DozyWannabe
Thank you.
(1) No, not BCal - you can work out my former airline from my profile.....
(2) I spoke with two BAC1-11 captains who went to Toulouse (shortly after their return to the UK), and I know exactly what was said to them. And their unease at the "sales patter", even if they had no doubt that AB's flight training experts would have also been uncomfortable. Let's not forget that the duopoly in those days was an all-American affair, and AB was facing a huge challenge to break in.
(3) Most contributors to this thread well know what the BEA has said, and many are also concerned by what it will become in a 50 second BBC/CNN/Sky/Fox soundbite report. Pilot error, or pilot error with a long caveat to the effect that this really means training shortcomings rather than an inexplicable error by a perfectly trained flight crew? In this forum, of all places, "pilot error" should be very carefully used....
It was not the easiest of environments, in the absence of thorough high altitude manual flight training (CMB in ITCZ, no moonlight, early hours of the morning (PNF had just come off rest), no CDB on the flight deck, UAS leading to A/P and A/T cut out and the loss of flight envelope protection). The many comments on the SS inputs (NU), THS and trim, absence of stall recognition and cockpit discipline (particularly the non-reporting to the CDB upon his entering the flight deck) should all be read in this context.