FWIW- as a SLF who has been in the industry- Boeing for decades a few items tweak me
1) To allow a SINGLE sensor with NO comparison/matching/voting to take control on a ' intermittent ' or ' sometimes ' basis is just plain wrong wrong wrong
2) Without splittinh hairs regarding just when most pilots engage autopilot, or put flaps up, both seem to commonly happen at ** relatively ** low altitudes. And most birds/fowl also fly at relatively low altitudes. Yes some have been found at 15,000 to 20,000 feet- but I'm focusing on majority issues. Birds strike aircraft often in the 'nose' area, which means a slightly higher probability of damage to AOA sensor - AT LOW ALTITUDE which when coupled with a single path control again IMHO is a bad idea.
3) Inertial systems can now define an approximate flight path, ground speed, altitude and work as a simple ' crude' backup or possibly a non external sensor compare ( believe 777/787 does incorporate similar INS compare/standby function ??? )
4) Both the Boeing/FAA games re certification/analysis and change in the DER process need be scrubbed as it seems to have alllowed/overlooked the basic ' redundancy'/"safety' issue for 'critical " sensors/controls. ( and 787batteries ! )
Just my .000001
