Originally Posted by Garage Years
Additionally he noted that he routinely hand-flys the aircraft on departure to 10,000 or 18,000 feet (route dependent) and would only then switch on the AP. Equally, on approach he would switch off the automatics around 6,000 feet and hand-fly the aircraft. This is encouraged by his airline. This seems rather different than many these days.
I have no doubt that the automation policies of some outfits reduces the ability of pilots to detect and counter abnormal handling characteristics when they are (forced to) hand flying. The autopilot is an aid, not a crutch.