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Sky Kings: Are Pilots Losing Stick and Rudder Skills?

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Pilots must find a critical balance between utilizing advanced cockpit automation and maintaining proficient hand-flying ("stick and rudder") skills.
  • While automation can enhance safety and reduce workload when mastered, over-reliance or a lack of understanding can increase pilot workload and degrade situational awareness.
  • Fundamental physical flying skills are crucial for handling unexpected situations, automation failures, and preventing loss-of-control accidents, which remain a leading cause of fatalities.
  • Effective pilot training needs to comprehensively develop both automation management skills and the ability to comfortably hand-fly, ensuring pilots are adaptable and safe in all flight scenarios.
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“Don’t do that. Don’t ever do that,” my instructor said. I was confused. I wasn’t even sure I understood what his complaint was. But when I did, I realized the issue lay at the very heart of the debate about how to deal with cockpit automation.

I said, “Let’s talk about it on the ground.” And so we did — at length. The instructor was, in my opinion, absolutely right and absolutely wrong.

Martha King

Martha King and John King take turns writing Sky Kings. They have shared flying and teaching aviation for more than 50 years.

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