[Joeaksa]

Guys, I have bad news.

The pilots from WW2 are for the most part gone and the pilots they taught are about to retire. This means that the pilots currently in the air right now are in many ways like the above.

They learned how to fly on an airplane that was more of a computer game than a real airplane and once things get difficult up front the computer takes over and they are sunk. My issue with Airbus aircraft is that in many ways there simply is no way to disconnect all the electronic crap and "fly the jet."

Airbus feels that the pilots are stupid and that the computer needs to have the last say in controlling the airplane. Boeing on the other hand feels that the pilots know what they are doing and give them ultimate control over everything.

IMHO had this been a Boeing aircraft this would never have happened. Sure, probes ice up on any airplane but in the Boeing you can over-ride the computer systems and fly your way out of a difficult situation.

Joe A
(PS, I am biased having been a factory pilot for Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and Bombardier)

EDIT

Look also at the crash in Buffalo a couple of years ago. When the bird is stalling the last thing you do is pull back on the controls. Guess what the Captain did? The airlines are forcing pilots to stop hand flying the airplanes, instead relying on the autopilot for everything. They are trained not to hand fly! Now in many cases when an emergency occurs they have to kick the autopilot off and hand fly, something that they are not used to. There will be more and more accidents like this until they are sued for not letting the pilots do something that they need to do, fly the airplane by hand!