Hamrah post #530 , wiggy post # 569, think your two posts are a good summary of the unfortunate situation the crew were handed by their aircraft.
I am, quite unashamedly, anti Airbus FBW.
22 years on a 737 perhaps labels me somewhat Jurassic, but the same scenario (more or less) on my prof check 48hrs ago (my instructor was psychic? ) was difficult but eminently doable.
Not entirely sure if the wonders of Airbus (uncrashable! ! as I cringe yet again remembering Bernard "cablecar "Z emphasising on the Beebs coverage of Farnborough airshow all those years ago) actually help or diminish the human ability to alleviate sh1t happening, my personal opinion is very much the latter.
Edited to say The Shadow post #590, I think you deserve "post of the thread award" & I wish I had the influence/contacts to secure you a secondment to the BEA for a few months.
I sincerely hope they have, and are allowed to utilise, as much imagination/lateral thinking/insight, as you have shown.
Illuminating post
2nd edit jcjeant post #598, interesting link. If indeed BUSS was a good thing, yet again, like AF skimping costs by not installing GPWS and the resulting A320 crash in Strasbourg, the bean counters should be ahead of the pilots, when we attribute blame.
Oh BTW, only very slightly off topic, have all you (fellow ) Boeing drivers read the recent bulletin re ice crystals ? ?