Poor skills don’t result from manufacturers not providing training to their customers; poor skills come from over dependency on technology. Where do bean counters fit in? Airlines invest in new high technology aircraft, like the Boeing B737-Max, to exploit the cost-savings the technology promises. Bean counters expect pilots and technicians to ignore honing their skills and instead let the aircraft fly itself or fix itself. Meanwhile, new aircraft technologies will continue to evolve with future innovations, like one- or zero-pilot cockpits.
Modern aircraft are also designed to be fuel-efficient; every aspect of an aircraft’s flight profile, from flight control settings to adjusting engine power, is intended to acquire the lowest fuel consumption. The caveat is the pilots must be hands-off. Today’s pilot programs the flight computer, which then plots the altitude, speed, and course. During the takeoff or landing phases, the pilot retracts/extends the gear and flaps, then sits back and babysits. Airlines push pilots to surrender authority to the aircraft because the aircraft computer flies more economically than the human pilot. While the results are improved fuel efficiency and lower costs, pilots become complacent. Their skills become stale; their competence atrophies.
