Hi Brie,
Thats a chees#y# name no?
My airline allows and encourages manual flying in situations when traffic and weather arent too much of a factor.
Concerning the raw data flying,flying a 737 myself, i not only allow but encourage my fos to do so.FDs/AT/AP off and ask for vectoring:-)
Some havent had the chance to fly other aircrafts than ZE LNAV slave making Jets ,so in that case yes SIMS arent just not enough.
When some are comfortable with the handling,situation awareness,following sops during nice weather, i let them do the same in IMC.
However I discourage flying a raw data DEPARTURE in busy environment(ie UK) as it may overload the pilot and may induce potential noise abatements problems,track deviations and level busts.
Always ask your captain BEFORE you decide to fly raw data during descent/arrival to allow for a proper briefing.(ie when to recycle FDS,set missed appr alt...rearming a/t in case of a G/A...) if he gladly agrees you are in good hands,if he seems unsure..try it with another Capt the next day.
Enjoy your flights!
Capt Std
