PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Autopilots cause human pilots to "tune out": Pilots are "nothing more than luggage"
Old 4th Dec 2013, 21:17
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ExSp33db1rd
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The Smaller Antipode
Age: 89
Posts: 31
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Generalisation is as dangerous as total reliance on automation, there is no One Size Fits All, it is as important for the 'older' generations to embrace new tools - for that is all they are - as for the younger generations to remember the basics of what they are trying to do - both concepts will be needed at times. (**)

During the late 80's a colleague reminded me that the "old" WWII Captains that we flew with when we started, couldn't fly an ILS to save their lives ( some of them ! ) but pop out of cloud too high, not configured, wrong heading etc. and say " the runway's over there, Sir." (never forgetting the Sir !!) and they would straighten up and fly an immaculate hand held visual approach and landing, whereas the young pilots we were training, well practised in Flight Sim. and other computer games, could fly an instrument approach probably better than we ever could, or would, but pop out at minima and then they couldn't land a real aeroplane on the real Earth.

(**)but I don't have an iPad or Smartphone - managing quite well without thank you !!
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