a hybrid between hand flying and automation
In my opinion, with actual technology there should be a way to fly an airplane halfway between manually and using automation. By manually I mean zero automation, and I am not referring to the FD bars.
This "hybrid" way of flying would be such that the pilot would have to to the thinking and to have controls like in a Cessna, but the system would warn the pilot and come up to assist when it was departing the intended flight path or getting close to envelope limits.
Imagine that you want to fly an ILS and instead of the AP/FD A/THR, you use the "HYBRID" mode, in which the AP/FD approach mode is standing by. If you are rusty or that day is not your day, or you are a 200 hr trainee with a lot to learn and you go too far off the beam, then the bars come up. The procedure is that if they come up, you follow the bars, engage A/THR and even engage AP depending on circumstances.
WIth such a system, pilots would remain highly skilled and we would still benefit from the increased safety that we owe to automation.
And we would have so much more fun!
Last edited by Microburst2002; 26th Jul 2012 at 15:07.