HF I think your last para is very true. As I said before, the better the autopilot the less perceived need there is to monitor. But are we saying therefore that manufacturers should intentionally build in software bugs just to keep us on our toes? Don't think so!
Personally I was quite happy to use the 225 autopilot to its full capability because I am intrinsically lazy. My "old fart" colleagues don't seem to have lost the ability to fly, although some still struggle to understand the technology. The newbies of course lap up the technology, but I see a determination in them to also master manual flying and most ask to fly manually quite regularly. So, whilst a balance of both these disparate skills is required, I think we are pretty much doing that already.
Last edited by HeliComparator; 5th Sep 2013 at 21:12.