how an aircraft should be judged, what about the A350's Honeywell APU? The Hamilton RAT? Perhaps the UTC Aerospace nacelles and thrust reversers on its Trent engines. You may that know that many 'American' GE and P&W engines sit on European operated Boeing and Airbus jets just as many 'European' Trent engines sit on American operated Boeing and Airbus jets. Of course, engine design is such a capital intensive proposition that most projects are now international collaborations, such as the oh-so-American Boeing 737's CFM56 engines (also on the Airbus 320) and the IAE V2500 series. Should these American jobs never have existed? What of the American A320 assembly line? Or the truly global chain of the A350XWB as much so as for the B787?
It's true the odd nationalistic stitch-up can be arranged, like the multiple tenders for the US DOD's tanker requirement until the protectionist result is found (voicing dissatisfaction should foreign governments do likewise, of course). True, hardly unique.
The reason American Airlines, Delta and United each operate both Airbus and Boeing jets is the same reason that British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France do. They both make great jets, and are both a delight to fly.
I've just left the B777 to again fly my outfit's A320s, and I'd equally operate our B787s or A350s as my next posting after my tour as A320 captain, as much as I loved the B777. I equally fondly remember my regional flying days on Embraer jets, and even turboprops from both sides of the Atlantic, while still doing 'real' flying as a light aircraft flight instructor. Frankly, most people who have a blanket aversion to Airbus generally either haven't flown them (especially the general aviator, armchair experts) or don't understand the design philosophies, and would be surprised to find out what's inside a B787. As with Eurofighter Typhoon or F-22, the days of less-reliable cables and pulleys, in both military and civilian jets, are behind us.
The competition between them will benefit passengers around the world. Both programs will create good American, European, Japanese, Australian and Chinese jobs, in a global supply chain. Congrats to the first FAA type rated pilot. I'm sure American and Delta will find the A350XWB as much of a delight as BA and Norwegian love the B787, Trumpians be damned.
To those who imagine American or Delta unpatriotic in their economic selection of the A350XWB, no doubt from the same crowd who'd embellish the nuanced differences between market capitalism and social democracy, would you prefer that American purchased only Boeing products absent any genuine competition and reflect that in consumer prices? Would American's domestic customers benefit from British Airways or Lufthansa purchasing only Airbus aircraft uncompetitively? And what should Japan Airlines, longtime Boeing customer but obligated to tender competitively, do to facilitate the desired trade war? Or state-owned, Chinese airlines, in the world's largest and fastest growing aviation market, equally comfortable with Airbus and Boeing technology and boasting an Airbus assembly facility?
To the aircraft itself, what is it about Airbus technology that engenders a nationalistic response? Is it the fly-by-wire (FBW) technology and flight envelope protections, essentially similar to the Boeing 777 FBW computer suite (having flown both), or the even greater reliance on such systems aboard the B787?
If nationalism rather than cost, performance or equivalent safety is how an aircraft should be judged, what about the A350's Honeywell APU? The Hamilton RAT? Perhaps the UTC Aerospace nacelles and thrust reversers on its Trent engines. You may that know that many 'American' GE and P&W engines sit on European operated Boeing and Airbus jets just as many 'European' Trent engines sit on American operated Boeing and Airbus jets. Of course, engine design is such a capital intensive proposition that most projects are now international collaborations, such as the oh-so-American Boeing 737's CFM56 engines (also on the Airbus 320) and the IAE V2500 series. Should these American jobs never have existed? What of the American A320 assembly line? Or the truly global chain of the A350XWB as much so as for the B787?
It's true the odd nationalistic stitch-up can be arranged, like the multiple tenders for the US DOD's tanker requirement until the protectionist result is found (voicing dissatisfaction should foreign governments do likewise, of course). True, hardly unique.
The reason American Airlines, Delta and United each operate both Airbus and Boeing jets is the same reason that British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France do. They both make great jets, and are both a delight to fly.
I've just left the B777 to again fly my outfit's A320s, and I'd equally operate our B787s or A350s as my next posting after my tour as A320 captain, as much as I loved the B777. I equally fondly remember my regional flying days on Embraer jets, and even turboprops from both sides of the Atlantic, while still doing 'real' flying as a light aircraft flight instructor. Frankly, most people who have a blanket aversion to Airbus generally either haven't flown them (especially the general aviator, armchair experts) or don't understand the design philosophies, and would be surprised to find out what's inside a B787. As with Eurofighter Typhoon or F-22, the days of less-reliable cables and pulleys, in both military and civilian jets, are behind us.
The competition between them will benefit passengers around the world. Both programs will create good American, European, Japanese, Australian and Chinese jobs, in a global supply chain. Congrats to the first FAA type rated pilot. I'm sure American and Delta will find the A350XWB as much of a delight as BA and Norwegian love the B787, Trumpians be damned.
Any other suggestions?