another view.
This is not to detract from any of the opinions so far expressed.
This was a training scenario.
I was taught to teach a certain way, namely, demonstrate the systems and capabilities to educate and reassure, then gradually introduce the gotcha's to demonstrate the quirks of the systems backed up by accident/incident reports, the objective being to impart both knowledge and situational awareness.
In the analogue / clockwork machinery I used to fly, the limitations on autoflight did mean hand flying the aircraft a fair percentage of the time during the most critical phases.
Advancing onto a comparable type to that involved in this accident was an interesting experience, because the basis of early training was to monitor and let the systems do the work, a concept I was familiar with as an instructor but not as an operational philosophy.
A subtle shift in emphasis was that one was no longer announcing one's actions to be confirmed on the MCP (by the NHP), one was announcing what the MCP was now displaying as the handling pilot, to be confirmed by the NHP.
What we will not know until the report is properly issued is the background in aero / cultural terms of the mix in the cockpit, hours alone do not tell the full story, nor necessarily does the nationality, or the shared initial training background of those involved. Not yet at least.
By most civilian standards, all of the crew members were quite experienced in terms of hours, other operators field crews with far less combined experience on the same aircraft, and a similar incident has seemingly failed to occur.
Personal experience was that as hours on type accumulated, and situations permitted the hand flying side was re introduced and encouraged.
To me, this was a sound philosophy moving to the "new" glass cockpit environment.
There were times, however, when the workload was very high the active training had to stop and we had to concentrate on being a crew, as trained in the simulator, work to our combined strengths, and concentrate on flying the aircraft, calling deviations and sticking to company SOP !
After all a plane is just a plane whatever badge it carries.
As I say, not a statement as to what caused what, just an observation.
TR
Last edited by Teddy Robinson; 16th Mar 2009 at 00:14.
Reason: Typo's