[RFEngineer]

“I’m sure they are very sophisticated but if the computer system goes down, there needs to be direct hydraulic control of the plane.”

No way. Hydraulics can fail too. I don’t trust it. There needs to be direct cable and pulley control of all aerodynamic surfaces.

Oh, and those jet turbine things.....Those are bad news. I don’t trust them. Hand-made wooden props attached to piston engines - that are hand started is the only sure way to go. How else can you trust what you are flying in?

[Sender]

LOL, well you can trust what you will. I will fly on them, I don't have much choice, do I? Direct mechanical control of the surfaces is not such an outdated idea as you may believe. My engineering background is rooted in the idea that if something can fail, it will, and there had better be backup. God help us all if it's Windows driving the control surfaces. We might have a WGA error in midflight, directing us to contact Microsoft for a genuine copy of Windows. We might have an update problem. Your plane is now operating in reduced functionality mode. Please contact Microsoft to unlock the tail surfaces.

Seriously, I still don't trust them. Not without a backup.

[supercat]

No way. Hydraulics can fail too. I don’t trust it. There needs to be direct cable and pulley control of all aerodynamic surfaces.

Why? A pilot was able to land a DC10 with zero functional control surfaces, despite not having practiced such a scenario. True, it wasn't a great landing, but if he'd prepared for such a scenario he probably could have done better.

Of course, if the engines had used a processor-controlled throttle system, who knows whether it would have allowed the necessary adjustments to control the plane.

I guess my philosophy would be that if planes are going to go fly-by-wire, there should be a backup "mode" in which, with the flip of a switch, the pilot can lock out all processor-controlled systems that use rewritable code storage. The plane's systems should have code in ROM that will allow the pilot to fly the plane. Perhaps not fly it as smoothly or elegantly as fancier code would allow, but at least fly it.

[monkeyshine]

I always thought they had triple redundancies. I agree too much reliance on technology is dangerous. And I find it hard to believe that my laptop could ever be capable of taking over the cockpit of the plane, either by ethernet or whatever. I can’t believe the entertainment features would actually have a connection to the cockpit controls in any way, shape or form. What, are the planes being piloted with WiFi?

[investigateworld]

Oh, and those jet turbine things.....Those are bad news. I don’t trust them. Hand-made wooden props attached to piston engines - that are hand started is the only sure way to go. How else can you trust what you are flying in?

Now you're talking -love those Hemingway starters!

[cinives]

LOLOL Are you volunteering to crawl out on a wing to give the prop a spin in case of failure ?

I wonder if crank instructions will become part of pre-flight safety procedures ?