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FAA: Pilots should be capable of flying aircraft manually when needed

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WASHINGTON — According to Federal Aviation Administration, airlines need to provide more extensive pilot training to avoid potential accidents when pilots are forced to take manual control during emergencies or become confused due to erroneous flight data provided by automated systems. (www.airlinerwatch.com) और अधिक...

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curtlnss
Curtis Wester 75
Any airline pilot that can't manually fly the airplane he's sitting in, shouldn't be flying at all!!
fwaviator63
A. Highsmith 2
xtoler
Larry Toler 64
I flew with a captain who preferred to hand fly most of the time. That was with the routes he knew well. He was a yoke and pedal guy even with a glass cockpit. He would have made a great check airman, but he didn't want the head ache.
jbbooks1
Lewis Tripp 2
Sorry, I hit wrong arrow
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 3
I have big fingers and when I am using my phone I have hit the wrong arrow. But I have found that if you accidentally hit the down arrow just hit the up one and it corrects the numbers.
BTW I have only actually used the down arrow a few times and only when someone brings politics of hate into the discussion. If I disagree with someone’s post on anything else I just don’t hit any arrow.
jbbooks1
Lewis Tripp 0
Sorry, I hit the wrong arrow.
sparkie624
sparkie624 50
Doh! You think... Pilots really need to learn how to Fly Their Plane... It is amazing that this is a published Article! Sad that it is needed.
MSReed
MSReed 37
YA THINK? It's unnerving that this isn't a headline in the Onion.
segulin
Tim Segulin 29
Sounds silly to even say it, but remember the Asiana 214 crash at SFO in 2013? I recall that came down to the captain lacking the airmanship to land the aircraft manually. At the time it was said he might have been unable to fly a Cessna.

Surely aircrew need to be more than just system operators of largely automated machines that just happen to fly?
chugheset
chugheset -8
Didn't the news media report the Captain of that flight was named Sum Ting Wong?
flinr
richard flint 2
I think it was Wee Too Low.
gilgraham
gilgraham 3
I believe chugheset is correct. We to Lo was the FO. Holi Fuhk and Bing ding ow were just the other crew members. Hilarious.
pfbonney
Perrt Bonney 2
“Wee Tu Lo”, that should be spelled. ;-)
mikeosmers
Michael Osmers -3
Kci0
Billy Croan 1
flinr
richard flint 0
DavidCrowne
David Crowne 2
It was an FAA intern who released those names to the media, who reported them without questioning. Deplorable on both counts.
Scumhook
Scumhook 8
People who have no idea about what actually happened are reflexively downvoting comments because they think people are being racist, whereas the "racists" are merely stating what ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

