Times have moved on.
100% agree.
I was told by my trainer that as long as we
understood all the terms given on a loadsheet (DCS generated or manual), and the basic principles behind them, we would be fine. An understanding of the relationships between indices, MAC and Stab trim is a prime example. As long as we can have a relatively intelligent conversation with the flight crew about various situations (bearing in mind they are trained to a far higher level than you), 99% of the time you'll be fine.
Some of the more obscure things mentioned in this thread really have extremely limited value in commercial airline operations. If I put 100 bags in the back of a 737 or two bins in the front of an A320 do I really need to know about Hold Floor Strengths or the advantages/disadvantages of certain types of lashing? I say no.
And my record time for a manual loadsheet (A321)... 4 min 48 secs. My pencil was on fire after that one
