Originally Posted by
2 Whites 2 Reds
We've all got IR's so should all be very proficient on instruments,
I would argue that a few dozen hours in a bugsmasher with foggles in clear weather and with an instructor/examiner in the other seat, does not adequately prepare someone for doing it in an airliner flying twice the speeds down to minimums, with oneself in command.
being "instrument proficient" has cock all to do flying manually.
I'm trying to understand this statement. Can you please explain it?
Funnily enough (well....it was funnier after the event) I had a complete (all bloody 3 of them!) AP failure linked to an FCC Fault not long before leaving the 767. Ended up flying the entire descent and approach manually which was great fun. We subsequenty departed for the return leg after much engineering headscratching to discover the fault returned as soon as we got airborne. Given the conditions, we elected to continue and stay below RVSM. 2 1/2 hours later we arrived back at home base and I was satisfied I'd done enough to know I can still do it when required.
Wouldn't you be comforted by knowing that you can "do it" BEFORE you were forced to by external circumstances?
It seems to me like an oddly cavalier attitude to carry on with everyday flight ops without being worried that you don't know you can fly a descent and approach.