Reacting and not actually understanding what you're reading is exactly why these names were broadcast on the news.
STEPHANIEWALLACH
STEPHANIE WALLACH 0
STEPHANIEWALLACH
STEPHANIE WALLACH 0
This is slightly racist.
n555cf
rbt schaffer 22
If you can't fly the aircraft manually, you official title should be layman passenger. Not pilot or PIC
Firecul
Firecul Firecul 5
What about PIC - Passenger in Charge?
ewrcap
David Beattie 22
OMG! PILOTS WILL HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO FLY AN AIRPLANE?! Oh, this is soooo unfair! I’m filing a grievance with my union right now!
k1121j
k1121j 63
This statement is scary just because they had to say it.
AUS22897
Keith Quigg 9
Perfectly put. My first thoughts exactly.
Y2KRene
Rene Kunz 2
They most likely were not aware of that.
bdarnell
bdarnell 21
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
jeepien
jeepien 2
Automate. Equivocate. Commiserate.
DonaldSchoengold
Donald Schoengold 17
And this is a suggestion but not a requirement????????
skylab72
skylab72 2
Well, the FAA is supposed to BOTH make flying safer and more popular. So dollars must be routed to either keeping professional aviators well-trained and current OR increasing their workload. Airlines and Aircraft Manufacturers' profits are best served by the latter, so they lobby for that. Outrage over safety 'incidents' has a bit of a lag to it. It is all about the $$$.
33putt
ken putman 13
I always said recurrent training should be done in a Cessna 150!
dsbrantjr
Donald S Brant Jr 8
Perhaps some glider time would be helpful to improve stick-and-rudder and energy-management skills; no go-arounds possible. My glider instructor even taught spins.
jbsimms
James Simms 9
Certainly helped Captain Sully
dutchoscar
David Powell 2
My glider instructor was great! the former commanding officer of a ship in the Tonkin Gulf. He, unfortunately, augured in from about 120 feet. He can still walk but he hurts. Obviously.
gilgraham
gilgraham 3
I'd suggest a taildragger like an extra or Citabria. Humbling experience for most of the "airplane drivers". The real pilots would eat it up.
bentwing60
bentwing60 1
a rudder and feet are either in harmony in a tail dragger or the perp. walk is next.
stinsonsteve
Steve Dow 3
Nah...we're all too fat for 150s.
Gotta be a 172 at least!
Or better yet a taildragger like my Stinson 108-2!
royalbfh
royalbfh 24
This is the type of action that makes the FAA so useful. The agency that is in charge and approves all training and licensing is NOW saying that pilots need to know how to fly. Good work FAA...
Advisory Circular No.1- Pilots should know how to fly the airplane
Please send this out immediatly.....
aurodoc
aurodoc 23
"Pilots should be capable of flying aircraft manually when needed" What???? Am I missing something here? If this is a factual statement I think I will drive.
larrykreuger
Larry Kreuger 11
Given the new electronic computer driven monitoring capacities built into millions of new cars and trucks, I wonder how long it will be until we start reading the same kinds of comments about folks becoming dependent on these automated systems as well. True, they won’t be 30,000 ft up, going hundreds of mph, carrying hundreds of others…but the sheer number of drivers will perhaps amount to an equivalent amount of trouble. Do we then blame the drivers themselves, the manufacturers, the politicians who take bribes (campaign contributions) from those making big bucks from the sales involved, the automakers unions? My mother, deceased in 2013, told the story of her time as an elevator operator in a department store when the company installed push button lifts and some folks didn’t want to step on without a ‘driver’. Believe it or not, world wide even with mandatory inspections, there are still malfunctions in elevator circuit boards that cause trouble. Dependency on technology is an interesting topic in hundreds of areas…faulty smoke alarms…etc., etc.
wjm100
wjm100 8
Yes, excellent point. It's not about knowing how to fly or drive but about how to take over "cold" when the automation fails. Air France 447 is a good example. Tesla says the driver should always be attentive, but the more likely scenario is that the driver is talking to a passenger or texting with minimal situational awareness.
ssobol
Stefan Sobol 2
Eventually, it will become illegal to manually drive a car on a public road. Automation will do all the work. When a car detects a failure in the automation, it will pull to the side of the road, stop, and automatically call for assistance.
Manual driving will be a hobby of driving enthusiasts. There will be special locations where they can pay to manually drive cars (e.g. racetracks).
ssobol
Stefan Sobol 0
Eventually, it will become illegal to manually drive a car on a public road. Automation will do all the work. When a car detects a failure in the automation, it will pull to the side of the road, stop, and automatically call for assistance.
Manual driving will be a hobby of driving enthusiasts. There will be special locations where they can pay to manually drive cars (e.g. racetracks).
There will be exemptions to the no-driving laws for public safety vehicles and the like.
jbsimms
James Simms 3
DonaldSchoengold
Donald Schoengold 4
Your comment about automated cars is incomplete. Certainly people will be killed by automated cars. However how many people are killed now by car with incompetent drivers. How do we measure the number of people who will not be killed by automated cars that can react faster and better than incompitent drivers.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 3
We already see it with ABS and traction control in vehicles. Idiots don’t learn how to stop on ice and when the technology fails they are clueless hot yo drive on that ice.
jbsimms
James Simms 3
Tesla drivers seem to have occasional problems. I’d rather trust myself or others (although automatic stop has helped occasionally- I’d still like to rip out the automatic idle on my Hyundai @ traffic lights) rather than a computer.
COYOTEHUNTER
COYOTEHUNTER 11
Push-Pull and Kick. Needle-Ball and Air Speed. So fundamental.
Buying TIME to get other things sorted out during an emergency.
Time is something you may not have much of when IMC and can't keep it right side up...!
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 12
I watched a recreation of a crash in Japan on YouTube, it was determined that the pilots no matter how skilled could not have saved the plane but…and this is a huge BUT…they kept it in the air against all odds for beyond the time it should have stayed up there as they tried to find a solution to getting their passengers safely back on the ground. Even though they didn’t succeed they used all their skills to the bitter end and that’s the kind of pilot I want flying a plane I am riding in.
paulsenk7
Paul Senk 1
Reminds me of the ATC telling Sully he needs to go to Teeterboro with two dead engines and 2000 ft of altitude. WTF! Fortunately he knew better, I would trust him if my life depends on it, all day, everyday.
artpauly
Art Pauly 10
I learne to fly in 1970 in an Aeronca Chief. My instructor was an older guy then. I can still remember "Kick the Ball" and "No matter what happens, always fly the sirplane".If you can't fly with just an altimeter, airspeed indicater and compass, you should not be flying.
HarrySchluderberg
Harry Schluderberg 10
All the while airline operators are pushing single pilot flight decks.
The combination of the two Will be disastrous.
jbsimms
James Simms 9
Well, Duh/DOLT!!!! It would certainly help….
hangar14
Rick D 17
k1121j - couldn't be said better. And yesterday I read an article about airlines wanting to go to one-pilot flights.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 4
Anything over 10 passengers should have 2 pilots.
ghstark
Greg S 17
They probably had the Asiana crash in mind. A cockpit full of 'experienced' 777 pilots and not one of them thought to monitor the speed, because, after all, that's what the autothrottle is for.
bigjulie
Julius Thompson 4
If you read the article in question, you will find in the second paragraph, this sentence, and I quote: "The new cockpit curriculum was partly stimulated by the 2013 crash of an Asiana Airlines aircraft in San Francisco after pilots were confused about automated controls, which caused the plane to hit a sea wall, killing three people. "Therefore your statement is irrelevant!
jbsimms
James Simms 2
That was my first thought
scottlb767
Scott Banning 8
This is a total no-brainer! Too many "pilots" have become nothing but computer monitors. Remember when spins were part of the Commercial requirement? Now, they require an endorsement for flying a tailwheel airplane. Maybe we should start all students in a tailwheel again, and proceed from there.
jbsimms
James Simms 2
Same as Semi Truck Divers. Automatic Transmissions in Semis have made most ‘Drivers’ (I use the term loosely) Steering Wheel Holders w/absolutely no common sense instead of sure nuff ‘Professional Truck Drivers’. I see a lot of ‘Steering Wheel Holders’ everyday on Bonehead Truckers, American Truck Drivers, & DashCam Lessons on YouTube.

