There is absolutely nothing religious about pilots' training. Nothing is dogmatic, everything is verifiable. Warning that flight directors will lead astray if in wrong mode is included in every training, as is inculcating the habit to constantly check FMA for correct mode and selected values. It is entertaining to read the outsiders' misconception on the way airline pilots do their job but it gets a bit annoying when such notions are stubbornly touted to be true.
A peculiarity of the human (thanks to his intelligence) is that it will always be tempted to choose the easiest solution
In navy .. the simplest solution is to proceed the route (or check) by using the GPS
(can fail)
The steering autopilot also use it to follow the programmed route
Nevertheless .. the only instruments is recognized as valid are the sextant .. a tide table and a stopwatch (never fail)
You can (must) use them for verify if the GPS give you accurate position
They are always a board
Who use it today ... ??
Look no further than 36 cases of UAS on 330/340 that ended uneventfully to see how ludicrous is to make sweeping statements based on just one case.
There were indeed 36 cases that ended uneventfully .. but in fact .. revealed (though it did not seem to matter at the time) is that the pilots did not fully determined the fault .. or had not applied the procedure .. or did not believe the alarms
Not fully investigated .. no research group on human factors .. etc. ..
AF447 has produced 228 dead and we know what followed ....