In some cases, yes. We would need them on for CAT lllB/C for example, to give us higher precision on the ILS, and the yaw bar to follow the runway centreline once landed in low vis.
But if flight directors were only used for the more navigationally critical situations, and not all the tine, then we would all keep our scans polished and our recollection of correct pitch and bank attitudes etc. As far as not knowing if the automatics were behaving, well we would see from the PFD if they were or not, surely?
I realise that currently; turning the flight directors off will affect other systems, for example RNP approaches or the auto-thrust on Airbus FBW. But flight with unserviceable flight directors is allowed in the MEL. I am just thinking aloud about ways to improve our flying skills, and how a small modification might allow this.
I remember years ago on our course to go from the Shed onto the Dash 8, the classroom trainer kept going on about the flight director. None of us knew what he was talking about - no FDs on our Sheds, so we were all raw data flyers, and we thought he meant a guy in an office !!!
Last edited by Uplinker; 15th Mar 2021 at 12:51.