[LEAPSECS] LEAPSECS Digest, Vol 51, Issue 24

[Ian Batten]

On 8 Feb 2011, at 00:07, Finkleman, Dave wrote:


> Addressing all comments at once:

>

> 1.  I had a similar exchange with Yuri Davydov, then Deputy Director  

> of

> ROSKOSMOS, the Russian Space Agency.   His response to operators not

> understanding their own operation was, "Get smarter operators!"  He is

> correct.


I don't know the context, but several generations of air accident  
investigations (and, one might say, Chernobyl) say he's wrong.  Knife- 
edge systems which rely on the correct application of high-grade  
skills may suit people with "The Right Stuff", but real-world  
engineering has to function when the operators are merely average, or  
tired, or distracted.  The days when every aircraft accident was put  
down to Pilot Error are gone, and systems which are prone to error are  
now regarded as deficient compared to those that are more forgiving.   
Which saves more lives: encouraging people to learn difficult to  
maintain braking techniques that they may or may not be able to apply  
in an emergency, or fitting anti-lock brakes?

ian