Ethiopian airliner down in Africa

[gums]

Opinion on the AoA indicator/instrument
_________________________________________
Salute!
Many opinions about the AoA indicator or instrument or....or.....
I must admit that I flew three jets with AoA indications, two presented AoA all the time and one only with gear down.
I liked an AoA indication that presented the optimum AoA for an approach regardless of my weight, and allowed for configuration such as flaps and gear Being a single seater, it kept me from flipping thru a lotta pages and such, and also being more accurate than the old rules of thumb like 175 KIAS with 3,000 pounds and 5 knots for every 1,000 above that ( yep, that was a rocket I flew as a raw nugget).
I never used AoA for optimum cruise or holding pattern to save gas. Although two of my planes used AoA for stall warning and protection, the only indication I had was a pusher or a no kidding FBW limiter on the elevator no matter if I pulled with 200 pounds!
So I tend to agree with many that adding another instrument that can be used for most of the flight is of dubious value. EXCEPT it is worth its weight in gold for approaches and when flying right at the edge of the envelope. So my feeling is to have some. representation presented when those two conditions exist. It's a no brainer. Shows you why you are close to a stall and confirms your approach AoA/speed. I will guarantee that the Asiana 777 that got slow would have seen the AoA bracket going way high in the HUD ( oops? that thing have HUD?). Ditto for AF447.

Finally, many recent posters do not understand how trim works with regard to AoA and pitch attitude and Gee. I suggest they visit the Tech Log.

Gums sends..