Frank C. sends along this article from the Guardian. It’s about how we are dangerously becoming over-reliant on computers in a variety of areas – even pilots. Do they really have enough experience in handling a sophisticated aircraft when the computers go down?
“When a sleepy Marc Dubois walked into the cockpit of his own aeroplane, he was confronted with a scene of confusion. The plane was shaking so violently that it was hard to read the instruments. An alarm was alternating between a chirruping trill and an automated voice: “STALL STALL STALL.” His junior co-pilots were at the controls. In a calm tone, Captain Dubois asked: “What’s happening?”
“Co-pilot David Robert’s answer was less calm. “We completely lost control of the aeroplane, and we don’t understand anything! We tried everything!”