Same difference: they just open up the steam valve and let the rails computer guide the plain.
I do have to wonder why Clippy hasn't made it to the cockpit yet, given how long the planes have been overcomputerized.
"You appear to be landing. Wouldn't arming the spoilers be a nice idea? How about flaps and slats, too?"
"Your left engine appears to be burning fuel at a rate four times what it's capable of. Shall I bring up the fuel leak checklist, or would you rather start a transfer so you can leak the rest of it too?"
Of course, with the price of tiny, extremely durable HD cameras, I find it somewhere between silly and grossly negligent that there's not one pointed at every potential problem on every commercial plane. We're talking 2-3 ounces per camera, plus a bit for either wires or a wireless transmitter, to give the pilots an on-demand walkaround at any time. A dozen of them fully installed should cost less than a full load of fuel and weigh less than a large carryon bag. Is the computer saying the #3 engine is on fire? Click and look. Controls acting funny? Scan through the wing and tail views to see what's actually happening.
The number of incidents where pilots took ultimately wrong actions because of insufficient information, in situations where even a rearview mirror and a floodlight or two would have allowed them to solve the right problem, is disturbing.
