Originally Posted by
Mad (Flt) Scientist
That's an incredibly mealy-mouthed sentence, and I notice it's in the FCTM, which I assume is an unapproved document. I assume the AFM doesn't actually prohibit use in the mode discussed? But I then wonder "why not?" given the statement about confusion. I think you'd have some issues certifying a system that could be described in such terms today.
Sure, it's not forbidden to use A/T in ARM mode for landing. A lot of things come down to airmanship and common sense, not everything is a hard limitation. And if the manufacturer doesn't recommend something and does not include such procedure / technique in their SOP, there is probably a good reason for it.
The following is from FCOM NP:
For a single channel approach, disengage the autopilot and disconnect the autothrottle no later than minimum use height for single autopilot operation.
See how it says disconnect autothrottle and not "deselect SPD mode".