Why aviation should look to cars for cockpit commonality

Do you regularly drive, say, a Volkswagen car and worry about going on holiday and hiring a Ford? Of course not – you just jump in and drive away. Cars are not really quite so simple – you may need a minute to find the rear-screen wiper switch – but the basic operating and safety functions all ­translate near enough directly between types and makes. Automobiles benefit from an impressive degree of standardisation.