Time for a check?
NB Non type specific and civil only:
Is it time to make an objective assessment of any value that FBW and associated software/automatic protection systems have contributed?
We must all be aware of the growing incidence of incidents/accidents 'affected' by the trust or reliance on operating and protection systems, and we all, I'm sure, seek a way to ameliorate these.
Do we have the data to assess (for example) how many terrain avoidance/windshear/approach/ga events have actually been 'saved' by the systems and how many events have been directly or indirectly caused by them?
Not seeking a humungous list, just open for discussion at present with a view to a 'balance sheet' plus a look at how we train for these systems and indeed whether the 'automatics' pendulum should start its backswing. As we move inexorably towards the 'pilotless aircraft' this balance sheet will surely become pivotal.