There’s no question that increased automation capabilities in the typical general aviation cockpit over the last, say, 20 years has improved pilots’ lives. The usual cautions about possible effects resulting from over-reliance on all the magic in our panels still apply, however, and not just because of inevitable programming or mode-select errors. As demonstrated by accidents like Air France Flight 447 and Colgan Air Flight 3407, when the autopilot kicks off is not a good time to be disconnected from the airplane’s feedback loop.
But none of the “help” pilots receive from automation makes us invincible. Just as no aircraft is immune to a thunderstorm, it’s also not immune to poor airmanship. Regardless of how well we can enter a flight plan and punch direct, we’re only invincible if we make wise decisions. When and how to configure an airplane for its flight conditions is one of those decisions. All the equipment that helps make us “invincible”—weather radar, great performance, known-ice capability, ADS-B In—isn’t worth its weight if we don’t turn it on.
