Found this comment from an earlier Pprune; date and author unknown. After reading it at the time, I filed it away as one of the most succinct descriptions I have seen of the importance of keeping up manual flying skills against the onslaught of ever more automatics. The writer sure hit the nail on the head.
Quote:
"Raw data as a competence demonstration is intended to check a fundamental ability to fly some procedure at the lowest level of instrument display required to be provided in the aircraft.
Thus, no flight suggester, no thrust management slave, no `noughts and ones` translating input data and no stress-relieving flight control manipulator - just that most elusive of skills, manual flight on basic instruments!"
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