A former airline pilot and renowned aviation expert, Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny, has raised concerns that increasing reliance on AI and automation in aviation could make flying more difficult, not easier. His warnings come from firsthand experience during one of the most harrowing flight emergencies in modern aviation history—Qantas Flight 32 in 2010. On November 4, 2010, the Airbus A380 took off from Singapore under clear skies, but just four minutes into the flight, Engine 2 exploded, sending shrapnel through the aircraft. The plane suffered 21 system failures, 120 checklists, 650 broken wires, and 50% network failure. Despite the chaos, all 469 people on board survived, thanks in large part to de Crespigny’s calm leadership and his crew’s ability to assess when to trust automated systems and when to override them. De Crespigny, a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot, recalled that the aircraft’s digital systems flooded the cockpit with checklists and alerts. However, following every one blindly could have worsened the situation. “Some of the checklists we did, no question. Some we queried, and we still did it, but there are quite a few that if we had completed them, it would’ve changed the outcome,” he said. The crew spent two tense hours diagnosing the failures and manually managing systems before safely returning to Singapore. Now retired since 2020, de Crespigny remains deeply concerned about the growing role of automation in aviation. He argues that while automation is inevitable, it introduces new risks. “Automation presents more problems for pilots, not less,” he said. When systems fail—something that happens regularly—pilots must be able to identify the failure, disconnect the malfunctioning systems, and take manual control. But over-reliance on automation can erode those critical skills. He warns that pilots are becoming “more of a servant to the box” and urges the industry to prioritize continuous learning and hands-on training. “We have to disrupt ourselves and keep control because if we don’t, we will be disrupted and we’ll have no control,” he added. While he doesn’t believe AI will replace pilots anytime soon, he acknowledges that autonomous aircraft are possible in the future. He predicts that the first pilotless planes will likely be used for military missions and overwater cargo flights. In about 30 years, he says, sentient AI could potentially handle passenger flights, but for now, human pilots remain essential. De Crespigny’s message is clear: AI should be a tool, not a replacement. The future of flying depends on maintaining human expertise, especially in crisis situations where machines can’t always be trusted.