Originally Posted by
Derfred
I have a lot of respect for a pilot who is capable of “just flying the aeroplane” when required.
But I have no respect for a pilot who chooses to “just fly the aeroplane” because he actually doesn’t know or understand his aeroplane.
Chuck Yeager apparently would never fly an aircraft until he knew the flight manual by heart and could find every switch blindfolded.
We’d all be wise to fully understand our aircraft systems before we get airborne and be forced to exercise our superior handling skills in an attempt to cover for our lack of study and knowledge.
He'd never get airborne in a modern airliner. The manuals are much longer than the manuals of earlier eras. The P-51 flight manual was 78 pages. Switches? In a modern airliner? He can't reach about 1/4 of them.