OC
I'm not entirely rejecting what you have just said, I prefer the firm&positive well considered method of operating flight controls, but I do have a lot of frightening incidents engraved on my eyeballs that are visible when I close my eyes.
Sometimes you have to act NOW, because there is no time to consider. How does one figure out which is which? I think the answer is experience and exposure.
I do not place AF447 in that category, however.
It seems that PF on that aircraft went to full respond mode when he was roused from his relaxed cruise state. The initial control movements are far too large-for what he was up against. Maybe the cavalry charge music had something to do with it?
