Aircrew automation system and method

A method of operating an aircraft using an aircrew automation system comprising one or more processors, the method comprising:

• mounting, within a flight deck of the aircraft, a core platform comprising:
• the one or more processors and a data bus;
• an open architecture configured to connect and control subsystems;
• and
• a portability to an aircraft type that differs from the aircraft;
• operationally coupling the core platform modularly with an aircraft state-monitoring system and an actuation system that comprises a rotatable extension configured to physically engage and activate controls on the flight deck, wherein the actuation system is configured as portable to an aircraft type that differs from the aircraft;
• receiving, in the one or more processors, real-time flight situation data from the aircraft state monitoring system;
• generating, via the one or more processors, one or more flight commands based at least in part on the real-time flight situation data and aircraft specific information specific to the aircraft in which the aircraft specific information is located in an aircraft data structure populated by a knowledge acquisition system operatively connected to the aircraft data structure;
• and
• communicating the one or more flight commands to a flight control system of the aircraft controlling at least one flight control of the aircraft.