I am the captain (6500 hours) of a commercial airline pilot. My co pilot (2500 hours) and I are flying the plane.

A few minutes after takeoff, I hear a knock at the door. A passenger asking me if it is the autopilot flying or us, the pilots.

They feel safer with autopilot on.

I am not authorised to open the door.
I announce in my PA - to sit back and relax the ride.

They persist to know is it us flying or the autopilot.

I nudge them by turning on the seat belt sign.

They still persist to know who is flying the plane. Us pilots or autopilot.

I tell them that as a pilot, I am the captain and in command of the plane.

They still insist to know.

I tell them I have 6500 hours of flying experience. They say they have accumulated miles worth 80,000 and they have flown in a plane more than I have (albeit as a passenger)

They are afraid of human error.

As a captain, my copilot and I decide when is it safe for autopilot to fly and when is it safe for us to take over.

That is how we have been able to help 50,000 passengers travel safe so far.

Our record doesn't matter.

We have to declare to this passenger who is flying the plane?

I turn on the autopilot, announce in the PA, "Autopilot is on. Please return to your seat and relax".

Passenger finally stops demanding and feels safe. Goes to the toilet, freshens up and puts himself in the seat.

13 minutes and 27 seconds later, a turbulence hits. The autopilot tries steering off the turbulent weather but any degree turn, things look more worse.

I hear a knock again. I hear a yell.

"Who is flying the plane?"

I tell the passenger, "Sir, given the turbulence, for your own safety, I request you to be seated"

He shouts, "Who the fuck is flying the plane?"

I lose my cool at this moment. I say this on PA, "The autopilot as per your instruction Mr More Experienced Flyer"

His voice gets shrilly and shouts, "You fucking idiot, now is the time you should be flying".

I take control, pick my PA, "Autopilot disengaged, my copilot and I are controlling the plane now"

We drop altitude, reduce speed, increase flaps and the plane stabilizes.

We prepare to land.
My co pilot can't believe the captain,(me) was turning on and off the autopilot at the mercy of the passenger request (shouting).

I land the plane safely.
Taxi and park at the allocated gate.
Go through my checklist to stop and review the flight.

My copilot asks me, "Captain, with due respect, I think you risked everyone's life, including the guy who was banging on our door by turning the autopilot on and off instead of following what you are trained to do"

I have a smile on my face...

I ask him, "Son, what were you doing before you trained to became a pilot?"

He said, "I was a software developer and how does this question of yours relate to what I asked?"

"It does. I was a software tester. I am used to people who hire me telling me to turn autopilot on and off as per their interest to see who flies the plane.

Despite my 6500 hours of safe flying record, sometimes, it is not me who takes the call to switch off the autopilot."

"If I tell people, I have taken control of the flight turning autopilot off, I am judged as a pilot that lacks skills."

My copilot then added, "What if you just turned on the autopilot and it crashed the plane?"

I had another smile on the face to say,

"People don't mind dying off an autopilot error but they hate the idea of a human error killing them"

My copilot finally connected to what I was saying and then asked, "Why do humans feel safe with machines than humans?"

"Son, that's because their idea of human stems from how they themselves are as humans. They fear more people like themselves"

So, who should fly the plane?

All planes should be equipped with autopilot. It is the captain and his team who fly the plane. Don't ever become like the passenger who was commanding the me, the captain.

That was my last flight.
I have lost my commercial flying license.

I am back to being a tester.

I now turn the autopilot on and off at the whims and fancy of my passenger. If I don't do it. I lose my license.

Your journey on this thread has come to an end. The weather outside is 28 degree celcius. Thanks for choosing to fly with us today.