Remaok...
I'll wholeheartedly agree with you that we take too much for granted. I'd say that our knowledge, as pilots, about our steed doesn't go very far and deep, which needs not be as bad as this phrase suggests. I consider the trick to a long operational life is to know just enough (and recall it promptly) to get one safely out of any conceivable airborne situation - even if the exit is not effected in a neat, elegant or economical manner. I found out that I best remember not the lessons picked up in operating manuals but anecdotes from other pilots, safety publications,(quote)
I would suggest that one reads the NTSB report of the Jetblue incident in KLAX,and take note of the "resources" that the crew used to take care of this issue......at the end of the day,you as the Capt,and F/O.....will be required to prove that you used "all" avenues to deal with the issue at hand...