In article
,
a wrote:

There's something of a different lesson here, isn't there? We, who
know something about aviation, find flaws with the reporters who focus
on elements of the story that are not important. Given that, when the
writing is about something about which we know little, we have to be
concerned about the importance (it was 150 miles, after all) as
presented as being the important ones and overlooking what really
matters (not paying attention to flying the airplane, not being in
radio contact,).

I have had precisely the same thoughts over the years. I've never heard
anyone with any expertise in any area say that news media does a good
job of covering their specialty.

Trouble is, of course, that it's difficult to figure out what's going on
when you aren't knowledgeable! I guess the only thing to do is to remain
skeptical, and try to ask people you know who are knowledgeable in a
given area when you read a report that you consider important but where
you don't know enough to judge for yourself.

My guess is these two pilots are going to be restricted to looking out
the side windows of any future airplane they may be in, and won't have
to worry about yokes interfering with their laptops.

Sounds pretty likely.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon