Modern Training erroding pilot skills

[TurningFinal]

Am I correct in drawing these conclusions?

Automation compromises at least two sets of flying skills:

1. Motor skills - the basic stick 'n rudder if you will. This is your eye hand coordination variety, such as scanning, as well as motion perception...they body's sense of what the a/c is doing on the 3 axis (which can become confused in IFC....one reason we have autopilots).

2. Mental navigational and situational awareness skills. This is the sort of 3D spacial awareness a pilot has in his/her head about direction, distance from terrain, and relationship to NAVAIDS and airports, and even being able to point out one's location on a chart at all times. Nonprecision approaches also require this sort of awareness of location of markers and AGL altitude and location of obstacles...towers...mountains near the field.

I know one could break it down to more subcatagories, but these are skills needed to get the ratings in the first place.

I've heard of pilots who don't even pay attention to the FMC information provided in MAP and VOR modes and don't know in their head where the divert fields are...they are just along for the ride. If both FMCs suddenly went down and there was smoke and no radios...would they know where to divert?

Two accidents...I'm sure there are more, remind us of the danger of overdependence on the computers and the failure to maintain s/a. Both occured during the approach phase. Both times the crew pressed on despite a loss of s/a. If they had been in less automated a/c, would they have been more focused on reviewing charts and conducting more briefings?

1. AA 757 accident in Cali, Columbia. It was mountainous, at night, and the local controllers had minimal english skills. When the approach was changed to direct to make up of for lost time the crew was unfamiliar with the area and lost s/a. At one point the F/O asked the captain "where are we?" CFIT.

2. Korean Air 747 accident in Guam. Glideslope was closed at the field. The crew performed a nonprecision descent with outdated map and got messed up on the altitudes at the markers. CFIT.

Even if 90% of the time the computer takes the flight right up to the ILS intercept, if the crew doesn't maintain awareness of landmarks and navaids as if there was no computer, then s/a has already been compromised.