Post by dgriffin on Aug 3, 2009 14:49:41 GMT -5
ABC NEWS
Do Computers Make Planes Less or More Safe?
A Look at Whether Increased Automation Means that Planes Will be More Dangerous
Long and chilling, but worth the read.
"Instead of being able to pilot the plane, they (the crew) were briefly transformed into helpless spectators. And it wouldn't have been long before they too became the victims of a plane gone amok, no longer stoppable by human intervention. If the nosedive had lasted a little longer, the plane might have reached a speed at which the pilots could no longer stop it without it breaking apart. The difference between life and death was a matter of seconds.
... a meaningful comparison of accident figures between Boeing and Airbus models doesn't exist. However, the statistics also do not suggest that there is a clear advantage to the Airbus strategy. Aircraft made by both manufacturers crash, and whenever it comes time to investigate the causes of an accident, Airbus takes pains not to allow any questions to be raised about its fly-by-wire system. The company has played down the Qantas incident, saying that speculation is pointless before the ATSB releases its final report. This is even more applicable, says Airbus, to the case of the Air France A330 crash."
www.abcnews.go.com/Travel/Story?id=8236562&page=1
Do Computers Make Planes Less or More Safe?
A Look at Whether Increased Automation Means that Planes Will be More Dangerous
Long and chilling, but worth the read.
"Instead of being able to pilot the plane, they (the crew) were briefly transformed into helpless spectators. And it wouldn't have been long before they too became the victims of a plane gone amok, no longer stoppable by human intervention. If the nosedive had lasted a little longer, the plane might have reached a speed at which the pilots could no longer stop it without it breaking apart. The difference between life and death was a matter of seconds.
... a meaningful comparison of accident figures between Boeing and Airbus models doesn't exist. However, the statistics also do not suggest that there is a clear advantage to the Airbus strategy. Aircraft made by both manufacturers crash, and whenever it comes time to investigate the causes of an accident, Airbus takes pains not to allow any questions to be raised about its fly-by-wire system. The company has played down the Qantas incident, saying that speculation is pointless before the ATSB releases its final report. This is even more applicable, says Airbus, to the case of the Air France A330 crash."
www.abcnews.go.com/Travel/Story?id=8236562&page=1