Bubbers44: Clearly hand-flying skills ARE still required, as this accident tragically illustrates. Hence my point. Sure, computers can do a better job, but when they decide to pack it in (as happened in this case) the pilots need to have a pilot friendly and intuitive aircraft to fly. A combination, therefore, between the highly advanced, and old-school simplicity.
WilyB: LOL. This accident (and several others...such as the QANTAS A380) has made me question that pilots are system operators, and no longer aviators. Thankfully the QANTAS event ended without any casualties, but it could have quite easily gone in another and far more horrific direction.
These things never happened in the old, classic 747's. Maybe it wasn't so bad 25 years ago Bubbers!