FAA wants action on declining pilot skills

[Colonel]

[quote]The FAA has formally requested the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to address the issue of [u]declining manual flight skills among airline pilots[/u].

In a brief submitted to ICAO, the agency says pilots have become too dependent on aircraft systems and either haven’t adequately learned or have not maintained their ability to manually control their aircraft, particularly during the emergencies that result in loss of the systems.

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

The issue has some institutional roots in that most airlines mandate the use of automated systems for almost all phases of flight. There have also been suggestions that when things go wrong, the airplanes issue so many differing alarms and alerts that pilots become overwhelmed and unable to prioritize corrective action.[/quote]

I've been saying this for fucking [i]decades[/i] now.

Can I get a "harrumph"?

Systems knowledge and basic handling skills.

[Trey Kule]

When One considers the conclusion that when automation fails pilots do not have the ability, for whatever reason, to manage the situation, instead of improving pilot skills and knowledge.....

Improve automation, and remove pilots completely. That is the long term goal of the airlines.

The FAA and TC bought into the industry concept that experience was not necessary.  The FAA, to their credit, did make an effort to bring more experience to the cockpit.

TC did not.  They lowered the ATPL standards.  Implemented a career co joe Multi crew license, and did everything possible to cater to an industry short of pilots and trying to reduce wages.

Yes, it will end badly.  CS, you are not the only one who has been predicting this issue.
It has to start with the folks at TC actually having the cajones to buck the industry..(..oh wait.....is cajones a bigoted statement because it discriminates against the cajone different)

It is a cycle.  People will die, and the cycle will reverse itself...

My feeling, is if you want a career as a pilot because you love to fly, forget the airlines, and go for a speciality niche in aviation.