The aviation equivalent of ‘Steering Wheel Holders’ would be dead in a smoking hole.
Firecul
Firecul Firecul 4
The problem with that analogy is an automatic gearbox isn't likely to become a manual suddenly at a time people's lives will depend on it. It (generally) either works or it doesn't in that case.
I do get the point you are trying to make though.
jkeifer3
Joe Keifer 6
Overreliance on cockpit automation has become the greatest risk to safety since Icarus and his brother flew too close to the sun.
ChrisRyan66
Chris Ryan 1
Actually, it was Icarus and his his dad. And his dad didn't fly to close to the sun, only Icarus did. After his das told him not to. First idiot pilot not doing what he had been taught.
ChrisRyan66
Chris Ryan 1
Actually, it was Icarus and his dad. And his dad didn't fly to close to the sun, only Icarus did. After his das told him not to. First idiot pilot not doing what he had been taught.
manarii
Dr Stephen Vadas 6
Know how to fly an airplane??? WHAT? I thought this was an April Fool's joke in November.
Lisabarb
John Gibson 6
A recipe for bankruptcy. Law suits would cripple airlines when hundreds of passengers are becoming uncomfortable with having only one pilot and the list of fatalities grows longer because of this idea. Are the decision makers 'Reverser Accountants'?
Counting Beans over Brains have brought many a company down, especially when irrational decisions are made for the sake of the dollar. It is the old "We had to destroy the village to save it" rationale.
greatwildblueyonder
great wildblueyonder 6
It is actually worse, the airlines would love to have zero pilots and copilots and fly fully automated. What can possibly go wrong with this with this with this.......splat.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 4
On the bright side if you hit the ground at a high enough speed you’re not going to feel it. But I would rather have someone who knows how to land the damn plane so I don’t “hit” the ground at all.
zebora
Sebastian Phoenix 4
I can't see that happening, got to be two pilots
bcarlson56649
Bob Carlson 6
Isn't this just common sense?
redcordes
paul cordes 6
Guess what, I'll pay the extra what $7 or $8 dollars per passenger to keep the second pilot up there. Ridiculous to have sole pilot operation, due to temporary illnesses or ongoing medical issues. Bean counters are way out of line here!
bbabis
bbabis 6
Now, that's going to give a lot of confidence to the traveling public. As true as that statement is, this was the wrong way to state the issue.
20U60N4
STEVE EMERY 5
this might be the most obtuse headline ever
ggpaid
CK N 5
When you get typed in an Airbus for a US 121 outfit it's not required to hand fly a traffic pattern without autopilot and autothrust. When I did it.

