PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why is automation dependency encouraged in modern aviation ?
Old 27th Jan 2021, 12:35
  #301 (permalink)  
Boslandew
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: cornwall UK
Age: 80
Posts: 236
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Auto/Manual flight

I'm way out of date in this discussion but I don't think the basic principle has changed.

Back in the eighties I flew the Sikorsky S61helicopter on the North Sea. The only 'automation' was the basic stability, which fixed-wing pilots take for granted, provided by a vertical gyro and a heading hold. All approaches, usually an ILS into Aberdeen or an NDB approach to a rig were flown manually using 'raw data.' During IBC's, the stabilisation may have been failed and flying an unstabilised helicopter during an NDB approach is bloomin' hard work.

In the eighties the company bought the Commercial Chinook helicopter which had an AFCS, broadly similar to an autopilot, providing heading/VOR/altitude holds and coupled ILS's. Coupled flight was used extensively and the only time I flew a manual ILS was during my first IBC. The lack of practice was all too apparent to me as well as the TRE and I resolved to do much more hands on flying.
Boslandew is offline