Yes, I did read the entire article.

The greatest tragedy in this is that most of what you wrote was good. However, you sunk the entire ship with the autopilot bit.

I'm a very laid back person and never get worked up over anything. This issue happens to be the one that gets me angry every time. It is my kryptonite.

You know (or should know) that the general public thinks all we do up there is press a "take-off" and "land" button while taking naps and talking about the FA's ass. Comments such as yours not only throws gasoline on the fire, it dumps an entire fuel drum on it.

As Airways mentioned, the readers of these publications vary but for the most part they are not airline pilots. They are going to take whatever you (an airline pilot) says to heart. When you put yourself out there you have a responsibility to our profession not to demean all of us in one swoop.

If we are not pilots who fly the aircraft then what are we? It may seem like a trivial issue to you...and it is clear to everyone that it is. But you are missing the big picture. We are pilots who fly aircraft. That is not something any monkey out there can do. If you think so then you have no business being in this profession.

With that said, you can't represent us to the general non-flying public as simply system monitors who can't fly the plane any better than the autopilot. I don't take issue with any other aspect of your article and couldn't care less if/when you will flow, if you have been furloughed, or any of that.

If you want to try your hand at stand-up comedy and self-deprecating humor then sign up for an open mic night at your local comedy club. An article such as yours in a publication as widely read as FLYING isn't the place for it. Especially if your idea of self-deprecating humor is reducing all airline pilots down to over-paid, under-worked people who don't really fly the plane.