Flutterby™! : A3xx incidents

The latest RISKS digest has two terrifying Airbus A3xx incidents. One where an A300's avionics computer blanked the displays while the airplane was in an "unusual attitude", given that the remaining lifetime of a VFR pilot in IFR conditions is measured in fractions of a minute this is moderately terrifying, the other where the A320's pilot's aileron controls were reversed by a maintenance error. While the latter is a reminder to not assume anything during the preflight checks (and is the walk-around on a big plane like a walk-around on a small plane?), both are worth thinking about for the lessons that might apply in any place we do systems design.