Good discussion with lots of valid points. I feel that "Airmanship" and "Pilot Technique" has been largely lost in a maelstrom of SOP's and Regulatory Compliance.
I am not trying to discount the importance of both; they are extremely important. I am not the guy who can recite the FCOM or OM by memory, yet often start my crew briefings by clarifying that my objective is to comply with the SOP's and Operations Manual and I encourage any crewmember (from the FO to the most junior FA) to bring it to my attention if they feel that I am not doing so (we all make mistakes). It is important.
But I also mention that it does not mean that we will not deviate from the aforementioned, but it must be a concious decision and we better have good justification for doing so.
Last edited by Panama Jack; 23rd Dec 2012 at 05:34.