Interesting thread:
As a long retired captain my take:
I frequently practised manual flight as and when the ATC environment allowed, both with and without flight director.
No FD speeds up the scan.
I was frequently asked why by my FOs.
My response. My worst case scenario is I am crossing the Atlantic on a filthy night, pax sleeping soundly. Alternates all on limits.
Then an engine on the 76 or 75 goes bang taking a lot of electrics with it, ( Happens, AF 380, Martinair 767 ).
I am then faced with a single engine non precision hand flown approach,to minima perhaps without FD , to Nar or Kef, airports I have never been to.
Faced with dealing with the technical aspects in that situation is absolutely NOT the time to also refresh hand flying skills.
I hope and believe I could have got the jet safely down in that scenario because actually flying the jet was second nature, not least because I regularly practiced it and setting of the FMC etc is done as and when circumstances dictate, CRM !
Hand flying is actually quite enjoyable too, its why I now pay 120 quid an hour to fly a Warrior !
Back to my morning coffee on a rainy day !
Last edited by RetiredBA/BY; 19th Aug 2020 at 10:09.