Capone wrote:
Excellent!  Well done!  From what I've heard the persistent search for the black boxes almost 2 years after the accident is a hefty lawsuit. 

CL, not sure if you saw it, but there was an interesting documentary on this crash.  The theory is that the equipment used to measure the velocity had frozen up, which caused the auto pilot to disengage in really bad weather (because supposedly the entire auto pilot system relies on the speed of the plane - any truth to this?).  The pilots apparently did not have enough experience to know how to fly the plane manually.  So they crashed.  Hence the lawsuit.

The documentary ended by commenting that commercial air pilots should have more experience flying planes manually (like the old-school pilots).  I recall speaking with a pilot who basically told me the same thing = he's there just to babysit the computer who basically does everything (including landing and taking off).  Scary stuff if you ask me!

Since airspeed is what keeps you in the air, it's kinda an important thing for the pilot (auto or otherwise) to know.  The instrument you're talking about is called a pitot tube.  Generally it's kept from freezing by pitot heat (like de-icing).  I had a frozen pitot tube this past winter.  Other than the bizarre image of looking at an airspeed indicator showing 0 knots, it was a non-event.

Regarding pilot skill and experience, every single airline pilot started his/her career in a Cessna or equivalent.  The laws of physics and principles of flight are exactly the same for a 2300lb. Cessna and a 1.25 million lb. A380.  The only difference is the complexity of the systems.  But even a 1.25 million lb. A380 has good old fashioned "steam gauge" instruments (i.e., mechanically, magnetically and pressure operated) as a final backup even if all else fails.  All the computers and gadgets in the world ain't going to help (or hurt) if you run out of airspeed, altitude and ideas all at the wrong time.

No commercial aircraft does fully automatic takeoffs.  Some commercial aircraft can do fully automated landings, but it's rarely used, and commercial pilots generally take over from the autopilot in the last 500 feet (which is the toughest part, by the way).  All licenced pilots are also required to do a certain number of manual landings every month in order to stay current.

"C'mon Reg, how many times do I have to remind you? Be conservative, not retarded." - (c) Rusty Iron Ring 2011