Hopefully, this lack of a requirement in recurrent training/evaluation is going to be fixed. Gosh, I'm sure the airline CFO's will just fold and give the training departments larger budgets without pushback for additional Sim time.

Steep turns (with autothrust), stalls, single engine ILS (from the FAF with autothrust), no flap/slat, and windshear recoveries are trained and evaluated.

I've found my experience dragging a Waco tail,thousands of hours hand flying a 1900 in the NE corridor, and actually feeling the yoke move cables and bellcranks in a DC-9 does not translate to the Bus in degraded automation modes.

Electrical system failures with both gens and the APU Tango Uniform results in the left PFD and ND giving degraded information with a ram air turbine and batteries is what needs to be trained and evaluated. At least on the Bus.

Unrelated:

They also need to make the alarms louder because taking a lightning strike departing Bogota that knocks a FADEC and its engine off line while you're at 11,000 and the crossing fix says 12,000 with CumuloGranite to the left and right doesn't get your seat fabric far enough up your butt on its own without the darn alarms blaring.
COYOTEHUNTER
COYOTEHUNTER 9
Push-Pull and Kick. Needle-Ball and Air Speed. So fundamental.
Buying TIME to get other things sorted out during an emergency.
kiwins4
Norman Sanson 6
jbsimms
James Simms 1
DRotten
D Rotten 3
???? Ummmm......DO YA THINK?!?!?! lololol (Good GAWD!.....the whole world has gone MAD!)
varkdude
Robert Parker 3
Pilots first, system managers second.
flybd5juan
Juan Jimenez 3
YA THINK??!! This is a no-brainer, if I ever heard one.
leaf4evr
Paul Ipolito 3
I am amazed to read this! Pardon my ignorance,but all the hours spent in simulators have no capabilty or time spent "flying" a plane? Wow.
1skate1
David Purtz 3
No. Not much more needs to be said on this matter.
1skate1
David Purtz 5
Oopsy do; wrong story, the above should be for the lone pilot. Yes, pilots should be able to do everything need to safely land an aircraft as that is much better than crashing; duh.
verdi
Mark Paladino 7
Too reliant on electronics and autopilots. Too caught up with looking at and playing with the screens instead of looking out the windows.
RWSlater
Ron Slater 3
Check out the YouTube video called Children of the Magenta Line
Pbgray55
Paul Gray 4
How many recent civil aviation disasters worldwide could have been avoided had the cockpit crew simply looked out the cockpit windscreen and flown the aircraft as opposed to over-reliance on data? Years ago it was assumed an ATP had mastered the basics of flight. I’m not so sure anymore. It is indeed frightening FAA had to issue this AC.
gbourgeois2
Gregory Bourgeois 4
It's sad that today's pilots have become over reliant on technology to fly aircraft. They need
"seat of the pants" flying abilities in an emergency. Let's get back to basics. I have a Type
Rating in a Nihon YS-11 with 5K hours experience, 4K as PIC. We didn't have auto pilots or flight
directors back in the 1980's. We hand flew those planes. It made those who flew these dinosaurs
better pilots, IMHO.
Cactus732
Cactus732 2
And yet there were significantly more accidents, particularly in aircraft similar to the YS11.
Freakyrat
Calen Chrzan 2
You put any of us GA pilots in a modern Flight Simulator such as the A320 or 737 and we will end up flying it manually so why not give airline pilots more extensive training. I know some airline pilots that actually do like flying manually.
Sistema1927
Jerry Minor 2
Have them read "Stick & Rudder" once each year.
lecompte2
lecompte2 2
About time, and should be tested to be able to fly and look out the window at the same time.
johntaylor571
John Taylor 2
augerin
Dave Mathes 2
...yea, that headline woke me up....
Domingosnest
Domingo Montoro 2
Give me a weeks cockpit training and I would probably fly any plane out there , leave me in the cockpit with auto pilot off and I m lost .all carriers should be able to handle major issues when taking over an aircraft with auto pilot off and that should be part of any airlines training . Quite frankly I m puzzled that is not part of aircraft training although I was aware of the issue.

