@ Clandestino:
http://flightsafety.org/ap/ap_nov89.pdf
Been a while since I read that, thanks for the walk down memory lane. The principles apply to Air France management as well as to any commander.
How do pilots learn where the protection limits are? They read and understand their manuals.
You left out a critical piece of the answer to that question: they practice flying so they know how the aircraft works, in all modes. That means you need to experience what happens near the edges, in a controlled environment.
Doing is a critical part of training!
Actual flying is a skill susceptible to rust, unless all you do is monitor what the robot does for you.
Real world engineers know that no improvement comes without costs, either strictly financial or improvement in one area is inseparable from degradation in other. It's a tough world outside.
Amen, deacon.
It's cheaper that way, when the fuel is cheap and aircraft/crew time expensive. Anyway, it's not that critical as maximum operating mach has inbuilt margin, which must not be used up deliberately.
Good point.
Tens of thousands pilots do it every day. Staying inside envelope we call "flying", excursions are called "falling".
