There has been a lot of focus on the deterioration of basic flying skills but what this highlights, an incident that occurred 4 years ago, is a deterioration in the basic understanding of the fundamentals of what keeps an aircraft flying! Are there too many pilots who have accepted the mantra that flying is always safe and nothing can go wrong? Is there a lack of understanding that as pilots we are the last line of defense? Are there too many pilots that are merely passengers in a uniform? I don't know what the solution is but reversing the denigration of the job category of pilot by airlines would be a good start.