Back to basics

Flightdeck automation

“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.” Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman’s famous observation has relevance to the expectation within the aviation industry and general public that the new technology being incorporated into the latest generation of aircraft will by itself eliminate all airline accidents.

Commenting on the quote, Yale University Professor Emeritus Edward Tufte suggests that NASA’s overly positive marketing pitch on the safety of the Space Shuttle led to the public estimating the likely odds of a loss of crew and vehicle as 1 in 100,000 flights, when in reality, it was a far more sobering 1 in 57.

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