Is it a habit we prefer mechnical instruments?

Le Chaud Lapin wrote:
Robert Bonomi wrote:


Why have all those separate computers under the hood? Why not 'integrate'
all the functionality? Why not have the ECM also handle the ABS? And the
climate control. And the radio. And the smart-key entry. And the remote
door-lock/unlock.


This is the thesis of my argument.

It is very often the case that a person with expertise in one area
will, ideally, seek expertise in a complementary area but decide, for
whatever reason, not to seek it. The result is usually higher cost,
reduced inefficiency, and often less elegance than would have been
achieved if each expert had applied his/her expertise to their
respective fields of competence.

And the thesis of nearly all the respones is this.

We are people with expertise in the fields you describe already. That
is our day job. (or was before retirement). We know what CAN be done,
and we have the ability to do it.

We also have expertise as pilots and airplane builders. Most of us are
licensed pilots. Many of us are flying airplanes we built. Many of us
have airplanes under contstuction (and will make progress just as soon
as we can get a PolyTone color chart and decide what color the belly
fabric should be). From this expertise, we know what SHOULD be done.

The two ain't necessarily the same.

I'm going to buy one of Dynon's integrated flight information systems.
I think they're neat, and they keep adding functionality. But it is
eye-candy, pure and simple.

I will fly only VFR, as my personal comfort level says not flying when
you can't see the ground. I will have the old, stodgy mechanical steam
gauges as backup...one being a ball-and-needle that will be vacuum
driven from a venturi tube. Note that it does not need the engine to be
turning to work. I have a couple backup engines. One is called
gravity. The other is known as thermals. They're not as good as Otto
Cycle engines, but they'll keep the plane moving forward for a while. I
want flight information for as long as I'm moving.


--
This is by far the hardest lesson about freedom. It goes against
instinct, and morality, to just sit back and watch people make
mistakes. We want to help them, which means control them and their
decisions, but in doing so we actually hurt them (and ourselves)."