Sunday, September 11, 2011

Issues with Automation

Automation was brought in to help the pilot relieve his work load, and to reduce the amount of stress a pilot already carries during each flight. Automation has been used in airplanes for quite sometime, and needless to say they have not been perfect. Problems and issues in automation are arising, and it is all too things that can be corrected. Does a problem with an automated system  go bad mean that the flight is going to go over bad or is this something that can be prevented?

Automation is a great system to be used, it takes a work load off of the pilots and does so much to the flight that is being conducted. Not to long ago Air France Flight 447 went down of the south Atlantic Ocean, caused by an error with an automated system. This is something that can be prevent just by pilots to revert to the training they first learn. A good point to make out of this, is that pilots should be retested once a year if not more often on how to operate the aircraft without automated systems. This would help pull this burden off of what happens when the systems go offline, or registers an error.

Pilots need to not be complacent, and watch there automated systems to make sure they are properly operating themselves. Becoming to reliant on them will just cause those using them to not double check the reading and take the system for granted, and as stated in this article, we need to go back to the training we first received when pilots weren't reliant on theses systems. Pilots are almost not actually final a plane when it comes to these automated systems, but they should go back and follow these systems as if they were actually flying the plane the entire time, so when things compute as errors on the systems, pilots are quick to fix them and carry on with the mission.

http://www.examiner.com/airlines-airport-in-national/aircraft-automation-issues-raise-safety-concerns

2 comments:

  1. Although I did say that I wasn't going to grade on grammar/spelling, you should reread your post before posting it - there were several places where I didn't understand the point that you were trying to make due to grammar errors. Also, I did not see a link in your post.

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  2. I agree that recurrent training is critical to ensure that aviators are staying sharp with their skills and not becoming complacent. However, with how little flying some pilots do, especially in the airlines, it can become all too easy for complacency to set in. Some pilots are much better at staying active and mentally focused in the aircraft. The trick is finding a way for all pilots to be focused and aware of what is going on.

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