The `no-downtime' computer

Avionics computers of the 1990s are self-repairing, and they are so reliable that they remain operational despite multiple hardware or software failures. The pilot is excluded from the flight - stabilizing loop, since no human intervention could be swift or precise enough to handle the advanced airframes of the 1990s. The airframes are more fuel - efficient than previous models, but they are less stable and require the continuous action of super-reliable computers - and so the computers are as indispensible to flight as wings.