Originally Posted by
KenV
These "traps" only exist if the pilots:
1. Fail to understand the systems they are (seemingly) totally reliant on AND
2. Fail to fly the airplane.
To me, both are a training problem, and probably not a design problem.
And contrary to this claim:
Auto Thrust
Auto Pilots
Auto Mation
None of it is designed nor programmed by Pilots.
At Boeing (and heritage Douglas) pilots are most certainly HEAVILY involved in the entire design and decision tree process when designing flight controls and automated systems and try out various design options in the simulator before those systems become final. It's one reason Boeing aircraft don't have side sticks and don't have autothrottles that don't move the throttle levers. Their pilots will not accept them.
KenV,
This moving throttle thing is normal Boeing dogma. There are lots of accidents that prove having the automatics and the pilots control the thrust at the same time does not work. It should be one or the other, which is what Airbus has opted for. Having a yoke moving in front of you doesn't seem to stop the accidents as well.
Even in the Boeing, if you have the autothrottles on you need to read and understand what the FMA says, because even if you push them up to the max noise position, autothrust "could" pull them on back if you let them go. The first column of the FMA tells you if you need to disconnect and push them manually, or hit the switches again to make sure they stay where you want them.