Is that a good thing...that this job is being made easier by the day? A guy I know in Alaska flying the bush...he told me he's not so sure about all the safety/warning/automation "bull." He says that in the years since GPS/Capstone and remote radar that he has had to fail countless Pilots on checkrides when they've gotten head-over-heels lost when the gadgets are turned off. Mentoring won't do it. You need to go back to the basics, and realize that a CRJ is not some computer, but just another airplane. And gee-wiz, it actually hand-flies alright too He also said he's worried about his career -- as the job gets easier and easier, requiring less skill and local knowledge, they'll start hiring low-time CFI's from the lower-48 by the hundreds, driving salaries down through the floor. THAT should not be forgotten...because we're in the same boat here. Soon enough flying a CRJ will be simpler than hopping in a Civic -- and then almost anybody can do it.

What?! I've witnessed CRJ Captains that can't barely keep the dirty side down without the Autopilot