Originally Posted by DW
I know it's only a minority that jump on every Airbus incident or accident with tales of conspiracies and concierges
- as I see it, there is a long-term 'whiff' of 'conspiracy' - that will take time to blow away. The 'Concierge' is something that has created enormous damage and will take even longer, since it has appealed to many - those who wish to learn to fly airliners without lots of effort, those who see the advantages of a 'cannot go wrong' system (namely insurers and accountants - the latter also seeing the savings in training) and management who can insist on no-one touching anything thereby making their jobs easier. There is no doubt that the FBW technology is the way forward. It offers big savings in economy with 'relaxed' stability and enhanced safety in normal operations.
As I have said on t'other thread, the industry needs to claw its way back to a sensible middle ground. Not all pilots agree, of course. As I have also said elsewhere, it is not the fault of the engineers/software writers - they can only work to the best of their ability to produce what the industry asks for.
My last 'elsewhere' quote is that I hope all AB pilots are having quiet contemplative thoughts about the way it works, or doesn't. I also believe this accident will be a big shake up to both AF and to a lesser extent AB
I still like your (oldish) idea of dropping straight to Direct Law in the 447 scenario, by the way - with a concomitant shift in training, of course...............