Man-machine interface and anomalies

[Lyman]

Not Green, Gray...

I am reasonably convinced that the lack of Pilot/Pilot interface engineered into the Airbus cockpit was not arrogance , nor ignorance.

The dynamic, ignored in the lack of interconnectivity with hand controls, shows a confidence in the human factor that has created problems in flight. The knock on the platform early on, "What's it doing now....?" has in some instances been replaced by "What are you doing now...?"

The design clearly shows a lack of attention to this dynamic factor, cockpit management. It certainly reflects on a lack of concern for the importance of either handling position relative to controller orientation, aircraft attitude.

And in fact, the sidestick is not always reflective of a direct positional relationship stick/aircraft. The geometry has at least two modes: first, the angle of the stick whilst held, and second, the short loiter at a random point in its arc driven by a human input that is not quantifiable due to its short duration. In the second instance, the target angle is a "best guess" and subject to additional refinements in subsequent "hunting" by the handling pilot. This has unfortunately been termed "stirring mayonnaise". Since this motion is guesswork by the handler, it is likewise guesswork for the non handling pilot, should he be interested in its travels.

Both sticks are active, ordinarily, and if unarticulated, rest in neutral. If a handling pilot is putting in an angle that is detrimental to the flight path, his opposite cannot know by seeing his own non moving stick. He can see the instruments, but in turbulence, or in rare occasions when instruments are unavailable or inaccurate, he relies on the flying pilot to manipulate his stick correctly.

In the even rarer circumstance when a pilot is mishandling, there is a problem.
The monitoring pilot must stop what his tasks are, and enter a zone of diminished interface, "what is he doing?" "you go up, so go down...."

"Are you pulling?" "if you are pulling, stop pulling..." "stop, STOP". These are comments based on conjecture, for the monitoring pilot has no awareness of the flying pilot's stickwork. Then, "My Airplane"... If the taking of control is based on an error in assessing, guessing, the other pilot's stick movements, the stage is set for confrontation, or a dangerous interruption of control in what may have been a mechanical problem, or weather, not mishandling....

So our non flying pilot can be put in the position of confusion; does he doubt the instruments (there were problems with one or two, perhaps airspeed, or flight director mode). Or does he put his faith in the panel, and his senses of attitude, and take control?

In this gray area when the second pilot senses something wrong, he may err on the side of continued mishandling, or take over from a pilot who is doing a proper job. In certain rare circumstances, and in emergencies, either course of action would be wrong, and possibly fatal.

It has been noted by a respected authority that the lack of visibility one stick to either pilot is notable; I have added some possible reasons why it might be dangerous? This same potential would also apply to a lack of interconnectivity.