XPost: soc.culture.french   
   From: evleth@wanadoo.fr   
      
   in article 41cdc8ef$0$800$8fcfb975@news.wanadoo.fr, John of Aix at   
   j.murphy@nospamlibertysurf.fr wrote on 25/12/04 21:06:   
      
   >> The practical matter is that pilots don't switch aircraft so this   
   >> means little.   
   >   
   > Pilots don't have the slightest choice in the matter, their bosses buy   
   > the planes and they learn to fly them.   
      
   I had read that there is pilot upgrading on the Airbuses companies to   
   possess. That and ease of maintenance were considered positive factors   
   for Airbus. I have read some criticism with regard to Boeings in general   
   along those lines.   
      
   I am not writing as an apologist for either plane but as an outside   
   observer it seems that one can not bad mouth Airbus in comparison to   
   Boeing.   
      
   Now again with respect to the dollar/euro shift, naturally companies   
   protect themselves by trading on the currency markets but if the shift   
   is too great it really causes problems. In fact the shift in buying   
   habits does occur when currency values shift.  In fact the US trade   
   deficit can not be maintained forever and the growing use of the euro   
   as a reserve currency challenges the position of the dollar even more.   
   This is good news for Boeing.   
      
   The problem is generally is that the US itself is exporting manufacturing   
   jobs and even some services.  The US has not been a "go getter" generally   
   in international trade, the nation has been too insular and coasting   
   on its superpower status.  France can not maintain a trade deficit for long   
   so even a small one worries them.  Americans tend to be insouciant about   
   the whole issue.  I am not since I am a retired American drawing some of   
   my retirement income from the US. Fortunately I am also a retired French   
   civil servant and draw a euro pension as well as being on French socialized   
   medical insurance, which saves me a lot of grief.   
      
   Earl   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)