Following magenta lines.............
This from accident report No:4/90 - Boeing 737-400, G-OBME, near Kegworth, Leicestershire:
"From the start of the descent the cockpit workload was high as the pilots received and acknowledged ATC directions, notified their situation to the operating company, broadcast to the passengers on the cabin address system and completed the descent and approach checklists for a single-engined landing. Some time was lost as the first officer attempted unsuccessfully to programme the flight management system (FMS) to produce the correct flight instrument display for landing at EMA. Such reprogramming of the FMS for landing at a hitherto unspecified diversion airfield is unusual and rarely if ever practised. From the CVR it maybe inferred that he possibly attempted to enter EMA as the next en route point without first selecting the route page and entering it as an arrival airfield. It is therefore recommended that the CAA should ensure that flight crew currency training in simulators includes practice reprogramming of flight management systems, or any other such systems which control key approach and landing display format, during unplanned diversions so that they remain practised in the expeditious use of such systems"
At the time this accident report was published I was flying an electro-mechanical, non FMS equipped aircraft. I assumed at the time that when flying these modern 'glass cockpit' type aircraft; unless one programmed the FMC then it would be impossible to land the machine.
Now I am current on that type, B737 classic, and know better. Why did anyone even bother trying to programme the FMC? Why not get radar vectors to ILS at EMA, switch to rose ILS display and press approach when on an intercept heading for the ILS?
However, the purpose of this post is not to re-open old wounds or criticise the actions of crew-members on the day. It is to illustrate that pilots are just as bamboozled by modern equipment they don't fully understand today as they were 20 years ago.