We're not saying anything new here but just revisiting the same trail over and over.What will it take for the airlines to realize that you can buy all the automatic "flies by itself" A320's that your dollars,pounds,dinars or yuan can buy, but when the **** hits the fan,you still need yourself a "P-I-L-O-T".AF found this out to their great cost.EVA to their great relief.And as we sit here and debate and argue right now,there are many cockpits out there crewed by pilots who wont take the automation out or ever come out of NAV or switch the FD off or take the AT out.
Pilots must fly the plane.Stick in left hand,thrust levers in right and classic T scan.They must do this first when they join the line.And they must revert to this manual mode of flying once a week or 2 weeks to retain proficiency.When theyre comfortable with the basics,then introduce the automatics,the SOP's and the finer points of menial line flying.But dont omit the fundamental!Honestly,I think 80% of line First Officers have their mind focused on SOP's and just arent trained to focus their attention on whats important("fly the plane").As you line up,the big issue is not SOP's!!!!( eg,FO distracted because CAPTAIN didnt have correct page showing in FMC!!!!!!)The big issue is silent config check and quiet review of actions in case of abort or turns required after EFATO.But nobodys teaching them this anymore.They think the FMC page is more important.The airline training departments are no longer run by pilots but by the bean counters who answer to the insurance companies and the bottom line.Pilots arent on the board.They dont make the decisions like they used to.And besides theres a whole new breed of antiseptic politically-correct pilot thats running things these days.Which is why we get AF447 and the THY crash at AMS.Pilots not flying the plane!Imagine that..a contradiction in terms.