I consider myself lucky that I work for an airline that still promotes hand flying and encourages their pilots to do it.
Sure automation is an important part of our job now, but how many accidents lately have been because the pilots can’t do basic hand flying.
15th Jul 2018 20:02
Spot on Morno.
Aircraft manufacturers pitch the safety of their aircraft via automation to managers and CEO's. "These things fly themselves, you know."
Managers then mandate maximum use of automation for line flying operations.
Manual flying skills atrophy to the point of pilots becoming useless when the only thing that will save the day is exactly the raw data flying skills that have never been allowed to be practiced.
Insert accident. (AF449 etc).
Solution? More automation.
Like you, I am lucky to fly for an airline that still encourages hand flying when appropriate.