Should Technology Assist or Replace the Pilot?

Computers are a way of life in our society. This is especially true in our aviation transportation industry. This paper examines the direction and impact of automation on the flight deck of transport aircraft. Is technology leading the way to eliminate the human pilot from the flight deck? If not, then there are some issues which need to be addressed in developing the emerging next generation flight deck to permit a safer and more efficient interaction between the human operator and his machine.