The Differences Between Flying Widebodies & Narrowbodies: A Pilot's Perspective

In a previous video we discussed the length of time needed for pilots to transition from Narrowbody To Widebody aircraft. Today’s video will continue to discuss this topic, but look at the differences in flying each type of aircraft from a pilot’s perspective.
Many airline pilots get the opportunity to fly both narrowbody and widebody airliners throughout a long career. Many differences between big and small airliners have to do with the flying the planes perform. Namely, widebodies often fly international operations with augmented crews. Additionally, plenty of handling differences exist, particularly during taxing and landing.
Article: simpleflying.c...
Our Social Media:
/ simpleflyingnews
/ simple_flying
/ simpleflyingnews
Our Website
simpleflying.com/
For copyright matters please contact us at: [e-mail]

[@misterrabell]

I dont know how you guys decide on the topics of your videos.. but every one for the past couple of years has been something I am into. As a AMT/AME I look forward to your posts. Keep It up!

[@GarfieldRex]

Never thought about that, of course, I'm a passenger, but this video was great. Keep it up with this series.

[@andyyiu3987]

As a pilot who have flown both, I prefer the narrowbodies. The widebodies gave better pay and more days off, but with narrow bodies, I dont get as jet lagged, home on more days, and the flying generally feels more fun and rewarding.

[@Tina-d8f]

As a passenger, I prefer a widebody.
But enjoy watching both taking to the sky.

[@nightowldickson]

Generally speaking pilots who fly narrowbodies tend to fly more sectors than widebody crew.
For example they could operate multiple 1-3 hour flights per day in their roster pattern up to the airline's maximum flight duty period.
Widebody crew tend to operate longer sectors with longer flight times, and are used less often on shorter sectors (some airlines do operate widebodies on shorter sectors). If widebody crew are deployed predominantly on 10+ hour flights, the number of flights and landings they perform per month will be significantly lower than narrowbody flight crew.
Another thing is workload - the workload is likely to be higher for narrowbody crew flying shorter sectors.

[@USAFA00]

Unless you’re carrying 10 extra knots, pulling the thrust to idle in a 737 at 30’ will most assuredly result in a hard landing. If you’re on your target approach speed, pulling the power back at 10’ results in a much more consistently smooth touchdown.

[@Wheninflight]

Fuselage length and wing area can also affect the flying characteristics of an aircraft series. My cousin at United says how the 757-200 & 767-300ER are easier to fly than their larger counterparts. The longer fuselage and added weight can make them harder to handle in crosswinds, the larger wing area of the 763 making it easier on the control column to fly out of the family.

[@gerardmoran9560]

The fuselage diameter isn't a large factor. If I want to understand how a jet flies, I'll study the wing- how thick is it, how sweptback is it, what kind of flaps/slats does it have? Another factor is fuselage length. The stretch DC-8 (narrow-body) is longer than a 767-200 (wide-body). Being far ahead of the main landing gear adds a bit of complexity to the landing. My best years were flying the 76/75. You could fly both in one day. Cheers

[@daffiid]

Different recording setup? The voice sounds much bassier than usual

[@gottfriedheumesser1994]

It may also be that some pilots don't like the jetlag. If they fly narrow bodies this is mostly not an issue, often you may again sleep at home. On long-range flights, you will always have to wait for the next plane due to work time restrictions and have to spend one or several nights in a hotel with a totally different time zone. Many crew members prefer flights to the west, as this gives a later sleeping time.

[@andyyiu3987]

This is the case for me. I hate jet lag. I struggle to sleep in a bunk. Thus, narrowbody works for me. It's more work, and I get exposed to more hazards like weather... but getting to sleep in my own bed makes life so much better for me.

[@gottfriedheumesser1994]

@@andyyiu3987 You have for sure more practice in landing than a senior FO whose main duty is to check the AP working and perform a level change per day.

[@GeeBoggs]

Fascinating!

[@navajojohn9448]

Going to pilot widebody long haul flights go for an Airbus since it has a stick on the side and a table giving more room.

[@maxcfi7718]

most people don’t know this but main difference is actually the width of the body

[@fahadali5046]

Any pilot if they could of course will take the Concord very narrow body airplane over any other (Go Speed-Bird).

[@navajojohn9448]

Many airlines don't have widebodies so no choice and many airlines have only one model aircraft so no choice. Southwest Airline is having a problem because only one type narrowbody airplane and a thing called "resume washing" is happening. New pilots take job at SWA just to put on resume for a job at a bigger planes airline.

[@ProAvgeek6328]

I went on a 737 max, a narrow body with 6 seats and 1 aisle. If the seating configuration was 1-3-1 the plane would have 2 aisles, wouldn't it become a widebody?

[@harshmarwah4508]

Wide body has double thrust narrow body and wide body can take 1-2 seconds of command fulfilling in ratio in comparison to a narrow body because wide body is not as flexible as narrow body. Though engine thrust to weight ratio and aerodynamics can fix it.

[@rajaampattravel]

keren

[@UAL320]

5:42
Look at the way the gear hangs on the A330….the 777 is the same way. Easier to kiss the ground on landing, it would seem, vice the 767, which hangs the other direction, and of course the narrowbodies with the single set per gear.

[@jonathanlee400]

I’ve flown the 767 and A330 and can roll it on pretty consistently on both aircraft. Stubbing the toe on the 767 is not really the case; it’s the ground spoiler deployment that makes the 767 sit fast. The 767 always has.A bump when deploying and stowing speedbrakes.

[@trevorkarran732]

The Boeing 777 is a family of wide-body twin-engine commercial jet aircraft with variants for both passenger and cargo transportation. The 777 was first flown on June 12, 1994, and commercial service commenced on June 7, 1995. It is the world’s largest two-engine jet (twin jet), and more than 1,200 777s were in operation in the early 2020s.

[@ABDULLAH-789-h2d]

we know.

[@ivangeo3319]

I like widebody since my body also wide 😅😅

[@AnotherPointOfView944]

The seats are the same size, so ....

[@Aj14_JustDoIt]

1 hour ago and less than a thousand views .. this channel is seriously underrated

[@Humanity_Hope_]

Many Airport's taxiways are labyrinthine, confusing, poorly signed, narrow, poorly kept...

[@TheRealEtaoinShrdlu]

It's "transition", not "trancision". 😂😂😂

[@ABDULLAH-789-h2d]

Second!and boeing is the best........
(Enter jabberjarks)

[@wadehiggins1114]

😂 🤡

[@shreyas7372]

Boeing fanboy

[@ABDULLAH-789-h2d]

@@wadehiggins1114 im actually glad to see you,thought you were gone!fighting over boeing and airbus is fun!

[@ABDULLAH-789-h2d]

@@shreyas7372 airbus fan

[@wadehiggins1114]

@@ABDULLAH-789-h2d 😂

[@thebobasquad645drinknekoslab]

First