"The 800lb Gorilla in the room no one seems to want to mention is ab intro pilots who get most of their training in simulators. They never get the opportunity to build a solid background and learn solid basic stick and rudder skills."
What about the 800kg gorilla who tells pilots they are NOT ALLOWED to handfly the aircraft >FL290 because it's RVSM and even with their +/- 100ft instrument rating they cannot be trusted?
So most airline crews these days are instantly test-pilots when disconnecting the APs, or having them quit at altitudes >FL290, in probably complex situations, where the very different handling characteristics represent an aircraft THEY HAVE NEVER PREVIOUSLY FLOWN.
Don't please counter with flannel about simulator training, at some distant date in the past during type qualification. They don't and can't (though they try valiantly to!) reproduce accurately the peculiar handling qualities of the beast and certainly are unable to reproduce the "fright factor" inherent in that scenario. So no surprise that some of the recorded control inputs, whether FBW or "conventional" are causing grief to them and their unfortunate payload and causing bafflement amongst the professionals out there who know what it's like firsthand and are studying the aftermath.
I don't think the great mass of SLF will be impressed to know that the Bonoboes up front may not have this basic qualification and experience.
