Originally Posted by
vilas
Stilton
That may be your motivation but the motivation to start an airline is not to give you thrill but to make money by safely transporting people. So as I said before manual flying should only be done to acquire/maintain the skill to enhance safety and not for any other purpose.
I guess you are not going to hire me for your airline.
20 years in, flying the bus now, 90% of the time AP/AT off below 10k (and if possible FD off too). After decades of safety improvements because of automation, EGPWS, CRM and so on, I think we have reached the point where more crashes happen because there is too many people in the cockpit who can't fly. There have been numerous hull (and lives) lost because pilots were relying on automation to compensate for non existent situational awareness and control skills. Some should not be there regardless, but I think most could be saved by more hand flying. I don't fly manual just for my ego, 3 times as a brand new captain I got an airplane without auto thrust, an because of that no flight director. I will not again be uncomfortable about not having automation available.
PS: had an engine failure as PM/FO a few years ago. PF/PIC/ Check Airman first action was AP OFF, I switched the AP back on, and told him I would like his assistance while I handled the emergency checklist, and he would not need my help flying if he kept the AP on. There is a time for AP on, anytime there is extra work load, absolutely AP on, but regular flight it should ALWAYS be ok to be AP of.