Twenty Years on the Wrong Heading Dead Ahead

A wise man learns by the mistakes of others, a fool by his own.” Latin Proverb The aviation community is undergoing a reappraisal of progress made in automated cockpits. This gives the shipping community the opportunity to learn from someone else’s mistakes and successes. Aviation has invested more heavily in automation than shipping, and in some respects can be considered to be ‘ahead’. The reappraisal has identified issues at a number of levels, ranging from decision making by the operator to the structure of the industry. It is recognised that there are numerous differences between shipping and aviation, and these are taken into account.