It was all meant to shout: If humans are on the flight-deck, they MUST be able to fly the aircraft. Really fly it. Oh, and be allowed to fly it.
Your words in gods ear!
The reality is that whenever the automatics are no longer capable of handling, due to invalid signals they need, they throw the aircraft back at the human.
- Perfect - It will be
him screwing up finally.
Good for statistics and engineers.
Second reality is that even when the automatics switch off autopilot and autothrust, it can still intervene with pilot inputs, through automatic protections, and therefore limit his authority.
Why on earth? ?
It had detected itself incapable of handling the aircraft, but still messes with controls.
Isn't that a paradoxon?
I am not entirely against automation and technology to improve safety. But the implemented systems
must work flawlessly.
Otherwise I don't need them.
So before introducing even more protections, please fix the technology that's already on board.
Concerning statistics, lots of contributors just love those, I am still missing a serious one about
automation induced pilot errors. This would give a clearer picture than the one containing just plain pilot error. Not that it would excuse any such error, eliminating those should be just as noble a cause, but it would point back at the magic automatics that benefit from too big a confidence and a lack of genuine criticism, as it would mean responsibility (meaning doe) from you who I mean.