Mountain Man <maontin....@gmail.com> writes: > RLE wrote: >> The autopilot is always used, not hand flying it. > > And... why is that? > As I understand it - there is little room for error of any sort at > those altitudes.
Yes. Transport aircraft are aerodynamically stable, unlike some modern fighters which need computer assist to stay aloft at all times. However the air is so thin up there that there's a very small window of safety and the autopilots can fly it better than a human. Problem is some airlines regularly use autopilot from takeoff to touchdown and the pilots lose their hand-flying reflexes. Then if something goes wrong and they HAVE to hand fly, they are out of practice. Allan -- 1983 300D _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com