With 50 yrs of airline experience under my belt I still avoir d flying some airlines out there , one of which I will not name &which is notorious for pilot errors ...whenever flying I opt for British ,(a few ) European, most Canadian , Australian & N.Z.,CX,DL, and a few South American .
Domingosnest
Domingo Montoro 2
Hi Duane

European: KL,LH, SN,AU, SK ,TP! air Europa,Swiss,AIG group,Turkish.
S.A.: Latam group and AR ( Argentina)
sledogpilot
Duane Mader 2
Name it! I want to know your opinion

Domingosnest
Domingo Montoro 1
European: KL,LH, SN,AU, IB,SK ,TP! air Europa,Swiss,
cneill1
Cole Neill 2
Wait. what- you mean airline pilots will have to actually fly the aircraft? What a novel approach!
RWSlater
Ron Slater 2
Children of the Magenta Line. It's a great YouTube video
AZAFVET
Wayne Fox 2
greatwildblueyonder
great wildblueyonder 3
Well duh! I'm a mere private pilot however I have friends that fly dreamlines and the like. Privately they fly short wing pipers, tail draggers. I asked why they preferred these. The answer was "because that's real flying", in the large jets we are just cockpit managers rarely actually flying the things.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 1
And that’s great because they keep their abilities to fly by instinct sharp so when the crap hits the turbofan they can respond instantly. We had a pilot up here in Canada who flew gliders as a hobby and one day when his passenger jet ran out of fuel he knew how to glide that thing to a place were he could land it safely.
I use to race cars as a hobby and when your driving over 150 MPH you need to be able to feel the car underneath you and respond instantly to a loss of traction, that takes time tactics and experience and the same applies to the guys and gals sitting in the front seats of a commercial aircraft.
izyforreal
Leigh Hearn 2
You would like to think that would be a prerequisite
jrvinnh
Joseph Vignolo 2
Actually, all commercial pilots should be required to spend a minimum amount of time flying gliders. An unpowered glider is a pure airplane that requires real piloting skills to fly it. One of the most important of these skills is energy management. Captain Sullenberger was a glider pilot and his glider experience is credited with helping him successfully ditch his A320 in the Hudson River after it had become a glider following a bird strike.
BK117chopper
Paul Faulkner 2
I tried to buy some merchandise you advertise in NZ but your site doesn't allow, only us states
weecosse
weecosse 2
This appears to be falling on deaf ears. The article that follows this one tells us that the airlines want to fly with one pilot in the cockpit. As usual, profit trumps safety.
paultrubits
paul trubits 2
What is worse: two pilots who are not capable of flying their aircraft manually or one pilot?
T2921
Trevor Susman 1
All they want to do is save money stuff everybody who has families why dont they get rid of some of the wheels then they can save on tyres they a bunch of morons to even suggest such a thing
4gloriajohns
Gloria Johns 1
You mean that not all pilots can fly manually NOW?!!!!!
pjreed
Paul Reed 1
I totally agree with this article. The upcoming next generation of pilots grew up with automation, smart phones, touch screens. They are totally dependent on it. Just look at them, they cannot put the phone down. As a retired Captain and Check Airman we learned on old school analog dials and switches, my First Officer was the autopilot. We also know how to navigate with a paper map, compass, and stopwatch. With an HSI and DME I can get GPS accuracy. It is incumbent on our generation to pass the basic stick and rudder flying to the new generation, that includes hand flying in all types of bad weather, down to minimums, in emergency conditions. That's when you truly earn your pay.
dmboss1021
Dan Boss 1
Duh, captain obvious makes a statement. Unfortunately it is a serious problem - with so much automation, and often company dictates that you engage autopilot at 400ft and it doesn't come off until on approach at 500-1000 ft. So the perishable skills of hand flying get rusty or are no longer valid.

