As I’m a big fan of the A320 FBW and am in the process of learning all the function on how to fly this “properly” I was having a look online to see if there’s any guides or manuals. I came across this book by Mike Ray which looks quite good, apart from its expensive. I know there are plenty of online videos on YouTube which cover everything but I prefer to have a manual in front of me to refer to. Also with the online videos I find myself going from one resource to another which confuses the process even more.
What are your opinions about this, is it worth it ?
I haven’t read that one, but I have the one for the older B737’s in the same series.
Its target audience is pilots studying for check rides and focuses a lot on emergencies and other safety related procedures, which, as I understood it, are parts of the curriculum for those check rides.
I found it interesting, but I was hoping for something more suited for learning from scratch or as general reference manual.
There is also this one by the same author which is more for PC simulation. It’s half the page count so obviously doesn’t cover as much. Does anyone own this? I’m now torn between the two and don’t know which one to get. As I mentioned before I much prefer a physical manual/guide.
I’ve got it I find it pretty good. You’ll definitely learn a lot by going through this book. It’s written in a pretty relaxed fashion, but there is a lot of info to digest.
For learning the A320 in general, I can recommend 2 great eBook references. Perhaps not print, but if you have an iPad or similar tablet, you can certainly read them like a book:
“Airbus A320: An Advanced Systems Guide” by Ben Riecken
“The Airbus A320 Procedures Handbook Vol1” by Will Sussman & Ben Riecken
I know you prefer print, but this 3rd party solution from Airline2Sim is an excellent, extensive video production program which teaches you all aspects of flying the A320 by a real A320 captain but uses the excellent Flight Sim Labs A320 as the platform.
Which one do you have? The larger Checkride guide or the smaller PC Simulator version? I’m trying to see if there’s any benefit for going with the more detailed version.
Hi, I can highly recommend this guy on YouTube. (Cpt. Ingo)
He is a real pilot and instructor on the Airbus A320. When you look into the playlist you will find the Airbus type rating series. He is going through the whole FCOM (text is in english) and partially uses the FCTM. It took me about 5 months to complete all the videos for the Airbus type rating since there is a lot of theory. He also applies the theory into practical sessions. This means he demonstrates everything also in the sim. When you complete this series you can really understand the Airbus philosophy.
The only drawback is that he is talking in german…but the text from the FCOM is in English so maybe it is not so Bad.
Hi - I have the book in the original post, and it’s written in a relaxed way, mildly amusing and entertaining read, but it is NOT a beginners guide. It’s a useful reference material guide on the FLOWS. I got my copy on amazon.co.uk. - Worth the money - yes. A complete beginners guide on the A320 - no.
@TearlessFiend27 , You mentioned wanting to fly the A320 properly which is great. It pays dividends in getting enjoyment out of the aircraft, regardless of the platform you use. I was wondering though, do you have a solid foundation on Airbus systems? flying techniques and navigation functions?
If so, great. no need to read on as you’ll get to sharpen your skills with a checkride guide.
If not maybe something to consider. I’ve not done a checkride in the A320, nor do I know what the procedures covered are but have done a checkride for my own PPL. These can typically focus on “pulling it all together” and demonstrating process, operations, safety, etc of what you’ve learned over time in training, as I’m sure you know. If you don’t have the grounding on the systems and operations of the A320, it could be a bit more challenging. Not that you couldn’t do it, just thought I share a perspective as flying the A320 properly starts with some good old fashioned open book ground school study and advancing from there.
Thanks for your feedback. I’m actually quite familiar with the systems in the Airbus and can basically operate most things to complete a full flight. From cold start up to shutdown. I wouldn’t say I’m a beginner but I definitely need more work understanding how to use the MCDU. Also being able to complete the checklists in the right order too would be good. I have already learnt a lot about the A320 so I feel this Checkride guide would be a good next step to understanding everything fully.
It’s good that we have the FBW A320 as it’s very operational in terms of what is actually functional.
