Good points Lonewolf: In my own profession (Anesthesiology/CriticalCare) we have benefitted greatly from automation aids, protocols, etc. But at the end of the day, when things go South we must understand the basics and understand how our machines and profession work: I am a lowly PPL but have learned a lot from these discussions and incidents. One must have a THOROUGH understanding of what makes aviation work and be prepared to respond when Hal lets us down. Thank you !
