High Too Tech

Step two: Set the clock that held no resemblance to the actual time of day. I fiddled with it for a few minutes and gave up after finding myself seemingly 50 layers deep in menus. I assigned the task to my wife, also an engineer and a pilot. She even got out the manual-a separate one for the man-machine interface but after a frustratingly long time, she was also defeated.

Editorial Staff

Monday, June 17, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Garmin's G1000 NXi system offers wireless cockpit connectivity, enhanced situational awareness, visual approaches and map overlays on the horizontal situation indicator. Piper Aircraft

Key Takeaways:

The author, an experienced engineer, expresses frustration with the non-intuitive and overly complex user interfaces of a modern rental car, struggling with basic functions like turning off the radio or setting the clock, a challenge that even stumped other engineers.
He draws a parallel between the car's complex controls and those found in technically advanced aircraft, questioning if the increasing complexity and lack of standardization in avionics could pose safety risks for pilots.
The article advocates for standardized, user-friendly interfaces for critical systems, hoping for industry-wide adoption, while also acknowledging the author's fear that technology will only continue to become more complex, requiring users to constantly adapt.

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Before flying professionally, I spent 30 years in the computer industry. I’m an engineer by training and by temperament and I love technology. With all that you’d think I could hop into a rental car and turn off the radio. Nope. I was reminded of my grandparents who had a VCR—remember those?—that always blinked 12:00. Was I becoming that guy?

On a recent trip, the rental car agency was apparently out of the cheapo model I’d reserved and upgraded me to a nice Audi Quattro that was all one fancy computer. Gone was the radio with obvious knobs and buttons. Gone were the standardized levers and knobs to control the climate.