Originally Posted by Icebreaker
bman,
actually it's not only me that thinks it's safer for an autopilot to do an approach. If you have access to air safety databases you too would see. Have you ever studied Human Factors - such as in JAR FCL?
Autopilots don't get tired after a 14 hour tour of duty for example.
And yes, I spent 12 years flying commuter aircraft, some without autopilots....but we ARE NOT talking about commuter aircraft are we! Maybe in your commuter airline crewroom, you 'FLY' the aircraft, however in large aircraft it's 'operate' - geez....on FBW's the pilot isn't even directly connected to the flight controls!
Icebreaker,
My first reaction to your post was an angry rant about you being an arrogant A$$. Comments like"
Maybe in your commuter airline crewroom, you 'FLY' the aircraft, however in large aircraft it's 'operate' - geez"
But I thought better of it!
Point one:
You assume that I work for a commuter airline, you are wrong. I fly (operate if u wish)large aircraft (B744).
Point two:
Your "Fly/operate" arguement is semantic and I can site just as many accidents where the AP was fully functional and operating when the A/C collided with mother earth. AA Cali 757
Point Three:
FBW stands for
FLY by Wire. If we were only ment to "operate" the aircraft there would not even need to be any form of controls system in an Aircraft. Some might think that we are headed that way, but the realistic limitations of the technology, current and near future, belies something to the contrary. An airplane isn't an airport shuttle train that can be safely operated by the limited AI that is currently available.
Point Four:
There shouldn't be a question of whether a pilot can fly an approach to minimums to the highest degree of safety. If that pilot cannot he has no business being in command of any aircraft ,large or small, carrying the unsuspecting public.The pilot and the autopilot have the same standards and operating parameters for an approach and need I remind you that when those standards were concieved autopilots weren't commonplace.
If you think it is appropriate to not allow pilots the discretion of hand flying then maybe you fall into the camp of those (especially management types) who think anyone can do this job.
My opinion is that it is essential that we Excercise our skills whenever we can. Everyone of us should strive to be the best pitch/power pilots that we can be, because when things go T.U. thats the guy we all want in the cockpit when our families are on board. SEE Al Haynes or Denny Fich UAL 232.