Originally Posted by
vilas
Coming back to the original question "Why is automation dependency encouraged in modern aviation?" Because:
1. Aircraft behave(mostly) as designed in the US, China or anywhere in the world.
2. Humans operate the machines differently in different countries, cultures and ethnicities.
3. No matter how well a pilot is trained or is experienced he does not become immune to all the ills human flesh is heir to(human factors).
4. Automation can perform repetatively to a given standard. There is no variation due to skill. If it doesn't just replace it.
5. A few failures of automation is not enough evidence against automation just as one Sully or Al Haynes doesn't make a summer. There are any number of fully serviceable Aircraft crashed through inadequate piloting.
6. Accidents will happen in manual or automation but the frequency and economics of the accidents will be the deciding factor.
Industry is moving towards automation. AF447 triggered some training but eventually alternate/backup speed in A350 and synthetic speed in B787. Final solution always end up in automation.
Actually the question should have been how to acquire/retain manual skill. That's what all the discussion is about.
Fully agree on all the points.
Regarding the last bit on how to acquire/retain manual skill I believe we all know the answer is : training, and more specifically SIM training. But SIM training is expensive and, aside from from the mandatory annual sessions, unproductive from an entrepreneurship point of view. How to get the message across that some extra non jeopardy yearly sim sessions focused on FPM are beneficial to everybody in the long term ? I believe this is another question we should be able to answer as a pilots/trainers community.