Do the FARs still not require six approaches and landings in a given six-month period? How can only six approaches landings create proficiency, especially in an artificial environment (the sim.)? At another major airline, due to the fact that there are no line FOs who are type-rated by the company to fly in both seats (only using "real" Captains for the left seat...despite a number of pilots who flew years as widebody FO or in the larger, long-range military transports as PIC), some FOs there rarely "fly" a leg, so to speak, and so they must requal in the wonderful simulator sometime each year. The type rating of only Captains was not a, eh..., company decision.
At another airline, the lack of hand-flying led to a near-tragedy in SFO when engine vibration and a compressor stall (?) on a 747-400 made it very difficult to read the (engine) EICAS indications. The plane, loaded with fuel and passengers for an Asian city, barely cleared a large hill. Despite some yaw, initially only aileron was used INSTEAD or rudder.
Last edited by Ignition Override; 21st May 2005 at 04:56.