This is a tough question few aviation experts are willing to face head-on.  Yet, given the spate of mishaps involving highly automated airliners and resulting in in-flight incidents and, much less frequently, in aviation accidents with significant loss of life, hardly anyone involved with designing the hardware and software behind the automation of modern airliners can escape the question.

   At present, there are no clear-cut answers. Some aviation safety investigation experts are still suggesting that on-board fly-by-wire hardware and software be improved in order for airline pilots to actually remain in charge of the airplane at any flight stage and be able to respond to unexpected in-flight challenges as they would with a conventional aircraft. Yet, nobody is tackling the basic underlying question:  Why are competent airline pilots sometimes unable to deal, in tight circumstances, with both the benefits and limitations of highly automated fly-by-wire controlled airliners?

Vagaries of flight automation

   Why, for instance, should high-tech airliner operating manuals state that pilots are not to interfere with the auto-land mode (q.v. by flying the aircraft manually) once auto-land is selected? Is the underlying message that, once committed to auto-land, pilots must stick with it no matter what - for instance, during a Category III landing - except for a pilot ordered go-around?

   This leads to another question: could it be that the more technologically advanced airliners are, the more pilots are inclined to remain hands-off during cruise-climb, cruise, descent, approach or landing stages of flight, despite pilot statements to the contrary?

   Well, there is the crux of the case.

   At present, airlines and public air transport authorities need to make a clear distinction  between electronically assisted flight control and full flight management and control automation. Moreover, the initial and proficiency training of airline pilots needs further fine tuning in either case. 

   The tragic but sadly avoidable crash of AF447 on June 1, 2009, is but one major and recent accident involving advanced aircraft automation, awaiting technical recommendations from civil aviation authorities, that may provide some reassurance and solace to relatives and friends of victims of the crash that the industry can learn from its mistakes.

   Modern airline flight operations appear to industry observers, including this humble blogger, who are unfamiliar with the latest on-board automation features, as a radical change in flying philosophy. Pilots of technologically advanced airliners no longer have direct three-axis and engine power inputs on such aircraft. Instead, they have to deal with a third party in the cockpit: the on-board flight management and control system run by one or more computers. This is a major mind-shift that pilots of so-called conventional aircraft and the airline industry at large have to contend with and catch up to, by relying more than ever on continuing and close support from aircraft manufacturers.  And so do civil aviation regulatory authorities.

   There isn’t much room at all for aviation safety stakeholders to play any sort of cat and mouse game with each other, while air transport flight automation is making quantum leaps. The investigation into Air France flight AF447 disaster that occurred on June 1, 2009, is a case in point.

Aviation careers are often born with this kind of beaming smile

Well, what about this photo as a way to demonstrate convincingly to adult pilots, parents, educators, aviation promoters the immense joy that taking the controls of a small aircraft can bring to a youngster, even if for a few precious minutes in safe and stable flight conditions?

Need I comment on that young guy’s smile? Needless to say, flying attracts both male and female young flyers. Some are lucky enough to live near a youth-friendly flying club where an instructor will take them for a “short” ride with a little hands-on experience. What’s short by adults’ standards can feel like being lost in time – but not in space – for the youngster at the controls.

Other youngsters have a relative or a family friend who is a careful and youth-minded pilot and will gladly take them up for an initiation ride.

And then, there are organizations, mostly non-profit, dedicated to giving youngsters a taste of holding the flight controls of a small airplane by taking them for a sight-seeing tour or actually training them to fly solo in gliders, for instance.

Fortunately for me and other youngsters of my age, the Aéro-Club Royal de Belgique had such a program at the Saint-Hubert aerodrome in southern Belgium (see Google Earth photo on the “About” page of this blog).

Other than licensed relatives and friends or local youth-friendly flying clubs, there are more non-profit organizations in various parts of the world than I can list here. One organization worth mentioning in particular because of the sheer span of its youth program are the Young Eagles sponsored by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). In addition, the Airline Pilots’ Association, International (ALPA) has put together a website invitingly called Cleared to Dream, with loads of information, personal tales and advice aimed at people planning to become airline pilots.

Also, flight simulator programs available for use on home computers go a long way to entice youngsters to go from their computer joystick to the real world of flying.

Young R/C pilot with model powered glider

In the wonderful realm of remote controlled aircraft, I have seen son-father, grandfather-granddaughter teams launching in the spring an R/C aircraft they spent the whole winter building or assembling together. This type of activity makes for special family bonds in addition to new bonds with the world of aviation. So much can be learned about the principles of flight and aircraft design from R/C flight!

After flying ‘real’ airplanes from 1969 to 2000, I switched to R/C flying. I can assure you that the joy of flying an R/C plane for the first time was comparable to the one I experienced when I first soloed on a glider in Saint-Hubert (Belgium).

Very first powered glider I flew in in 1969 (still fying in 2001)

Either way, the first time at the controls is pure magic.

Maybe Darwin was wrong after all. The human race has evolved from the avian species.

P.S.: Please note that certain licensing requirements may apply to the pilot-in-command of an aircraft who hands over temporary control of the aircraft in flight to an unlicensed person.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your future Captain speaking..."