You and Visioneer have your valid points but.....yep I gotta butt.
If you are going to learn it, why not learn it in its natural configuration. Anybody that sticks with it can and will learn how to fly it. It doesn't take long. In IOC the Phantom is doing a lot more calculations, more chance of failure? It has to constantly change its method of calculating its position relative to you AND its normal calculations with GPS and all.
Do you play an instrument?
If not, look to your favorite guitarist and remember what you see and hear does not tax his mind hardly at all. It is second nature from repeatedly doing it over and over and over.
I play and once you hit this point of automation you get this realization of how the greats were able to do what sounded almost impossible at one time. I don't stand up to them but I have felt what it is to automatically do it.
My point with the helis was, it would have been interesting to have IOC on them because they were so much harder to fly.
These Phantoms are just so easy it isn't funny and I think IOC is over kill on easy steroids.
Maybe it is just because of my heli experience I feel this way. Im not sure.
Maybe deep down I feel it is just a cop out to reduce users competence down to zero when it really is so easy.
A mind IS a terrible thing to waste. We have been wasting away generation after generation as things are done for us more and more.