Fly The Aeroplane ... First, Last, And Always.
Well, I can see IRRenewal's point. It did rather seem to us that when the FMC came along, certain people were in too much thrall to it, to the detriment of maintaining situational awarness!
One of the first FMC-induced 'boobs' was the TriStar crew who inserted a 'not-before time' at a UIR boundary waypoint, and sat there happily, as the aircraft slowed down, and slowed down ... and slowed down. The Lockheed training captain, who was visiting the cabin, became concerned with the increasing deck angle, and regained the flight deck at the onset of pre-stall buffet.
Then of course there was Cali, where mis-programming of the FMC flew a serviceable and user-friendly Boeing 757 into the high ground when situational awareness should've been operating at 120%.
My usual avuncular demeanour was sorely tested by the first officer who bimbled away furiously, constructing a DME arc procedure into a Turkish hell-hole with big rocks sticking up all round, when it seemed to me there was a much simpler way of going about it. It was also sorely tested on turnround at Munich one day when both FMCs failed and I was informed in all seriousness that we were now in a 'No Go' situation. Dear me, find where it says that in the manual!
(Of course, thinking on, with the passage of time, it may indeed be a 'No Go' item nowadays ... is it?)
I will now get back in my box.
Last edited by Georgeablelovehowindia; 6th Feb 2010 at 16:53.
Reason: Remembered Munich, and the passage of time!