Originally Posted by
Caboclo
Slightly off topic, do any of you folks feel that the automation in modern jets is so complex as to be a hindrance, rather than a help? I fly a DC-9 myself; my automation is anything but complex, and I kind of like it that way. I see so many accident reports referencing different modes of automation, and pilots confused about which mode is selected. Granted, many of these accidents also occur with poorly trained crew, but training aside, has the industry gone too far with the bells and whistles?
The oldest commercial plane I have experience on was a 1970s design and the newest is a 2000s design. I don't think that automation has advanced to the point of being a hindrance. I recently had a look at some older aircraft's checklists, all of which were considerably longer and more complicated than those of my current steed. Less switching during turn-arounds and during taxiing is a welcome reduction in workload (which helps to offset the additional chores introduced by FMS programming and switching from paper to EFB plus the various CYA paperwork introduced over the last 30 years). Less switching during abnormal ops will leave more capacity for the PM to monitor and the commander to manage.
Transitioning to more advanced avionics designs will result in some "what's it doing now" moments but usually you get to know the possible tripwires rather quickly.
What might be an issue is the lack of experience with "fallback options", e.g. pilots not being used to fly conventional navigation SIDs without FMS guidance any more. That needs to be trained and pilots should be allowed and encouraged to reduce the level of automation used during normal operation to stay sharp. Company policies or individual captains prohibiting this are counterproductive.
When I started flying we were rather proud to be able to use the full operational envelope of the aircraft. Over the years a lot of its edges have been declared no-go in the interest of safety (the theoretical underpinning being that using the edges increase the chances of transgressing them and scraping metal.) While this apparently has improved safety, it has also eroded pilots' abilities to deal with those edges. I am not entirely sure that is good, but far from being able to offer a comprehensive alternative.