Here Here!
The only pilots who do not understand the importance of a FE, are ones who either lack the experience of having one on board. Or their egos require the stimulation of their importance over other crew members.
The Bean counters appear to have won this issue, that is until we have a bad disaster and the costs of the accidents overide the costs of having a FE.
A very good friend of mine who has over 22,000 hours just on Boeings alone, stated that the omision of the FE was fine, until things start to go pear shape, and then we see their real worth.
The real cost of safety is difficult to calculate until the bad times come. Let us hope that Airbus will see the need for back up systems that cannot be negated and some SOP's which really address safety in the air.
In no way should the effort of the crew be overlooked, but it should be understand that in this case the Hand of Fate was most helpful to a happy ending.
Regards
Col