Originally Posted by Springer1
"(BTW: I fly 95% of the approaches with A/P, A/T and F/d's off)"
Sabenaboy,
In the congested airport environment, you are keeping your F/O's work load very high making radio calls, resetting altitudes and airspeeds, and running the checklist. I am sure if your company is like mine you back up every approach with the available ILS. So who is looking out the windshield? Not you, you're looking at the screens. Not your F/O because he is because he is too busy with the above.
I can see hand flying some of the time but 95%?
Springer
10yr 320 CA
Well, I fly to the European holiday destinations. It's not really very busy at those airports and very often the weather is nice. My home base is Brussels, and we land outside peak hours most of the times.
95 % will not be far off and... you know what. I'm not the only one in the company doing that. Most cpt's and F/O's are doing exactly the same!
Personal minima: Cloudbase reported below 500 ft> I'll leave the A/P (not A/T) in until visual and keep the F/D on. And on the few occasions we fly to busy airports like Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London or similar I'll probably leave everything on until established on the ILS.
I do realise I'm lucky to fly in a company that still encourages handflying a lot.
I can assure you the routine sim JAR OPC with handflown engine-out app's is a piece of cake for most of us.
Regards, Sabenaboy