Airbus A380 System Falls Short of ‘Manual’

I laughed when I read Clay McConnell’s defense of the new improved “manual” override cabin pressurization system for the Airbus A380, which has a computer to override the pilot’s mistakes (“Airbus Says Its Design Cuts Room for Error,” Letters, Nov. 20).

He says the differences between the older override systems and the new system are “akin” to the differences between a manual typewriter and a computer-based word processor. I wonder how many times a manual typewriter has crashed and lost a couple hours worth of typing.

James C. Wilcox

Palos Verdes Estates