Originally Posted by
Centaurus
Some find it distracting to "look through" a FD. Which is why some pilots when hand flying on instruments prefer to see an uncluttered view of the artificial horizon (a term rarely used nowadays but let's face it, that is exactly what it is
) The Boeing advice to switch off the FD if it is not being followed is good advice.
Well, it depends on your definition of “not following” the flight director. I’m not suggesting ignoring the flight director - if I was going to do that for whatever reason, then I would certainly follow Boeing’s advice and turn it off. That would probably only be in a situation where the flight director was giving (or may be giving) bad information. It wasn’t until the AF447 accident that Boeing actually realised that turning flight directors off was a good idea with suspicious data.
But I’m just pointing out that there is difference between “following the flight director blindly” (which my 5yo son could do), and “looking through it”, which to me means the flight director is just one of the many things I am scanning. In fact you can make it a game to start your turn just before the flight director tells you to, or start your level-off, or whatever. Keeps you sharp, and a good pilot can fly more accurately than the flight director with practice. For example, on the B737 the flight director will often take you through the localiser.
I personally think it’s an invaluable skill to still be aware of your attitude at all times. Your attitude is that thing just behind the flight director. You have to be able too look through the flight director to see it. It’s a good habit to be attitude aware at all times, and you need to open your eyes for that.