On the other hand, have a watch of this interview with Captain Benham of UAL 1175, who had catastrophic engine failure at 35,000 ft, 200 miles from Honolulu:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7_lzeY23dI&t=1837s (Capt. Behnam UAL#1175 Fan Blade Out Event INTERVIEW)

Not only was this Captain's hand flying skill exceptional, but he comments on the Asiana accident saying hand flying is becoming a lost art. He mentions that long haul pilots might only get 15 or 20 minutes of hand flying during a 14 hour flight... So the pilot of Asiana having 16,000 hours means he may only have 3-500 hours of actual hand flying experience.

So yes, hand flying proficiency should be subject to ongoing/recurrent training and review!
williamableman
William Ableman 1
I've been saying this for 40 years. I started out being a stick and rudder pilot. More airline pilots need to get back to that type of flying so they can handle those situations without having to think about it.
gbotemi08064133886
Adigun Samuel 1
I think due to erroneous flight data provided by automated systems
AABABY
AABABY 1
I'm uninspired by the article and the comments.
barryw42
Barry Wa 1
Silly me, I thought they could
raytoews
Ray Toews 1
Easy fix, part of the bi annual review is 6 touch and goes in a light taildragger.
Bursk
Randall Bursk 1
Airlines share information about safety, training departments review events on a regular basis, make changes when necessary. Automation is required on Sid’s for precision. Improves concentration, less distraction, communication is easier. We hand fly when conditions allow. Simulator events allow for practice. Let the system work.
stephwatts333
Stephanie Watts 1
Wake up people
My son, who now has 20+ years in commercial flying, including time with a well known airline , is now flying in Alaska - because he loves hands on flying ..
He, also like so many, had to get his hours as a CFI, and so many times said his worst students were the airline pilots who couldn't remember how to fly a C172. WHAT????
If only we could have a Sully on every commercial flight - but we don't and they need to be able go back and remember the basic skills
franceinoregon
France Davis 1
jeffstayton
Jeffrey Stayton 1
Is this really an issue?
jeffstayton
Jeffrey Stayton 1
Is this really a question?
LloydCafran
Lloyd Cafran 1
Any Pilot especially those being paid for hire need to know how to handle the aircraft they are piloting “manually.” Even though technology has made great strides and improvements to aviation over the last 20 years, if you become over reliant on technology without being able to fly without them, you are a “ticking time bomb. Expect the unexpected, always.”

