Although the airlines have probably come a long way from "Just shut up and learn, boy!", I do have one question....
Doesn't anyone teach these kids HOW TO FLY anymore?
Slavish concern about FDs and when to fly with both hands and when to fly with hand on throttles is of less concern than FLYING THE AEROPLANE!!
Back to basics might help a lot of people. A few take-offs with no FD, no AP and just raw VOR might sort out a few folk. There are some co-piglets who've probably never hand flown the aircraft above 1500ft...
I recall a TV programme where each candidate had to fly an aeroplane of some type or other - the winner got to fly a historic military aeroplane. One of the worst candidates was an airline co-pilot - he simply didn't have
any basic stick-and-rudder skills worth a damn. No toys, no autopilot and he was like a fish out of water.
And now the MPL is looming......
