control stick feedback
Since the late 60's the only feedback to the control stick/yoke has been artificial. Exceptions were the planes with mechanical linkage to the control surface actuators, and even those had little "direct" feedback. We called it "boost". We also saw yaw and pitch dampers that the clever engineers provided us to "help" keep the pointy end forward and reduce pilot-induced-oscillations, etc. The VooDoo and Phantom and others had bellows that used pneumatic pressure from an "orifice" someplace to stiffen the stick. We also had bobweights to provide a gee indication on the stick. Real easy, and kept us from commanding more gee than we wanted using only a direct hydraulic valve. OTOH, roll was usually a simple spring mechanism that made it harder to command left or right the further you deflected the stick/yoke. No dynamic pressure feedback, just a spring doofer.
For the non-pinball wizard pilots, some type of force feedback for the stick/yoke would be nice. Unfortunately, airframe vibration or buffet is different. You have to have "touch", and you cannot teach "touch". Helped many young pilots learn to fly a new jet ( three of them), but I could never "teach" "touch".
"Can't you feel that?"
"No sir."
"lemme do it and follow me thru"
etc.
Many of we old dinosaurs would like an electronic system that "feels" like the old planes. This is possible, maybe even preferred. But in the end the pilot has to trust the instruments ( unreliable and confusing as they were with AF447) and somteimes rely upon some "touch" as to how much should I pull/push, and is it a mach buffet or stall onset, or a big piece just fell off ( the 'bus incident when tail came off due to excessive commands by pilot)?
There is no substitute for airmanship, dammit. If the public wishes to ride in an airplane with no human up front, then let's try it for a few months. We could program the jet to takeoff, cruise and land, while avoiding bad weather and making radio calls to appropriate agencies, etc. And when a situation arises that the cosmic engineers had not thought of, then......