[cpplinuxdude]

I'm sorry i'll have to mention that the software can be thoroughly tested in simulation flights. Funnily enough i was involved with some virtualisation software used to test booking systems for Airports. If you can virtualise a booking systems, trust me you can virtualise the on-board flights systems.

[yaur]

Is this really true though?

From what I have read it sounds like part of the problem is that manually adjusting the trim wheel requires more strength than at least some pilots possess due to the mechanical forces on the plane. I don't think it's reasonable to expect simulators to replicate those types of forces.

[cjbprime]

But they do! See the Vimeo link elsewhere in these comments.

[rhinoceraptor]

You can't perfectly simulate the pilot though, that's the big danger with human/automation hybrids.

As with what potentially happened to these crashes, the operating procedures might not be fully known by the pilot. The simulation might also allow the simulated pilot to do things that humans can't, for example turn the trim wheel when the jackscrew is under heavy load from the nose being pitched down.

[hw]

No doubt you can test on-board flight systems, but you can't really compare virtualizing a booking system with flight systems, which are much more complicated and delicate. Now if you worked at SpaceX and worked on testing their flight systems, then I'd be more inclined to trust you.

[cpplinuxdude]

> Now if you worked at SpaceX and worked on testing their flight systems, then I'd be more inclined to trust you

Wow that's harsh. You may want to add a bit of sugar to that; it's not nice addressing fellow developers like that. Just a thought.