Hand flown approaches into Major international Airports
I am aware that my question is generic and that for different operators the SOP may dictate different answers, but how typical is a “hand flown” approach into a major international airport using CAT2/3 capable runways / aircraft?
Would a typical operator say Virgin / BA etc expect it’s pilot’s to fly say one in five approaches by hand ? How much latitude does the PIC have to elect to hand fly an approach? And typically from what distance / altitude?
My limited understanding is that under certain weather conditions the pilot given his experience and ability to interpret the conditions is always going to be better at maintaining the approach than an autopilot, so that's one factor. I guess visibility might be another factor?
Are major carriers more insistent than smaller ones on the type of approach? Does experience allow more latitude on when a hand flown approach might be executed?