Wow, some of you guys are a little tense.
73addict
"you passengers"
macdo
I have flown steam driven passenger transport aircraft and shiney glass. Plenty of time in modern sims thank you very much.
What about you? Do you base your conviction upon knowledge of the past or just a guess? When was the last time you tried to navigate across the world in an aircraft without GPS?
"but the management processes to get us through the working day are a lot more involved"
You make me laugh! That says everything about what you think piloting is about.
"And finally, when the things are on fire or all the lights have gone out, only the skill of your pilots will allow you to continue living."
This is exactly my point. These events are very rare, and when they happen, the pilots are not always ready for them. Look at Air France!
Take a best case guy with lots of natural talent.
Give him minimal "teach to the exam" flying training.
Then sit him in a cockpit that does just about everything for him for 10yrs, with only the occasional minimal sim stuff every now and then.
That guys arousal level and basic skills are now so atrophied that he may just totally lock up.
Not because he could not have been a great pilot, but because he has never had the opportunity to become one.
The job now is so low challenge in terms of piloting skills that of course the skills will drop, particularly if he does not have the strength of experience from coming from a small aircraft/turboprop/bush pilot or military background.
If you are so convinced that I am wrong, then ask yourself this.
Why, in the olden days, when salaries were huge and hosties were welcoming and time off was endless and life was good and nobody had to pay for their own training was there no mountain of unemployed pilots?
Why nowadays when salaries are low and all the fun is gone and you need rich parents to get you started is there a mountain.
Is it perhaps that in the old days money was not enough to get you wings?
Is it perhaps that Darwin weeded out a lot that were never meant to captain an airliner?