blending skills and automation
I do believe you can blend skills and automation, but the engineers haven't done it.
Displays, both visual and aural (sound) of information and warnings can be enhanced. Also navigational, weather, traffic and the like can all be helpful WHILE THE PILOT STILL FLYS THE PLANE.
We all seem to set BUGS for heading or airspeed or altitude. A gadget that says...HEY PAL, YOU ARE FIVE KNOTS BELOW VREF or YOU ARE FIFTY FEET TOO HIGH would demand pilot skill improvements.
Have you ever watched a mediocre pilot hand fly a landing/approach? No auto anything! He really never gets the engines to match up and is dancing on the rudders to keep going straight. I've seen pilots be at idle on one engine while using twice as much thrust on the other to make the approach, dancing on the rudders all the way down. NUTS.
You have to force your mind to do many things...take a look at DP Davies "handling the big jets" Those subconcsious things pilots do to make a landing...they all have to be consciously learned at one time or another.