Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?

Daily Beast ^ | January 4, 2014 | Clive Irving

[zipper]

wjr123, you were right in saying cockpit ergonomics contributed to the AF447 disaster.

The "sidestick" design is inferior ergonomically, compared to a "traditional" Boeing cockpit.

Case in point:

CBS News interviewed Capt. Chesley Sullenberger (the world's most famous A320 pilot). Here is what they asked him, and the answer:

Q: Would Air France 447 have had the same disaster if this cockpit were a Boeing instead of an Airbus?

A: I think it would have been much less likely to happen to the Boeing, because the control wheels are large, they're obvious, I think it could hardly have been missed."

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See the CBS video clip for yourself. Follow the link, it's the last video down the page, about 7:04 in length. The Chesley Sullenberger interview (partly conducted in an Airbus simulator). This criticism of the Airbus design is coming from an "Airbus guy" who happens to be the most famous A320 pilot in the USA, and probably the world (Q8501 was also an A320)!

http://www.docmercury.com/gallery/flight-447

Also covered here, without the video:

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/airbus-flights-crash-much-less-likely-happen-boein/nPm99/

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Airbus still has a sidestick in its most modern cockpit: the A350 (to be fair the design dates before AF447, though they still defend the sidestick design).

Compare it to the newly designed Boeing 787, a "traditional cockpit" yoke airplane:

[UCANSEE2]

I would agree with everything you say, as long as you can admit that it applies only to US pilots.

This incident involved a foreign owned plane, and foreign pilots. Their ‘rules’ and ‘policies’ are likely different than ours.

[UCANSEE2]

Look the pilot’s last transmission was a request for clearance to a higher altitude due to bad weather and was denied that permission... that doesn’t sound like problem with automation or the pilot, sounds like air traffic control being a problem

Based on what I have read on this incident, this is a busy flight corridor, and there were multiple planes at higher altitude in the area at the time.

Do ATC's just automatically approve every request from pilots? If so, what is the point in even asking ?

The ATC's did approve his request a few minutes later AFTER they made sure there would be no conflict, but the Pilot/copilot did not respond(the assumption being that they crashed or were in the process of crashing).

IF the ATC's had instantly given the OK, and Flight 8501 had then crashed into another airliner, wouldn't you be blaming them for the crash ? Don't we want them to CHECK before they give the OK ?