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Old 5th Aug 2004, 14:35
  #82 (permalink)  
Old Smokey
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Australia
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Sultan Ismail,

If you are the same Sultan Ismail who made a previous post about your MAS B777 flight that required no further pilot input, may I suggest that you direct your future posts to the Spotters forum. Most of us take this topic quite seriously, and ill informed idiotic comment is out of place in a serious forum.

I fly the B777 (not with MAS), and a later version of the pre 9/11 that you observed at that. I cannot conceive of any flight in a B777, given it's current state of development, that could proceed beyond brakes release at the departure terminal without CONSIDERABLE pilot input. Maybe MAS has a secret new version of the B777 that even Boeing don't know about. Was that it demonstrating the new automated MAS rotation technique that we saw so graphically in recent posts from Europe?

I am one of the 'traitors to my profession' who has an active part in software programming for present generation aircraft. This is LOW LOW Tech stuff, and many software generations away from capabilities approaching that for full automation in all aspects. The present, and the next generation of software does not come close. For heaven's sake, if Boeing / Rolls Royce cannot build a relatively simple system such as Auto Anti-Ice (they did, but aircraft and engines continued to ice up), we have a lot to worry about.

In previous years my failure management was directed at aircraft hardware, engines etc. Now my failure management is directed towards FMC / Satcom / GPS navigation failures etc. because this stuff is still relatively Low Tech - except maybe in the third world.

Fully automated passenger flights WILL come, but at nowhere near the pace you suggest. Until it does, please keep your uninformed comment elsewhere - some poor misguided fool might believe it.
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