The DOT report continued:

As a result, reliance on automation is a growing concern among industry experts, who have also questioned whether pilots are provided enough training and experience to maintain manual flying proficiency.

Advancements in technology contribute to “diminished manual flying skills,” the DOT said, which is dangerous as studies show pilots overestimate their ability to navigate a plane in manual mode. To ensure the safety of passengers, the agency wants the FAA to develop guidelines airlines can use to train and evaluate their pilots. Plus, it believes the FAA should conjure up standards on how to determine if they’ve received sufficient training to be able to fly planes on their own. It will be a ongoing, but necessary challenge to know just how to ensure sufficient training for airline pilots to be able to fly planes on their own.