MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

FAA complains to ICAO of weakening skills of “manual” aircraft piloting

Pilots give all control to complex automated systems that are designed to prevent errors and help, but NOT to replace the crew

The United States Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, demanded that International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, address the problem of weakening skills of “manual” aircraft piloting – pilots forgot how to fly aircraft in unusual, crisis conditions and are simply not ready for emergency situations.

It turns out that in world aviation, figuratively speaking, there is a general problem – pilots give all control to complex automated systems that are designed to prevent errors and help, but NOT to replace the crew. Moreover, some experts note that “most airline pilots rely on autopilot from take-off to the moment of landing, minimizing manual control of the aircraft.”

And most importantly, the reason for this is not so much the laziness or incompetence of the pilots, but the requirement of the airlines, summed-up in “less people, less trouble.”

“When automation ceases to work properly, pilots who do not have sufficient manual control experience and proper training may be hesitant or not have enough skills to take control of the aircraft,” the FAA report to ICAO said.

Safety experts have long warned of a deterioration in manual piloting skills, and some experts have noted that most line pilots rely on autopilot from taking off the aircraft until landing, minimizing manual control of the aircraft.