How much do you fly?

[A340_rulez]

Hey guys and girls!
Well i guess my question is how much of a flight do you actually fly?
You do the takeoff and pretty much after that doesn't the autopilot takeover? well that is what i saw on a video anyway.
Also from what i saw on my video the pilot only seems to fly the last couple of miles of the approach, basically the final approach
Why don't you fly for longer?
I Have read in an article that an A320 can be easily flown upto around 27/8 000 feet so why is it that one tends not to fly for longer if you see what i mean??

thanks alot!!
A340_rulez

;)

[REvans]

Quite a large thread on auto pilot use here: http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=102199&

[A340_rulez]

Thanks for that it was really interesting.

there seems to be a variation in opinions from what i gathered.

any more replies would be great

Thanks a lot

A340_rulez
:D

[seat 0A]

I fly the whole flight. Always.
Wether or not I use the autopilot is a whole different subject.

If Ernest Hemingway would have used a computer to write his books, wouldn`t he have written them?

Regards.

[A340_rulez]

well i think it would be better if i re-phrased the question.
How much do you use the auto-pilot and when?

cheers

[GlueBall]

Handfly below 10,000' AGL just for the challenge.

[redsnail]

Only 2 of our aircraft have autopilots so most of the time I hand fly all the time. If the autopilot is fitted and serviceable then I'll hand fly to our cruising level (can't go any higher than FL100) and then engage the a/p. I usually disconnect it for the approach.
Ave sector lengths is 45min to +2 hours at night.

[seat 0A]

I fly the B737 300-900 series.
I mostly use the autopilot from 1000 feet after take -off until about 4000 feet on approach.
Sometimes I engage the autopilot at 8000 feet or so after departure, when I feel like it. Most of the time we operate from busy airports, where you simply have more bits available to monitor traffic and ATC when the A/P is engaged.

Using the A/P has nothing, repeat, NOTHING to do with flying ability.
Every time this discussion flares here at pprune, someone like 411A will jump up to shout that every pilot should be able to handfly his aircraft in every condition. That`s totally beside the point. Sometimes it is just good judgement to use what you have.

Cheers

[M.85]

not much flying here..:E :{ :(

m.85

[G-Foxtrot Oscar 69]

Flying is so much more than wiggling the stick and pushing pedals!

Using the AP gives you more time to concentrate on en route planing and system monitoring.

After all don't we start the flying as soon as we get the met and start our planing.

I agree you should and can fly the AC by hand but what is the point as it diverts your attention from other functions.

Just my 2 pennies, for all it's worth.