To many passengers, a long-haul flight looks deceptively simple from the cockpit’s perspective. Once the aircraft reaches cruising altitude and the autopilot is engaged, it is easy to imagine the pilots sitting back while the airplane essentially flies itself for the next 10 to 14 hours. Modern aircraft are incredibly automated, capable of controlling speed, altitude, navigation, and even portions of takeoff and landing. But automation only handles the physical mechanics of flying the aircraft; it does not replace the human decision-making, monitoring, communication, and risk assessment required to safely move hundreds of people across oceans and continents.