Originally Posted by
Centaurus
Suggest you read the accident report on Flash Airlines Boeing 737-300 Registration CU-ZCF and then reflect on your post. There are countless other similar accidents where poor instrument flying ability coupled with contributory cause of automation dependancy have resulted in fatal accidents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Airlines_Flight_604
In the above sentence you didn't once mention the word disorientation, aka getting lost in space. Disorientation: a threat that has ever been present in +100 years of aviation, well known and cause of many incidents and accidents.
Just to get this straight: I'm a fan of manual flying, I'm a fan of raw data flying. I'm sometimes in a fantastic position to "guide" people and in my company it is even part of the training program to do raw data approaches when possible. Because yes, you need the opportunity to learn assets, to young and old. Because it is an asset, it is a certain skill that can be handy. But it is not the whole freaking ultimate godlike saver and creator of 100% safe aviation like many like to think. And safe aviation is our goal.
I don't care if you are a master in raw data, I don't care if you are a master in FMC knowledge or APFD use. It's about you, as a pilot, knowing your weaknesses and strengths. Strengths are fine, but your weaknesses can get you killed. I'd rather have a guy asking me questions on use of AP when, why, how,... These people know their weaknesses and learn. What I don't like, is people who are going to "show" they know how to fly raw data. Those attitudes have created the worst situations I have seen in 20 years. Ego is the killer here, not automation. It is pretty ridiculous to debrief such situations and come to the conclusion that the way out of many "****up handflown raw-data" approaches is to set the AP, set appropriate modes and free your god damn brain from the probable overload you just created and the situational awareness that was long gone but you didn't realise it.
And that's the topic here: does APFD use decrease our situational awareness? No, it should increase. If not, maybe you need some training on the proper use of APFD systems. Otherwise it sounds like you are throwing away the baby with the bathwater.