Pilots make flying an airplane look easy, almost automatic. So what are all those hundreds of buttons and controls in the cockpit for?
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There really aren’t that many buttons on planes anymore and there haven’t been for quite a while. Back in the day, airplanes had a lot of buttons and knobs and switches because everything was analog, but now, most aircraft systems are computerized. As you see in [this photo of a modern Boeing 787 flight deck](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Boeing_787-8_N787BA_cockpit_%28cropped%29.jpg?20200130151612), the controls are dominated by 4 large computer screens. There aren’t all that many manual buttons and switches.
That said, planes are still complicated and have a lot of systems, and they all need controls. Not every aspect of a plane is about hands-on flying it. For example, you need controls for the autopilot, radios and navigation systems, engines, power systems, fuel flow and control, the various internal and external lights, cabin interior pressure and temperature, de-icing, emergency systems (ditching, evacuation, fire suppression…etc).
Analogize to your car. To actually drive the car, you really only *need* a steering while, shifter, and brake, right? But you also have buttons for the turn signal, windshield wipers, gas cap and trunk, radio, heat and AC…etc. A plane is just that but more complicated because it has to fly and it has to be really safe.
[Here’s a good video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNIP7t-fH3c) that shows all the various panels and displays on the flight deck of an Airbus A320. It’s not narrated but you can see all the buttons and knobs are labeled and get an idea of what they do.
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