Psycho Joe:
FBW is here to stay. If you drive a modern car then there's every chance that your control inputs are actioned Or moderated via "throttle by wire", " steering by wire" " electronic stability control computers" and ABS computers.
Psych, the problem with flying which makes it different from driving a car is that I don't have an issue with determining what reality is.
In a car, if the engine she make noises, I have problem.
In the car, if the engine she no go, I stop.
In a car, if I turn the wheel and the car she no turn, I know I have a problem (especially if she no stop).
What I was trying to say, perhaps badly, is that the systems by which you are flying the aircraft are also creating the artificial reality by which you are monitoring the performance of the system. If the system screws up, you not only have a badly performing flight control system, you have a badly performing reality.
As a trivial example of automation, I departed Queenscliife on my yacht at 4.00 am for Melbourne Two days ago, relying on the autopilot, charting computer and software to take me down the West Channel. However I had the mark I eyeball to monitor what was happening, even in the dark.
Would I have trusted that system to do the same thing in Fog? I don't think so. - No redundancy - that is all I am saying. The Airbus software is both Poacher and Gamekeeper - not a good thing.