to
SLF3, I'd say commercial aviation is safer now due to sheer weight of numbers. Since the automatics do save the day for many, the amount of commercial sectors operated every day are going to turn out well.
I recall reading in PPRuNe several years ago (following one prang or another) that we were on the verge of the statistics going the wrong way. The reasons stated were all the same as in this thread.
- Loss of basic skills
- Inability to make the a/c do what you want it to do
- Knowing what you NEED it to do to get out of the bad situation
- Management who grew up in university and business school, rather than on the apron
- The Stock Market demanding ever better returns,rather than long term steady growth and a safe investment
- Accountants responding to that demand by the only tools they understand.
- + many more.