rickair7777

In a very complicated airplane, I actually want a systems manager MOST of the time...that usually keeps you out of trouble in the first place (the air france guys would have been fine if they had figured out what their system problem was BEFORE they went all colgan with the stick).

For T/O, LDG, and emergencies involving control or departure from the envelope, well then I still need a good stick.

Bottom line...you need to be able to do both. It's not that much of a problem in the US, it's more of an issue overseas where pilots often don't grow up in general aviation...our guys (especially now that we have the ATP rule) get to develop some stick-and-rudder skills.

But I've seen good GA pilots fail airline training because they couldn't "get" the systems aspect. You can be a good GA pilot but still not be quite smart (or tech-savvy) enough to manage a modern glass airliner.

Softpayman

Glass has it's pro's and cons. I see plenty of FOs at my regional who really lack an understanding about basic flying skills....Pitch, Power, Performance etc...They've essentially turned into cruise controls (on the RJ).

90% of their time is focused on the speed tape and trend vector...They then cyclically over correct....Time spent on power settings is nil.