Dear Killaroo,
I understand and agree with what you are saying; SOP vs. AIRMANSHIP. When the doo-doo hits the fan prioritizing the golden 3 are paramount. Missing the forest for the trees can be problematic.
Many times I have used the analogy of not falling into the trap of the cockpit robot, doing and calling without thinking or understanding. All the reasons you have stated are valid in today's overly obtuse organisations standards.
Fortunately or not, in this day and age of low hour pilots coupled with highly automated aircraft have set forward a reliance on standardization over airmanship. Although the adherence to SOP's should not be underestimated. Do not let ego and complacency be used as an excuse for good airmanship. Studies have been done on the effects of the "Normalization of complacency and deviation" Adhering to SOP's, whether it be checklists or standard callouts are there for this very reason.
Last edited by jimmyg; 27th Apr 2018 at 04:10.