2 weeks ago, news reported that the seasoned pilot of South Korean Asiana Flight 214 felt stressful about making a visual approach as the instrument landing system is out of service at San Francisco airport.
This is a result of being too reliant/addicted on technology even though conditions are excellent for a visual approach by looking out the window & taking cues from an array of approach lights at the runway's edge.
Weather very good:
- Daytime
- Light wind
- Excellent visibility
- No rain
- No wind shear
Yet pilot feel stressful to land visually when technology is not there to help. It reminds me of the movie Pacific Rim when the invading alien battling the digital Striker Eureka disabled Eureka with an EMP blast. Old analog Gipsy Danger arrive in nick of time to turn the tide. There's a reason why old analog instruments are still present in cockpits.
During the Vietnam war, american strategists thought that missiles are the way to go. So they ditched guns on some of their fighters. However missiles are not dependable. They are called missiles for a reason & not called hitiles. Some dogfights end up with the american pilots helpless as sitting ducks with no guns to use when missiles are no more. Which is why guns are still mounted on modern fighters till this very day.
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Very stressful without technology to help. The pilot flying the Boeing 777 on approach is on too steep an angle of attack till the tail touch the ground first.
Likewise i'm seeing increasing number of people reliant on garmin devices providing GPS guided directions. The skill of reading maps/street directory & making note of landmarks along the way seem lost. Not surprising if these overly tech reliant folks are screwed & stressed like the pilot who crashed when the tech device is not there, spoilt or out of battery.
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See also:
Besides excessively reliant on digital devices, there are others -Things In Excess Become Their Opposite.
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