[QUOTE=slinger;1599605]
For god's sake, if you get a call to give an interview on TV, and the idiot interviewer asks you "do these new planes fly themselves"? DON'T SAY YES!!!
The 777 does not fly itself - WE fly the aircraft. We control and manage the crew and the plane's automation. We understand what automation means. The public doesn't. Telling the public, who has no real idea what our job is about (with the exception of watching the movie "Airplane"), that the planes fly themselves is ridiculous.
I just watched some ex-777 captain agree with Greta Van Susteren that, yes, many pilots let the plane fly itself and turn on the autopilot at 400 feet. Sheesh. Take some pride and talk about how automation augments our natural god-like aviating abilities. We don't need to let the public think a monkey could do our job as long as he's fed bananas. If we keep this up, they'll be able to replace us with drones and chimps.
Hithe job.[/QUOTE
God like? Lol. Bit of a God complex, mate?
I think you missed the point. While I disagree with LightAttack's assessment, "We control and manage the crew and the plane's automation," he seems to know what he's talking about regarding pride.
It's trendy these days to belittle the pilot's role in the Air Transportation industry and to ridicule his sense of responsibility. This trend was started with deregulation, when grocery store chain managers started running airlines. Totally ignorant of the meaning of moral responsibility in general, and of the pilots responsibility to his passenger, his employer, his society and his profession in particular, they started a campaign to reduce pilot wages by downplaying the importance of the pilot's contribution and by spreading contempt for the strength of character every pilot is expected to develop if he hopes to live up to trust vested in him.
And that character includes developing a sense of pride in one's knowledge, skills and achievements. It has nothing to do with any so-called "God complex" - whatever that is - harangued by here-today-gone-tomorrow cost-cutting experts. It has everything to do with getting the the job done. A pilot who puts on his stripes will think like a pilot. And if he thinks like a pilot, he will act like one. It's human nature 101. However, if he thinks a pilot is just another cog, his sense of responsibility is immature and he will merely conform. And conformance means focusing on justification, on escaping responsibility. And that leads to lost flights and Air Carrier failures. But if he's thinks the success of his flight and the lives of all those aboard depends on him, he will perform. And performance means bread on the table and safe flights.