Originally Posted by
Jutta
Now the profession of a pilot is first of all to know how to fly a plane, which in itself is already very demanding. But what about a person who loves to fly but has no interest or notion of a computer? He or she just doesn't understand what's it all about as he doesn't care. But in modern flying this is essential. When reading about the reaction of the PF I could not help wondering if he really understood the planes computer and everything connected with it.
Hi Jutta - and welcome.
I dont think it's a case of the PF failing to understand the computer (which in this case, outside of autotrim, wasn't actively doing anything to assist his inputs anyway). He seems to have broken a few basic rules of aeronautics which remain the same whether you're in a Cessna, a 747 or an Airbus - chief among those being that you do not pull up into a stall warning*. Other contributing rules include "Do not make large control inputs at cruise level/at the limits of your aircraft's achievable altitude", and the basic rule of CRM, which is "ignore your co-pilot at your peril, doubly so if he or she has more experience than you".
The fact that the Airbus uses a computer to manage many of its functions is neither here nor there anyway - the fact is that if you are certified to fly an airliner and you have people in the back, it is incumbent upon you to know your aircraft's systems well, whether they consist of modern technology or cables, pulleys and bellcranks.
[* - By which I mean the stall warning that was sounding for nearly a minute before the AoA readings became unreliable, during which time he was still pulling up. ]