Both LEM and Smokie seem to miss the point.
Airlines have SOPs that dictate automation.
Anyhow, if you 'fly' Airbus, disconnecting the automatics does not mean you are 'handling' the machine in the way you did with a geriatric jet. The computers are always there between you and the flight surfaces. There is no real flying of such aircraft, you point them and they go! There is no 'feel' to the flight controls. No feedback. No trim.
What exactly does this trick prove?
The only way to truly 'fly' an Airbus 'manually' is to switch off the FACs and go Direct Law.
Not a good idea on a revenue flight.
This is why they invented simulators.
In addition, disconnecting everything might be fun if you fly around the desert in CAVOK without another bird in the sky. Its just not a wise move when operating in a high workload two crew environment in congested airspace, so most never get the opportunity anyhow.
Last edited by Idunno; 13th October 2003 at 09:47.