Originally Posted by
dead_pan
Another SLFie who may be stating the obvious, but surely the goal of any airframer is to produce an aircraft that even the minimum standard of pilot can fly and have a decent chance of successfully troubleshooting in the event of something going awry? Not prejudging anything BTW
The FAA language is "a pilot of average skill".
However the first time such a pilot now gets behind the yoke is after the aircraft has been certificated, sold to an airline, built, delivered... Maybe they should involve FO Joe Average a bit earlier in the lifecycle.
Gone are the days when airline chief pilots would schlepp off to Seattle and throw the thing around the sky for a while before telling the executives whether it was suitable to buy. Now if it promises a 1% operational cost saving it is bought straight off the CAD screen.
Back in the 1960s there was even a BOAC inspection and flight-test team at Everett!