Originally Posted by
IRRenewal
What does what I fly have to do with the fact this crew doesn't seem to understand the basics of aircraft they fly?
What was described there should not even surprise inexperienced pilots on type.
No offence meant but a 737 and a 737 are not the same. Technical knowledge is important but it quickly creates a false sense of safety as well. Safety is much more about realizing you might not know. Unexpected behaviour is part of the job and dealing with these situations part of our job.
Since you refer to FCTM I gladly refer to the chapters on automatic flight where Boeing explains ”deviations from expected performance are normally due to an incomplete understanding of their operations by flight crew” and how the pilot should reduce the level of automation until... it literally discusses unexpected level offs etc. You just state that incomplete understanding is unacceptable, however Boeing says it is perfectly possible. The crew acted according to the FCTM you referred to.
There’s the bunch of pilots who’ve only flown 1 aircraft in 1 company and think this is the world to be known from day 1 by every pilot on their fleet. And there’s the bunch of pilots who have seen other Boeings and fleets and realise it can be pretty confusing. But they understand the philosophy of monitoring and making interventions if necessary.
ps: when became VNAV ALT an option on the 737?