Funny. I would have made the exact opposite argument. It's possible to train and educate a human being to be very safe and to use good judgement, but impossible to find every possible bug in a piece of complex code, and impossible to code something so that it can deal with all possible contingencies.

Again, read those NTSB reports, and see about 15000+ hour pilots doing the most 'stupid' (and fatal) mistakes. As for code, it can be made arbitrarily close to bug-free; it's just that it is too expensive to do for 'ordinary' stuff you and I enconter.

I don't think any rational person argues for "all computer control" or "all human control". Everyone agrees that we still need people in the cockpits because electronic systems, while good and useful, can't do everything. I don't think anyone in their right mind is arguing for electronic systems that can't be overidden.

This sounds as a religious statement, Tony! You have been exposed (as was I) to too much expensive but lousy code. Many people in aerospace industry believe that completely automated airplanes would be safer than piloted ones (not perfectly safe, of course, just safer than human-operated). Chances are we will soon be able to find out, with UAVs and UCAVs operating in 'regular' airspace. BTW, while it is possible to overide automated navigation equipment, all Airbuses from A320 on, all fourth and fifth generation fighters, all stealth planes and drones and to some extent B-777 are completely fly-by-wire when operation of control surfaces is concerned. There are no direct mechanical or hydraulic links (again, with partial exception of 777).