Originally Posted by
jcjeant
Hi,
If you read all with a closed or rigid mind .. of course you will find not a word about automation was designed to replace the pilot in the cockpit
But if you made a critical reading (reading between the lines) you will quickly inform you of the possibilities and prospects (proposed) has not said or written about the automation
Which automation at what level ?
The higher level A/P flight-director etc. - maybe. But, they were never intended to be a safety-critical must-be-working item, if they have become a crutch for less well trained pilots who cannot fly without them, that is operational failure (and cost cutting at expense of safety).
The FBW is more interesting. Look at the AB control law and particularly the way it is path-stable - it was designed to reduce pilot workload in hand-flying. Why spend effort on that if the intention is to get rid of the pilot ?
The real irony of course is that since AB designed this system, it appears that higher level automation SOPs and regulation has all but eliminated hand flying. If designing today, why would you bother reducing workload on a task pilots hardly ever do ?