I know this has been hinted at previously, but this discussion does make me think about the qualities required for pilots flying these aircraft While the pilots are trained in these computerized flight control systems and have a degree of familiarization with them, do they actually have a deep understanding of them? If not, then is desirable to be operating aircraft without a comprehensive understanding of these systems?
Previously we talked about "airmanship". And that quality is clearly vitally important (witness Sully's landing in the Hudson and even the last seconds of BA038). But do pilots today need more than this? Do they also need to be masters of current technology FBW and automated systems? And if so, is it possible to be that, and to be a good pilot also? Or is that skill set asking too much of one profession?
It appears inevitable that automation will increase. And if commercial air travel is safer than ev before, then perhaps we are on the right track overall (despite the occasional disaster such as this). Perhaps we have to be pragmatic and look at the big picture.
Careers evolve over time in the face of new technology, and I guess that is progress. But I wonder if flying a jet today is still the same job as before, or whether it is something new and fundamentally different. And whether pilot training today gives people the skills they will need.
Or do we need to go back to the days of a flight engineer? But this time, someone trained in computers and systems and instrumentation rather than engines.
I know you can argue that you can't over-react to a single incident. But QF072 could have ended very differently. And that Qantas 380 with that engine problem out of Singapore - true it started as a mechanical failure, but the crew was overwhelmed with the amount of information presented to them and you wonder how this would have turned out with a "normal" crew rather than a lot of experienced check pilots.