A lot of pixels and ink have been spilled over the last several decades discussing the ever-increasing automation in our cockpits and the challenges thereof. Some of those spills involve detailed directions on how to operate a specific piece of avionics equipment while others focus on the larger picture of how the equipment and the airframe/powerplant combination are integrated. These ink and pixel spills also have covered the various procedures and techniques pilots need to adopt to ensure they properly manage the automation, which is far from foolproof. This article is of that latter variety, highlighting the need to understand what I call the “buttonology” of flying advanced avionics: the techniques and procedures necessary to achieve the desired results.
As the term implies, configuring advanced avionics and “telling” the system what to do and when to do it involves knowledge of which button(s) to push and when. Even when flying highly integrated systems, which presumably require fewer configuration tasks, it’s critical that we monitor performance and are prepared to step in and make timely corrections to the avionics configuration or remove responsibility for flying the airplane from the automation and place it in our own lap.
