Yeah, I think I got that wrong. The captain changed the plan the night before. Still, in hindsight a bad move either way.
Capt was concerned about fatigue.
That would be one of the master helmsman, a selected and trained quartermaster, who drives for restricted maneuvers (including UNREPs, arrivals, departures) and general quarters. It wouldn’t be some green deck seaman driving.
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Tragically for him, it was at the expense of allowing (unwittingly) a crew not qualified to enter the next phase of their approach. They entered one of the planet’s busiest traffic lanes at nearly twice the speed of surrounding traffic. It’s eerily reminiscent of the breakdown on the bridge of the USS PORTER as they barged through the strait of Hormuz unprepared.
Technically it’s because the controls are sympathetic, could be side sitck or yoke. The pilot and copilot controls are mechanically linked below the cockpit.
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Then navy does this all the time. I’ve seen robust reliable systems converted to touchscreen with windows OS for no apparent reason and in one case it was a serious life safety issue.
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They are not. I have not ever flown an airplane without linked controls, but the Airbus side-sticks have no linkage whatsoever.
My post was conflating side-stick vs yoke with linked vs non-linked. twackineer was just pointing this out.
The reality is this. All of this is about some Govt. contractor, who through lobbying and political pandering, and maybe kickbacks was able to get the NAVY to update technology on the vessels. However this technology overkill, while making lots of money for somebody, places another obstacle between the Helmsman and the Helm.
I am sure we all remember the cruise ship that was incapable of moving because the Engine computer had messed up. This incident led to injuries and life threatening conditions at sea.
It was all completely avoidable. A diesel engine need diesel, air and compression, all of which, for years was provided mechanically and without computers.
These incidents with the Helm computer system are part of the same problematic mentality with excessive technology.
To sum it up; If you want vessel safety, KIS ( Keep it simple)
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More on touch screens, this time in high-performance aircraft:
The following quote is noted without comment:
“That’s the beauty of the display – size and customisation. The drawback is in the complete lack of tactile response. It can be challenging to press the correct ‘button’ on the display whenever the jet is in motion as it is quite a bumpy ride at times. At present I am pressing the wrong part of the screen about 20% of the time in flight due to either mis-identification, or more commonly by my finger getting jostled around in turbulence or under G. One of the biggest drawbacks is that you can’t brace your hand against anything whilst typing – think how much easier it is to type on a smartphone with your thumbs versus trying to stab at a virtual keyboard on a large tablet with just your index finger.”
Earl