(Ben Jackson) wrote in message news:CIXqb.140965$Tr4.368294@attbi_s03...
In article ,
Snowbird wrote:
At a fundamental level, this is correct. No amount of fancy
gear can compensate for fundamental flying skills (or the lack
thereof) and for pilot judgement.

Oh come on, a 777 can do Cat IIIb autoland if I know how to push
the buttons, even if I couldn't maintain heading or altitude without
the autopilot. A GPS with "nearest" has rescued plenty of pilots
from bad judgement or poor pilotage.

Ben, I hope it's unintentional, but the way you cut my post
(with this the only excerpt included) superficially looks as
though you are arguing against the position (I hope) it's
clear I hold. In general, I agree with what you write below.

However, I don't think your examples above obviate my point:
if the Cat IIIb autopilot fritzes and your fundamental flying
skills suck, you're in doo doo. If the situation at hand falls
outside the parameters where a Cat IIIb autopilot is helpful
(the Arkansas accident comes to mind) the plane is in doo doo.
Likewise, if a pilot's judgement or skills didn't suck, the GPS
wouldn't have to save him and if the situation falls outside the
parameters where the GPS usefully contributes, it *won't* save
him. At the most fundamental level, and despite what aerospace
industry might like us to believe, there is still no substitute
for piloting skill and piloting judgement.

This whole thread is nuts. There are many levels of safety, and
people have to choose between them all the time.

Exactly.

Why can't people
who have decided not to install an autopilot just admit that they
have chosen a slightly lower level of safety?

Because they don't believe it. Why don't they believe it?
Wrong person to ask. As I hope was clear from previous posts.

It doesn't matter if I could draw a 3-meter resolution map
of the US from memory, however good (or bad) I am, the GPS would
augment that.

Exactly.

If inflating a tire cost $12000 I bet we'd have people here arguing
that they were just as safe with good landing technique on a flat tire.

*chuckle*
Sydney