During recurrent training and evaluations, pilots need to demonstrate proficiency “stick and rudder,” and be able to deal with emergencies while hand flying the aircraft. In addition they should be able to function (show proficiency) when the glass cockpit displays fail. Also, annually in the simulator they should be able to recognize a stall and recover properly. It seems like every-time I watch an aviation documentary about an airline crash involving a stall the basics of lowering the nose, getting air over the wings so the wings can regain flying again goes out the window.
rivilaviation
Martin Jansen 1
When I learned to fly (just a GA pilot, 15 years, 1500 hours), I had wondered why some airline pilots owned GA aircraft and flew in their time off. I think I see it now; automation if you have or want to use it, as much stick-and-rudder time as you want, a different perspective on preparation, navigation, and “aviating”. Barry & Brian Schiff, and Mike Jesch, come to mind.
jevanb
john bramble 1
all the flight crew in our airline hand fly the plane till RVSM airspace dictates the autopilot use
daxwax
John Kurc 1
fuff773377
lynn rhoades 1
Back in the day I was taught to fly by feel. So that’s how I taught my students. Then the FAA in about 1969/70 told us to teach by reference to the instruments. Now look at what has happened.
During my airline flying years when an autopilot failed, it was no big deal. Oh, the good old days👏👏
The time is coming when there will be zero pilots in the cockpit. Count me out.
ba151
Bruce Atkinson 1
Technology is marketed as a labor savings. In essence, it builds complacency and dulls skills. Tech is pushing the airlines to do away with pilots.
nosnhojm
Mel Johnson 1
Two 737-<AX incidents come to mind...
nosnhojm
Mel Johnson 1
Cactus732
Cactus732 1
1. The Ethiopian crew did everything right, but it was unrecoverable.
TimDyck
Tim Dyck 1
Only because they were not properly trained and the damn computer didn’t let them fly the plane.
bgratzl
Bill Gratzl 1
I remember flying with a Midwest regional in the 90's. No autopilot, no FMS, 4-8 legs a day, hand flying +/- 100 ft.Sometimes 5 approaches a day to minimums,
ggpaid
CK N 1
I certainly didn't make up the phrase "regulations are written in blood".

But with the current (US) FAA regs a pilot could fly a A-320 for his/her entire career without ever demonstrating a VFR traffic pattern (take off to landing) without using the autopilot or auto thrust).

Looks like the (US) feds are finally going to force the 121 operators to train this (other than single engine approaches from the marker, steep turns and stalls).

Of course the FAA won't do anything without ICAO involvement, so I hope we lead the way.

All about the benjamins, and SIM time is expensive. At least the reality of the past 20 years is getting some attention.

I've been seeing new hire FO's using the automation from a couple hundred feet after takeoff to a terrified look on their faces at 200AGL on a coupled ILS in VFR.
stansdds
Michael Stansfield -5
Is the FAA, in its infinite wisdom, suggesting that current pilots cannot manually fly their aircraft? Sounds like idiotic government speak to me.
joewilliams051972
Joe Williams 8
You'd be surprised how relaxed and dependent some pilots get on automation and auto pilot. Case in Point.......the 777 that crashed landing into San Francisco a few years back. That was lack of training and dependence on automated systems
bentwing60
bentwing60 5
Joe, that wasn't a lack of training, it was misdirected training. Reviewing the box and automation skills and not the stick and rudder skills!
skylab72
skylab72 1
You sir are using the idiot-speak! This problem is neither new nor bogus. Flying skills must be practiced to remain useful. The skills needed to recover from the most straightforward "loss of control" incident are lost quickly if not practiced. And if that loss of control occurs in a flight regime you have never practiced and have only simulated once, you instantly become a student pilot. Flight awareness can be challenging to regain once lost under "normal" conditions, but when things are beginning to fall apart in some way you better be current and "in the situation". Take your arrogance elsewhere.
DonDengler
DonDengler 0
Ridiculously unsafe!!!!!!
JohnBard
John Bard 0
That's a really stupid comment from a Fed. Probably projection! Look it up!
LeanderWilliams
Leander Williams 0
When I read accident reports I often notice that the pilots sometimes do not realize what is happening with the instruments. Juan Browne of blancolirio says, "Aviate, navigate, communicate". Pilots need to do more manual flying, especially on domestic flights. Since the crews don't get paid till the aircraft doors close, maybe the flight crew should STOP getting paid when the autopilot is switched on.
AZAFVET
Wayne Fox 0
They shouldn't get paid until the door opens at the gate.
avionik99
avionik99 -6
What? They aren't capable now?? This is a disgrace to the entire pilots association and their worthless union for not demanding pilots have the skills to fly manually! But god forbid the union actually increase the pilots skills.
zebora
Sebastian Phoenix 6
Train everyone on DC3's

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

prudencio8
prudencio8 0
Just make sure that these lone pilots are healthy and not prone to heart attacks. If not, pray that a passenger can land a plane. If none, prepare for a disaster.

लॉगिन

क्या आपका कोई खाता नहीं है? अनुकूलित विशेषताओं, फ्लाइट अलर्टों,और अधिक के लिए अब(नि:शुल्क) रजिस्टर करें!
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