[RKDinOKC]

When I toured the American Airlines data center in Dallas, early 90's. The pilots got to choose one of three provided flight plans. Taxi around. Set the flaps where the weights and measures department said, then take off. At 200ft altitude the plane flies itself until it gets back to 200 ft off the ground.

Also found the pilots and stewardesses got paid from the time the wheels leave the ground until they touch ground again. They only get paid for air time. So if they are sitting on the runway or terminal they are just a frustrated as the passengers.

There was what they called a war room where each person had 3 big computer screens and there were big projection screens on the wall that displayed the weather from the weather department. The war room is where they did all the flight plans and montiored all the flights. They had the ability to not only communicate vocally with the pilots, they could take over and fly the planes. When 9 11 happened kind of wondered how the war room was involved. Surprised if they were as "in the dark" about where the AA planes were as the media reported.

I've flown in a Confederate Air Force maintained P-51. It wasn't a Nevada racer so the King Air was a little faster. It cost me a $200 donation to the Confederate Air Force to help maintain the planes. It was worth it just so I could say I done it. The jump seat in one of those things is not all that big either.