Check out the trend over the last 50 years. The flight deck had a flight engineer, radio op. , nav. , and two pilots. Now only two pilots , and they are fast becoming just "System Operators" acting as the interface between ATC and the aircraft. I am sure management sees this "Expensive" weakest leak as the next cockpit down sizing. The captain ...... he'll be on the ground behind a radar screen and in the aircraft a person with sops and sim time. The system monitor in the cockpit will have to break the glass cover to attempt to disconnect the autopilot and most likely face a mountain of paper work and several visits to THE OFFICE to explain why.
Progress and technology can and will change the definition of pilot / aviator . And I am sure the "PILOTS" of the future will look back at this time in aviation and marvell at what "PILOTS" actually had to do or could do or should I say were allowed to do.
SOPS and 80 Hrs. sim........who would have thought!!!!!!