Besides being the obvious master of automation, all sim checks every six months include engine-out
hand flown pattern circuit, including
hand flown flight director or raw data LOC/ILS intercept and approach and go-around. And if you can't accurately
hand fly the maneuvers then you bust your check! Hand flying currency and accuracy is an integral part of the job, but it doesn't mean that you would hand fly the airplane in busy airspace while in a holding pattern in IMC waiting for your slot time to land at LHR.
So, are you saying that the 'checking' that is done every 6 months allows one to maintain 'hand-flying' skills? It doesn't. So, don't even try to say that the hand flying done in a sim check every 6 months allows one to handfly the aircraft well. It doesn't. If someone handflies well it's because they personally choose to not engage the auto-pilot until level-off perhaps, and to disengage and handfly the approach as much as possible.
It doesn't matter. It doesn't change my comment that a pilot with 20,000 tt that chooses to engage the autopilot at 400' after takeoff, and disengage at the last possible moment before landing, will have poor handflying skills.
Don't confuse being able to handfly an emergency procedure in the sim, to at least minimum standards, and getting a pass, with being able to handfly the aircraft well. Two different discussions.
Keep to topic. My origional comment was that handflying skills suffer, and total time is not an accurate representation of skill, experience, judgement, professionalism, etc.