Thanks for your answer PJ2. As usual reading another post of yours is delightful.
..."doing nothing".... By the phrase, I was assuming a great deal on the part of the reader. What I meant was, one "does nothing" in terms of climbing/turning/descending etc....
The "great deal" assumption that the reader does not need explanations, may imply straight forward that he does not need the summarized "doing nothing" either, as if he knows the first, he knows the latter as well.....
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I assumed the airplane was just about as easy to fly in Alternate 1 and 2 and Direct Laws as it was in Normal. I have done this in the simulator many times...
Perhaps at a high experience/professional level the protections of Normal, versus Alternate 1, versus Alternate 2, versus Direct, don't bring or mean much, particularly in smooth non-adverse weather....
But we know their purpose, and that their degree of absence and importance becomes even more obvious when the flying conditions are no longer friendly and/or simple. And the short 4 minutes or less between life and death on the AF 447 exacerbates that like nothing else would....
As I mentioned before a recent cross continental flight with heavy turbulence almost out of nowhere, made me think a lot more...
Originally Posted by PJ2
I have learned through discussions.... that maintaining level pitch and bank attitudes in the circumstances you describe, would be challenging and perhaps even very demanding depending upon the second-by-second series of sidestick inputs over a short period of time.
Between a 200 tone airplane, at M0.8, and a 5 grams paper made plane at a hand throw speed, there may be a huge difference in mass, inertia, size of wings, and power behind the motion, but they are paradoxically similar, if not identical, in the proportionality of the air lift to their mass/weight.
That being said, the challenge in maintaining the level flight is the turbulent air in large masses, at random speeds, and random change of directions, which creates the demanding situation, to which the second-by-second inputs of the side stick are only the pilot's plane control responses/reactions.
Among many others, it is these very situations that elevate one having the control of the stick in the cockpit, to the title of true airline pilot, as much as many years ago, just flying an airplane would, and therefore I strongly believe they're worth mentioning.
In light of this,you may agree that the use of "do nothing" calls for an update, as it may present the risk of telling selectively only part of the story, which means the risk of over simplifying - (edited: trivializing)....
....
As much as the tremendous progress in the science of making and controlling flying objects after of about 100 years - although more, or even a lot more, if we go back to daVinci, or Icarus.... - with each step, and each gain, the pushing forward of the boundaries of knowledge brings with them inherently, also the boundaries of the unkown. The AF 447 seem to be an apogee, or a burst of a collection of unknowns, of the current stage in technology, and industry, which like many of the past, came with a tremendous, undesired, and sad sacrifice. When resolved - and one has to recognize the resources allocated by the French Government, BEA, Airbus, and Air France, the Industry at large, the International community for the resolution - the solutions will be, along with many other elements another step forward in the knowledge and advancing of man.
And hey... , even this Forum, and these threads are somewhat a contribution, and part of that step forward, as meager as it may be, ....