Talk back: Hardware versus software

We have come to rely on “hardware” such as engines, spark plugs, and wiring to keep the airplane in control, yet allow humans to decide when and where to go. At the same time, software such as communications and GPS have led to safer skies. Engineers can do some amazing things, but it’s striking the balance between automation and human control that is essential to the flying experience. The engine doesn’t simply turn on and turn off at the appropriate time. The pilot controls the on/off switch. We’ve come to view essential parts of the airplane as simply there. They are not. They are the result of a long marriage between humans and machines that keeps the magic in aviation.

Todd Brown 
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania

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