SASless: my response to G0uli had to do with one of FortyOdd's posts. I find the "redesign" instinct to require a grain of salt on the basis of one accident ... though sometimes that is not a bad thing to consider.
A few thoughts on the latest since the AAIB issued the recent info ...
tigerfish:
Suddenly the rules have changed, and as a result the missions must be getting longer, making fuel management issues much more of a factor than before.
Indeed. Probably already an SOP ... per this post by FortyOdd
Originally Posted by Forty Odd
As a police pilot you are continually assessing how long you've got left on task.
Similar to those who fly over open water a lot.
Originally Posted by FortyOdd
The fuel display is essentially an airborne planning tool. However, should the warnings appear, expected or not, the clock becomes the primary planning tool.
Well said:
To quote an old and bald QHI from my military days, "Airspeed is life, altitude is life insurance and you cannot buy either of them without fuel".
Aye.
Regarding the XFER pumps versus Prime Pumps:
If there were ANY reason to redesign something, one could look at that cluster of four switches. If the two Primes were flat switches, and the two XFER pumps were round switches (the diagram looks like they are all round) you'd know by feel which sort of switch you had your hand on.
(Or you could teach yourself which is outside and which is inside, and do a finger count to confirm ... lots of different ideas on that sort of thing).
Art: (By the way, thanks for your many insightful posts)
The fact we know is that the transfer pumps and prime pumps were in the wrong positions, thus denying the only actual fuel present reaching the engines. What we hope to know is wether the displays and warnings were being accurately presented to the pilot.
Knobology. It's caught a few people.
Shy:
If you can come up with an autopilot that works without hydraulics you might make your fortune.
One could start by using a Kaman servo flap system. :-) (I actually agree with your response to AnFI, and will not further digress).
paull
How often do people flip the wrong switches?
Speaking for own self ... have done it before in more than one aircraft model. Managed to note or recover, or have a C/P bring to my attention "wrong switch, bubba ... "