I’ve spent most of my flying time in General Aviation (GA), where the connection between the pilot and the machine is direct. In a small plane, you feel the thermals through the yoke, you hear the engine’s rhythm change with the mixture, and you are constantly adjusting for the environment.

It is a stark contrast to the world of heavy commercial jets. In those cockpits, it’s often said the autopilot handles the flight surfaces for 99% of the journey. In that environment, the pilot has evolved into a Systems Manager—monitoring the automation rather than hand-flying the aircraft.