@LW_50:
Gaaah - I'm supposed to be taking a breather!
OK - I'll answer your point and then I'm done for a bit. I'm not putting forward a straw man (though, on the subject of scarecrows, admittedly my head has hurt so much turning these issues over that bursting into a chorus of "If I Only Had A Brain" has been a distinct worry
). That point was a response to the suggestions put forward in the support of force-feedback that the past has many lessons to teach us, and that the march towards technology runs the risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak. It's a fair point and one I'm happy to concede.
However I've seen no evidence, either statistical or anecdotal, that the decision to simplify the control logic and reflect the modern state of airliner control systems (i.e. they ain't connected to the sticks and haven't been for nearly 40 years) by not implementing it on the current Airbus stable has had any effect on safety. All I've seen on this thread (and others) are people who have already made their minds up on the subject deciding that this was so. For what it's worth (as a non-pilot who does his homework before spouting off because he loves aviation and hopes that his forum handle makes that clear), I don't think there's enough evidence to support an unequivocal argument either way, and certainly not enough evidence to support a unilateral design change to what is a very successful and unprecedentedly safe airliner series and the knock-on effect that would undoubtedly ensue in practice.
I hope that people will also note that I don't see technological solutions as the be-all and end-all, and remain firmly in the "airliners need pilots" camp. I agree that overuse and misuse of automation, largely at the behest of airline executives whose qualifications consist of a trust fund, an MBA and precious little else, has had a negative impact on safety - especially when the automatics decide it is no longer safe for them to continue. However it is this aspect of the airline industry that needs to be tackled, and making automation itself (which as I've said is merely a tool) out to be the bad guy in all of this is, I believe, not only short-sighted but harming the debate that really does need to happen on the subject of hand-flying currency.